A Week in the Australian Outback
- Richard Namikas
- Apr 20
- 3 min read
Last week, Ellie and I left the hotels in the cities around Melbourne for the vast Australian sky. There is something profoundly grounding about unrolling a swag on red dirt, and by the time I reached Adelaide, I felt like I’d truly felt the pulse of the Outback.
The Spiritual Heart: Uluru and Kata Tjuta
We flew from Melbourne to Uluru to kick off our journey in Yulara at 2:00 pm. After a deep dive into Añangu culture at the Cultural Centre, we set up camp. Seeing Uluru for the first time is one thing, but watching it shift from fiery orange to deep violet at sunset while knowing my bed for the night was just a piece of canvas under the stars? That’s magic.
https://youtu.be/n5ue6MQeXZQ?si=xaIA-AK0gKh7_wbW (Time lapse of sunset at Uluru)
The next morning, we were up before the sun to catch the first light hitting Kata Tjuta.
https://youtu.be/X7ToCMeqm38 (Time lapse of sunrise at Uluru)
Walking through Walpa Gorge felt like moving through a different world. By the afternoon, I was back at the base of Uluru, walking its massive perimeter and feeling the sheer scale of the monolith and the human history there.
For over six years the rock has been given the respect that the first people wanted. No longer do tourists walk up and down the sacred location.
I capped the night off with a pizza and beer with one of our fellow swaggers at the resort campground. Eventually Ellie and I were zipping ourselves into our swags as the desert chill set in and the stars came out to shine, but suffered some from the lights nearby.
Into the Canyon and Underground
On Day 3, we pushed toward Watarrka National Park. On the way we saw something very unusual. A herd of camels crossing the highway.
https://youtu.be/DXbElZGw17A (Video of the traffic jam)
The Kings Canyon Rim Walk was the highlight for our fellow travelers climbing past the "Lost City" domes and finding the lush Garden of Eden hidden in the depths of the sandstone.
Ellie and I stayed on the floor of the valley and were able to see the rest of the group up on the rim of the canyon.
We rolled out our swags at Kings Creek Station that night. There’s no light pollution out there; the Milky Way looked like spilled paint.
And we taught our new friends how to make smores. with a few ingredient adjustments.
From there, we crossed the border into South Australia. The flies had been a constant companion since we started our trip. We were grateful for our head nets to keep them from crawling all over our heads, and eyes, and ears.
The landscape flattened out into an endless horizon until we hit Coober Pedy. It was a surreal break from the swag life; we stayed in an underground dorm at Radeka Downunder to escape the heat, living like the locals in the "Opal Capital of the World."
Rugged Ranges and Ancient Art
Day 5 started with me fossicking for opals at the Old Timers Mine (no luck, but plenty of dust!).
We made a quick stop at the underground church before heading down the road.
We headed south to Warren Gorge, where our bus got stuck taking a shortcut fit for four wheel drives in the campground. We all got out and carried our bags and swags to the campsite.
We shared a taco salad dinner where everyone pitched in. Looking up through the bare branches of an old tree I could see the Southern Cross and the million stars that tried to block it out.
The final stretch took us through the Ikara-Flinders Ranges. We hiked to the top of a hill near the campsite and watched for kangaroos as the sun went down.
The Final Stretch
Before the trip wrapped up, we visited Arkaroo Rock to see ancient Adnyamathanha rock art, a humbling reminder of how long people have been walking this land.
As we drove through the rolling hills of the Clare Valley toward Adelaide, the dust on my boots felt like a badge of honor. We rolled into the city at 7:00 pm with 2600 kilometers behind us. And while a real bed felt nice, I found myself missing the view from my swag almost immediately.
Reading about a week in the Australian outback was surprisingly immersive, especially the way isolation and nature were described. It reminded me of a time when I felt completely overwhelmed with deadlines and just wanted a break from everything. In that moment, I even thought about whether I should Take my Law class for me just to breathe a little. Experiences like this really show how environment shapes our mindset.
Sounds great but you know me and bugs. I would have had a problem . Miss you guys.