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Hi All
Hope you're all fit well and happy I'm so glad I didn't get up at stupid o'clock this morning to watch the footie... shame though I was looking forward to a good old air horn summer footie barbie next year. Useless lads... I keep saying you get paid far too much!!
Alrighty Oz it is, thankfully I only have a few hours left in the country before I fly out to New Zealand on Friday morning, Oz has bled me dry of money and my liver needs a break so roll on Auckland and the Land of the Rings!
I last wrote to you from Alice Springs...what a rollercoaster it's been since then!! After Alice we headed into the outback and stopped along the way at various gorges, watering holes, Kings Canyon and the McDonnell ranges which stretch for 100km east of Alice. The heat was intense and the flies tested my patience, I eventually gave in and bought a fly net which you'll notice in the fetching pictures. Outback bushcamps were awesome we really were alone out there and the Southern skies provided an incredible sight at night and at sunsets. The only one I would grumble at was near a sight where a man named Ron was murdered in 1994 eerie to say the least! No visit to Oz would be complete for me without a visit to Uluru otherwise known as Ayres Rock rising 348m and 3.6km long I couldn't wait to see it again. The night before a few of us slept on the truck roof as we had to get up at 3am to get there for sunrise. We were blessed with the weather it was a perfect day and I opted to stay on my own at the rock for a day while the truck went to see the Olgas. I've seen them before and I wanted to 'be at one' (don't laugh!!) for a change and appreciate Uluru as it's one of my most favourite places on earth, some of the truck folk think I have a bit of aboriginal blood in me!! At the end of the day I was picked up and we all went to the viewing park for sunset, again amazing although more people seemed to be taking pictures of our truck than the rock itself, it's amazing that we're in the land of ute's and 4x4's but the truck still turns heads!! I'm so going to miss the beast that was. Our day was rounded off with kangaroo kebabs for bushcamp supper all in all one of my favourite days of the trip so far.
We then continued in the outback with more fantastic bushcamps and great meals (so you may or may not notice I appear to have put on a few pounds!!) next town we hit was Coober Pedy where most people live and work underground due to the heat, it was a strange place to say the least. At Coober Will and I left the truck to jump on a 11 hour greyhound bus journey to Adelaide for an expensive trip to the dentist. It was strange seeing the truck drive off without us but it was also good to have a few days of 'time out' in a city although Adelaide didn't really offer much it reminded me of Cardiff (no offence to anyone that lives there!) So toothless and pennyless we waited 6 long days for the truck to arrive in wintry weather. The south of Oz was like the UK in autumn freezing and to jump from the outback to that wasn't pleasent! My high was coming 3rd out of 33 at a killer pool competition on halloween night. My low was having my tooth yanked out like something from a 'saw' movie.... I did however find an amazing aquatic centre so lived there for a few days in the pool and sauna!
So after Adelaide we dropped in at Hanndorf 28km south east of Adeaide Australia's oldest german settlement and I didn't see one! A few days after that we arrived in Meningie with a population of 897 we certainly turned a few heads with the truck! We arrived on Melbourne Cup day a huge day in Oz and Steve decided we'd have a spit raost in a car park, not so good for me as it was lamb and lamb and I don't mix. So we thought it would be clever to find a local pub instead and watch the race as we'd had a sweepstake on board. Now that was a good move. We met the locals my horse came 3rd and I had a tour around the local Police station with Jock the only officer there who was a trifle over the limit himself! It was a funny afternoon the sun was out and the aussies made us feel at home! I was offered a haircut at a womans house for 15 bucks (she was also on the pop!) I chose not to for fear of looking like a local!! My last memory was of Jock the Serg trying to teach me how to hold a bar stool with one arm raised...don't ask!! Oh and he also offered me a job at the station but too many folk in the outback turn a blind eye to things and I'm too honest for that kind of policing!!
Next on our agenda was the Great Ocean Road. Amazing. Right It's my final night in Oz tonight and time is ticking on we've planned an indian take away on the roof (stylish I know!) so I have to go and get ready. I'll complete my oz chapter over the next few days from New Zealand.
TP I love you. Wicked update. Maff and Marcus thankyou so much for booking your tickets to come out to see me I can't wait to see a familiar face from home not long to go now!!
Missing you all
Rach xxx
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