If you told an Aussie you were heading into the middle of the country, most would probably stare back blankly and ask: “Why?” There’s no real way to explain it, other than the fact that most Aussies grow up on the coast and get nervous if they stray too far from the beach – at least until they meet some travellers who are desperate to see all of Australia, especially the Outback. And so it was that Alice the Aussie met Denise the Down Under Desirer (otherwise known as the Brit eager to escape the coast and see what the Outback was all about). After being blown away by Uluru, Kings Canyon and Kata Tjuta] in the Northern Territory, we headed south en route to Adelaide, basically splitting Australia right down the middle. I had already been seriously knocked off my feet with what I’d had on my doorstep without realising for over 20 years – and I was busting to see more. First stop after crossing the Northern Territory border into South Australia, and doing the old, one leg in one state the other in another trick, we headed off through the Outback towards our next destination – Coober Pedy. After stopping a few times to admire strange coloured lizards or the odd passing kangaroo, we eventually reached an area known as the Breakaways. All I can say is X-files! You would seriously be forgiven for thinking you had actually landed on Mars, and I reckon this is the closest you’ll get to experiencing what it’s like. Huge craters and strange looking mounds of earth, along with an eerie silence will surround you. You almost expect to be suddenly beamed up to the sky at any moment. After we had stood there for a few moments and realised this wasn’t going to happen, we piled back into the bus to keep going.
