Camping through the Outback!

Yes, I, Kelli Calloway, camped on the desert ground in the country with the deadliest creatures in the world, in the middle of winter when it dropped below 0 degrees (Celsius that is, not Fahrenheit... makes it sound more extreme!! Plus Celsius, the metric system, British spelling etc etc are starting to me first nature to me!). I went on a camping tour group with a girl from Colorado whom I met at my Orientation for the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship program before I left for Australia--she's a Rotary scholar attending the University of Melbourne who was just a few miles from me attending Pepperdine when I was at UCLA. Small world. We're the only Rotary kids in the Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific region from the Western region of the U.S.! It was so fun to reunite and bond with someone who 100% knows exactly everything I'm going through since we're living parallel lives. I couldn't imagine a more quintessential Australian experience! I'm so glad we found time for both of us to make it happen before our Rotary tenure was up. This has definitely been my favorite domestic travel in Australia, despite the red dirt (and it really is flaming RED) getting into everything I took with me including the wide array of warm clothes borrowed from various friends, the 4am wake ups everyday, and the kangaroo mice getting into my swag/sleeping bag.

Rotary scholars from California were reunited!! It is always so great to see a familiar face in this half of the world.

Anzac Hill lookout in Alice Springs 

 At the Red Centre Reptile museum! Holding a blue-tongued skink?! Can't remember... But he was one of the few non-venomous/deadly animals in all of the Outback, so I was willing to hold him. 

Before I left for Australia, I asked my step-Grandpa about his travels in Australia. He raved about the Royal Flying Doctors and what an amazing program they have, and he kept telling me I HAD to go to their museum. Lynn passed away not long into my 2nd month here, and I promised myself I wouldn't leave without seeing his favorite part of this country. I was just as impressed by the whole organization as he was, and it was a nice way to remember my favorite Lynny Boy by following through on his travel advice. I'm so glad Katie is a nerd like me and was willing to go tour the museum, too :)

Katie had some friends of friends in Alice Springs so we got a great tour of the city by car, plus got to go out to Simpson's Gap for a beautiful view.

Look at the wide array of meat options--camel, kangaroo, buffalo...we opted for some cheaper, basic tucker back at the hostel!

YES--we were completely in the middle of nowhere.

Getting ready to fit in with some yarbos in Oodnadatta!

Nothing but red dirt, blue skies, and miles and miles (or kilometres and kilometres) of open road!

King's Canyon

That's me!

Kata Tjuta

Kata Tjuta

Katie and I in front of Kata Tjuta

Uluru!

Uluru glowing at sunset

Sunset dinner by Uluru

Bundled up in my swag! I only wish I could've taken a photo of the stars out there! Absolutely BREATHTAKING. I have never seen the Milky Way so bright.

Sunrise over Uluru

2+ hour base walk around Uluru

The many faces of Uluru--I know it just seems like a big rock, but Uluru was so majestic and stunning! It's just... SUCH...a big rock. And each side of it seemed like it was a different creature, it was so dynamic and changing just throughout the day. This is a very cool natural landmark, and no wonder it's a sacred indigenous site.

This trip was just the perfect whirlwind of cramming in everything possible in 4 days time--including a presentation at the Rotary Club of Alice Springs-Mbantua! Rotarian Graeme Boskell was so generous--he picked us up at the Alice Springs airport, plus spent the whole first day with us as our official tour guide. We were so lucky to have such a warm welcome. A special thank you goes to Rotarian Boskell and his whole club, for welcoming us, inviting us to speak and for treating us to a delicious breakfast.

Traditional banner exchange!