A River Runs Through It

Still in Alice Springs, on the Rock Tour:

The rain persisted ALL night, as thus no sunrise was to be had either. However we all woke up early; most of us were wet, tired, and groggy.  We huddled around trying to warm up with tea and coffee and waded through the flooded campsite to get to the bathrooms.

Then we packed up and headed to Uluru. We were suppose to do a 10k hike around the entire base of the rock, but with the rain, that plan was thrown out the window. Now the plan was to drive around it, stopping at various points and offering those who were daring enough to run around in the rain, to get out and see the waterfalls pouring off the rock up close and personable.  I had packed my rain jumper with flip-flops on was ready to get wet. A handful of us raced to the end of the trail where the waterhole was and saw a huge waterfall flowing off the rock. Going to the second viewpoint of it, you could feel the midst of the waterfall instantaneously. Within second of standing there I was drenched.

Uluru perhaps at it's finest...a rare and very special site to see it like this!

The second stop more people got off as we raced to another waterhole. It was not quite as impressive, but nevertheless amazing to see. Not many people get to see Uluru the way we did that day…despite being wet and at times cold, we all realized how lucky we were.

We returned to the Cultural Center to warm up with a hot drink before making our way to the airport to drop two tour members off at the Ayers Rock Airport. We said our goodbyes to the “Santiagos” as we called the couple and headed back to Alice Springs. Most of us were wet and tired, and ended up falling asleep. As we drove the rain persisted and eventually we came to a point in the road where vehicles were stopped. Jared and Adam got out to see that the road was flooded and impassable for many low riding cars. Our bus was a smaller bus with the air filter sitting very low in it, so we were not able to brave the river.

The "river" running through the hwy

So we waited…and waited…and waited…5 hours passed as we sat wondering if we’d make it back to Alice or not. A couple trying to catch the Ghan (the train north) started to realize that they weren’t going to make their reservation and even a  few of us flying out of Alice the following day started to become worrisome.  With the rain letting up a  bit and the water receding we finally were able to cross the river by being towed by a larger tour companies’ bus. But we were not out of the woods yet…two other potential rivers may have flooded ahead and if the rain was this hard in Alice, those roads would be washed out as well.

Next phase was where a tow was not an option, so we got out and pushed the bus. Jared stayed in the bus to steer it while the rest of us, most of us barefoot, walked behind, pushing from the back of the trailer. The water had a strong current and was rushing between our feet and the road was very rocky, piercing our foot with each step we took, At times it was hard to keep up with the bus, but eventually I took my turn pushing.

Unable to judge distances, I asked someone how far we pushed the bus – they questioned their response but said it had to have been 200 meters or so. To me it felt like at least a mile.  But…we were not out of the woods yet…

Luckily the car started and we zoomed off, leaving many other buses behind. We were now on the road again, and all alone. That was until the next river crossing. It was dark now and we all dreaded having to get out into the water and push the bus again. Many cars we had seen earlier that day lined the shoulders. We all sat patiently wondering if this was where we were to stay for the night. This was where the police had closed the road.

Jared and Adam however were able to talk to the police and got them to tow us across the water. We were a bit scared to think we had made it after all that as we still had a hour or so to Alice, so we sat in quiet, most of us resting.

Finally approaching Alice, we knew we had survived the outback floods of 2010 and cheered. Each of us were dropped off at our hostels and could not be happier to be back.  We had planned on returning by 4:30PM, and then meeting up for dinner and drinks at the Roc Bar, but it was 10:30PM. Many of us however decided to shower quickly and meet up, despite the long day and late return, for we had something to celebrate!

At the bar only a few of us showed up, but it was still nice. Jared said that we were the only tour bus to make it back to Alice that night. I had indeed made the best decision booking with the Rock Tour and now I knew it.

What an adventure. What a story. Sorry if that seemed long and boring to you. Just ask anyone from that tour and they will say, the Outback is truly a wild, unforgiving, and a harsh land. Fear of dehydration is one thing in this area that all deal with, fear of floating away in a “river” is another…once every 7 or so years.

The once dry river in Alice is alive again with water flowing through it.

Friday I rested. After a long few days in the Outback I decided to take the day easy and to prepare for my flight to Cairns. I could of stayed longer in Alice, but most people were leaving and the price per the ticket was the best I’d be able to get for the next two weeks.

I took a taxi to the airport with a couple from the tour that were staying at my hostel. Kelly and her dad where also flying back to Cairns where Kelly worked. At the airport we saw a handful of other people from the tour. It was quite weird to see people you know in a foreign land.

Landing in Cairns I called my hostel for the free shuttle to come pick me up from the airport. I checked into my room and then went to wander down the esplanade before crashing early.