It is time to discover the most authentic part of Australia, its Red Centre, its inner side: the Australian desert, better known as Outback. 

We start our journey from Townsville, coming up from Mackay where we worked for a few months in a pineapple farm (the best pineapple ever eaten!). See article: http://www.marsontheroad.com/en/destinazioni/42/la-nostra-esperienza-nel-paradiso-degli . 

Before leaving, we buy a road map and we point out where to stay for the night (we look for free camping areas using Wikicamp App) calculating about 800 km per day during the first 3 days. 

We also do an accurate plan to refuel, just to make sure not to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. There are small fuel stations every 400-500 km. The gas is obviously more expensive than on the east coast considering the huge distances. Moreover, we buy food and water enough for about 3-4 days since we know we’ll be able to find everything we need once in Alice Springs, the largest town in the outback. 

So let's start this road trip! 

We leave at 7 am on 29th of July; after 725 km we stop at Oorindi, a free rest area where we decide to stop for the night and to make some exercises after all these hours spent in the car. After dinner, we lay on a bench to admire the red fire sunset followed by a starry sky complete with a stunning Milky Way! 

On the second day, we head towards Tennant Creek, a small town on the Stuart Highway. Here we stop in the parking of a BP fuel station to sleep. We have been driving for 870 km and we are really tired. It has been a really long day and we even got a speeding fine of 250 AUD! 

The landscape on the road is sometimes monotonous but terrific most of the time! The red ground stands out on everything; the endless straight road is the perfect background for so many thoughts, silences and songs (Sonia is not only an excellent driver but also a crazy singer!). 

On the third day, we arrive at Alice Springs,  mainly inhabited by aborigines. They actually do not give a really good idea about the town given to the abuse of alcohol. Indeed most of them are unemployed as they receive a monthly salary from the Australian government based on recognition of lands dispossession.
 


After visiting the town and making provisions for the following days, we leave again in the early morning. Next stop: ULURU- Ayers Rock, about 550 km south of Alice Springs. On the way, we stop at Curtin Springs, a fuel station with hot shower (3 AUD) and a small green area where to some exercises despite the strong wind. In the afternoon, we finally get to ULURU. If you would like to know more about our trip there, please have a look at the following article: http://www.marsontheroad.com/en/destinazioni/18/uluru-il-cuore-rosso-dellaustralia .

To sum up, these first three days of travel have been in some way a little tedious given to the daily amount of kilometres to run. Indeed, one of the most exciting moments (not really for Marica) during the day, was to overtake the huge road trains met on the road. But on the other hand, the long time spent in the car has been crucial to reflect on several issues. We’ve mainly focused on our latest trips and we have started to plan the future ones. The road, therefore, is gradually improving our desire to keep travelling and exploring.   

In particular, what has moved us the most is the journey itself, more than the final destination: the opportunity to meet any sort of dangerous animals typical of Australia; the chance to live in the nature and with the nature; the Red Centre of Australia; most of all the way of travelling by car. “YOLO” is for us much more than a simple car. It represents our freedom as well as our home. Not to mention then all the beautiful people that we have met on the way, always ready to help us. Definitely an unforgettable experience that we recommend to everyone!