Driving across the Outback is pretty dull because there is nothing to see except roadkill and there is no shade whatsoever. We stopped in a small town called Peterborough where I 'drove a train'. We got to Coober Pedy which is a small opal mining town in the middle of nowhere where we slept underground in a cave and saw lots of underground structures. (I think that is why they call Australia 'the land down under', pun intended.) I met the hotel owner Martin and visited an opal store with Mom. They even had a golf course! We drove past Mount Conner to Uluru where we stayed in a hostel in Yulara. Uluru is very amazing and I explored a few waterfalls, caves, and even saw the 'Brain'.
Kata Tjuta was as beautiful as Uluru and we went on a hike called the Valley of the Winds. There were lots of steep rockfaces and it was fun climbing up and down them. I found tadpoles living in the middle of the desert! Kings Canyon was really hot and we walked along the edge which was a little scary. We visited the School of the Air in Alice Springs and learned how children far away in the Outback were being taught in the olden days before computers. I found yummy-looking kangaroo sausages in the store. We stayed with wonderful hosts in Alice Springs, Mick and Bernadette. The best thing about being in the Outback is that we got to swim in pools almost every day because it was sssssooooooo hot!
