I hate the idea of being a ‘fly in fly out’ tourist, but the distances in Australia are so vast that sometimes you are forced to jump on the plane. The other issue with certain parts of Australia is that you need to be there when the weather permits. Low season is low season in the desert because it’s too hot. And at the very back end of October, time was running out for me.

I wanted to see a bit of desert and I also felt my year wouldn’t be complete without seeing Uluru, or Ayers Rock as I knew it growing up. So I flew to Alice with the idea that I would drive out of it somehow, and south towards Adelaide. Further if I was lucky.
As much as I gritted my teeth at the idea of flying, the flight itself is worth a blog post. One of the reasons I wanted to come to Australia s because I’d flown over it a few times before and was always totally amazed by the vast, empty space below the aircraft.
As much as I gritted my teeth at the idea of flying, the flight itself is worth a blog post. One of the reasons I wanted to come to Australia s because I’d flown over it a few times before and was always totally amazed by the vast, empty space below the aircraft.

I was interested in two things. First: I wanted to see how much of the Blue Mountains was still on fire. Answer: from what I could see, quite a lot and there were fires still burning near settlements. We didn't fly anywhere near the REALLY big fire.
The second thing I wanted to see was, again, that vast landscape. But what I wasn’t expecting was the different types of terrain, the variety of patterns and the amazing salt lakes that can be seen from the air. There are some criss-cross patterns that form across massive areas, and I’d love to know what they are. I found the whole desert impossibly beautiful from above.
I loved the fact that the sky map named a couple of places, and then was forced to label the rest ‘Australia’ because there’s simply nothing there. The flight from Sydney to Alice Springs takes 3hrs 20. It’s a touch quicker to fly from London to Romania. And Alice is only halfway across this massive country.
The second thing I wanted to see was, again, that vast landscape. But what I wasn’t expecting was the different types of terrain, the variety of patterns and the amazing salt lakes that can be seen from the air. There are some criss-cross patterns that form across massive areas, and I’d love to know what they are. I found the whole desert impossibly beautiful from above.
I loved the fact that the sky map named a couple of places, and then was forced to label the rest ‘Australia’ because there’s simply nothing there. The flight from Sydney to Alice Springs takes 3hrs 20. It’s a touch quicker to fly from London to Romania. And Alice is only halfway across this massive country.

When I got to Alice, I didn’t do a lot. I had an outback Halloween party to attend with a friend from the ABC, Uluru tours to research, and a hugely different climate to get used to. It is dry, dusty, full of flies, utes, scrub and dry river beds (like this one, the Todd 'river'), it’s mostly beige with spindly trees and a bright blue sky and rusty red dirt as you get out of town. You drink litres upon litres of water and are still thirsty, and at this time of year it’s almost always above 30 degrees. I LOVED it!

The best thing in Alice was meet the wonderful Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns or ‘Kangaroo Man’ as I knew him. I’ve seen a bit of the first programme they ever did on him, which was aired just before I left the UK. I hear they call him Kangaroo Dundee these days.
He runs a sanctuary just south of town and hardly any Australians have heard of him! He does a grand job and fame doesn’t appear to have affected him. Not that much can get to anyone in Alice…there’s 1500kms of emptiness in all directions!
It was also my first experience of an outback sunset. Unbeliveable.
He runs a sanctuary just south of town and hardly any Australians have heard of him! He does a grand job and fame doesn’t appear to have affected him. Not that much can get to anyone in Alice…there’s 1500kms of emptiness in all directions!
It was also my first experience of an outback sunset. Unbeliveable.