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Our penultimate day took us only a 600 kilometre drive from Coober Pedy to Mount Remarkable National Park. We did not do much but drive, our tour guide taking his time as we just watched the red desert turn to much greener pastures. The roads are so long and straight that I don't think I would be able to keep my eyes open from the concentration it would take if I were to drive that road. We only really had to stop for lunch and fuel but we pulled over a couple of times; once to see if we could help an aboriginal man with his car and also for a wide load vehicle to pass by - a whole house on the back of a truck!
We arrived at Stony Creek Bush Camp before nightfall but as we were forecast rain that night, we rolled out our swags inside the guesthouse. It was cosy and warm inside after a few minor technical difficulties with the wood-burning stove, which filled the whole room with smoke…twice… We just chilled out swapping photographs, playing Jenga and we had some great tasting tortillas for dinner.
We started our last day with a walk through Alligator Gorge, named so after a shepherd, called Ally, who would keep his sheep there. Many other stories float around including, that the giant lizards that live there remind many people of alligators. Even though it was rather cloudy, we still had a great walk that took us between the empty gorge walls and up to viewing points. Only a few of us completed the circuit back up to the top of the gorge - having climbed 551 steps down (apparently). There were smaller kangaroos everywhere, known as Euros and we learnt about the rock and the trees that have incredible abilities to adapt and survive in the interesting environment.
We then made our way through the Clare Valley down to Adelaide. Famous for its wineries, we stopped at a couple (one paid for in the tour) and then had lunch: hot chicken sandwiches with chips! We sat under a park shelter balancing bowls of salad on top of a permanent barbecue while the rain drizzled down around us. This did not deter one guy from our group having a go on the swings in the park.
It wasn't long before we were on the freeway and it seemed like a completely different Australia to the one I had just been living in. Arriving in Adelaide as it got dark, my hostel was the last drop-off and I checked in and got into my little six-bed dorm I was sharing with another four girls that night. Our tour group met up for one last night together with a few drinks in town. I was staying at the same hostel as a couple of girls from my tour, so after we finally found a taxi driver that actually knew where our hostel was, we shared it back where I thoroughly enjoyed the clean, warm sheets that beckoned me to bed.
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