I am proud to celebrate my 25th birthday in Australia. It was a special event. Because we were a group of 8 people and two 4-wheel-drive-cars we were flexible.
My biggest and the only wish was, to have a quied evening with my friend near a campfire. This wish schould be true...
We came from the Ayers Rock, the right way onto the Stuart Highway turning south. For my birthday I wanted to have a beer for everyone, but where could I buy some in the Outback? We planed to drive the Oodnadatta Track and there where two chances to buy: In Kulgera and later in Marla. The risk in Marla was to big so I decided to buy everything in Kulgera. Here we got special news: The Tamami Track we drove days ago from Halls Creet to Alice Springs was closed because of heavy railfalls. Alice Springs were rainfalls to. But the best news were: The Oodnadatta Track schould be free!
Your coldbox was full again with food stuff and ice. Now we said: "We must find the turn left to the Oodnadatta Track." But first there was the border crossing from the Northern Territory to South Australia. At 4.59 p.m. we were at Marla and then we turned left onto the legendary Oodnadatta Track. 13 km later we build our Camp.
My birthday was in the next morning. My friend wacked me up with cold water and my girl friend gave me a bunch of flowers. I put it into an empty Fosters tin an fixed it in our car.
At 8.50 a.m. the Oodnadatta Track Adventure began. We saw kangus and behind a town (village, some houses) named "Oodnadatta" be drove parallel to the Old Ghan Railway. It was shutdown in die 1980s because the maintenance was to heavy.
With the Railway the live was gone in the villages, too. Old towns were only ruins. One town was Warrina. At 3.45 p.m. we took new power with the help of a cup of coffee in William Creek. There was an information: population 2
The track was used for aircrafts, too. Frome here there started and ended the "Scenic Flights" to Lake Eyre, a salt lake devided in North and South. We were happy to see the signs "Lake Eyre has water". This event is only evers 20 to 30 years.The Oodnadatta Track is far away from Lake Eyre. We had so turn left again. Crossbone signs inform about the track danger. I was a great adventure. On the worst track we drove 50km turning east. A dead cow near the track shows the danger again.
At 5.25 p.m. we reached Lake Eyre North. For a great end of my birthday we had a nice meal and cold drinks near a very nice campfire near a salt lake with water. I took this picture in the darkness of the night:
The white circle at the top in the middle is the moon. The vertical lines are the stars, moving while taking the picture. No tents and no car were seen while taking the picture. On the right, out the images there lays Lake Eyre.
This is a special remiding of my first (up to now) Australia Trip I will never forget. I am happy to tell this story in this forum. It was a highlight in this group of people in the middle of the Outback at the other end of the earth a long way from home...
