What is a swag? That is the same question Jon had where I responded “I don’t know, I’m assuming some sort of tent.” This would be our sleeping arrangements for the next several nights while on our tour of the Outback. Not wanting to drive through the vast expanse of the outback ourselves we opted to take a 6-day tour with Groovy Grape.
The tour started in Alice Springs, a small town with an aboriginal population and soaring temperatures. Our first stop halfway between Alice Springs and Uluru was in Kings Canyon, an ancient formation of towering red rocks. We were supposed to the 4-mile canyon rim walk but due to the 100-degree temperature we opted for a shorter hike to the canyon rim.
Kings Canyon walk.
That night our quirky guide treated us to an Aussie BBQ at our camp site in Kings Canyon. After Mark wanted to explain in extreme detail how to set up our swags. I snuck off to shower with Jon telling Mark to his dismay that he could start without me as I wouldn’t be setting mine up anyways. When I got back I expected some complicated contraption but was informed by Jon that a swag was little more than a heavy canvas sleeping bag with a flap to put over your head and you simply needed to roll it out on your selected part of the ground. We found a spot not covered in ants and settled in. How spectacular it was sleeping under a canopy of a million stars!
Mark cooking on the Barbie at Kings Canyon.
Image of our swag.
The next day we filled up our water bottles with the disgusting water at our campsites and started the long drive to Uluru. That afternoon we did the walk around the canyon which I do not recommend unless it’s under 80-degrees. We trudged the 3 hours around the rock with only our warm disgusting salty water. Let’s just say that the rock was not that impressive up close, with nothing but heavy heat filled air to breath. I was so hot I literally thought that my head was about to pop off. A few of us took off to one of the resorts where we enjoyed the cool waters of a pool along with an ice cold beer.
Thankful we were able to see Uluru at both sunrise and sunset in all its glory with temperatures under 100-degrees. Sunrise was magnificent despite being woken up by Mark at 3:30 am so that we could be first in line at the entrance to the park. Sunset was even better with the changing colors. Other than the sunset my favorite was the early morning hike through the Valley of the Winds. Little known in comparison to Uluru but far more spectacular in my mind.
Jon up close and personal with Uluru.
Uluru (in the distance) at sunrise.
Uluru changing colors at sunset.
Valley of the winds.
Our campground at Uluru.
After Uluru, we were able to experience the true vastness of the Outback. We drove for about 8 hours and saw nothing but blue skies, rust colored dirt and tumbleweeds. The openness is mesmerizing. We finally came upon the opal mining capital of the world Coober Pedy but did not see much there either as 90% of the people live in houses built under the ground due to the heat. We were lucky enough to visit one of the mines, an underground house and an orphanage for orphaned kangaroos.
Colorful sunsets and vast nothingness of the outback.
Typical underground home, Jon and I in one of the mining caves and outside view of the mine.
Kissing a baby Kangaroo at Josephine’s.
Our underground bunkhouse in Coober Pedy that we slept in.
Our final night of the tour was spent at the beautifully rugged, and blessedly cooler, 540-million-year-old Flinders Ranges. We hiked and enjoyed the views before heading to the campground which looked like an abandoned ghost town.
The Flinders Ranges and our campground.
And of course, no tour would be complete without a final stop in Barossa Valley for wine and beer tasting. A bottle and three chunks of cheese to go please!
Wine and beer tasting at Knappstein.
Our Groovy Grape tour was an amazing deal at $500 each for all costs; transportation, guide, park entrance fees, accommodation (swag) and food.
Where we stayed in Alice Springs, Alice’s Secret, we had a private room with a shred bathroom for about $50 a night. The German owner was and great to talk to very helpful. The place was quirky with rooms in container looking buildings and some in old outfitted campervans. At night the whole place lit up with green and red lights. It had a small clean pool which was heaven to relax in with the 100-degree heat.
The cool outdoor area of the hostel lit up at night.
Journey with Christina 