From Ulster to Oz by bus: The Final Blog
AFTER travelling 20,000 miles, over 13 weeks and through 19 countries, Ulster civil servant Darren McCaffrey's epic journey has come to an end.
The 22-year-old has finally reached his final destination of Sydney and was in celebratory mode.
Darren's Blog
Our final week on the bus began in Alice Springs which is slap bang in the middle of the Northern Territory. Although not big it has the same frontier, pioneering feel many of the towns around here have, similar to that found in the old Wild West in the USA. I fell in love with the outback's expansive emptiness, while dangerous it has real mystery and charm to it. The friendliness of the locals, the wildlife and terrain make it an awesome place. Though maybe somewhere better visited than resided as we met one teacher who had to travel 200km to his nearest pub.
After a visit to the flying doctors (a necessity out here) we headed west to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The natural environment and scenery in the outback truly is breathtaking. Kings Canyon, Devils Marbles and the Olgas are wonders which have formed over thousands of years and remain untouched by humans due to their isolation. While driving we also came across some incredible animals, from massive eagles, to snakes, kangaroos' and wild camels. With little vegetation and almost no rainfall it's amazing they can survive. And although the outback is often called the red centre as it gets red hot most of the year round, in winter particularly at night it gets really cold – so lots of layers and sleeping bags are a must while camping.
By Wednesday we had travelled to one of Australia's national icons Uluru (more commonly known as Ayres Rock). This monolith is very impressive particularly at sunrise as it turns the most fantastic shade of red. Although you are allowed to climb to the top, you are strongly discouraged by the local Aboriginal community as it is a sacred place. After a two hour walk around it was interesting to reflect on the treatment of Aboriginals. They have in the past been badly treated by the settling population, classified for many years as animals. Recently however steps have been taken to improve relations, culminating in an apology by the new Prime Minister last year.
However many issues remain predominantly in the Northern Territory. In towns such as Alice Springs and Katherine large groups of Aboriginals wonder the streets, often drunk. Many on the bus were shocked by the starkness of the problem, so obvious – a people seemingly dispossessed, excluded, almost lost.
By Friday we had left the outback behind and travelled into wine growing South Australia. We stopped in Cobber Pedy, a town literally underground – many live in houses mined into the hillsides. Like much of Australia it is a wealthy settlement due to its vast opal and mineral reserves which after 150 years are still going strong.
In our final few days we dropped in on Adelaide, a clean, growing city which has a lively nightlife and a large Asian population. And to the nation's capital Canberra, much like Washington DC, all about politics and little else.
There was a strange atmosphere as we boarded the bus on our final day. Everyone knew this was it, the end after almost 100 days, but at the same time the daily routine had become so entrenched it was difficult to grasp. As we edged closer to Sydney this uneasiness was replaced by excitement as we became rather pleased that we had done it.
After a final OzBus photo-shoot outside the opera house we put all our differences behind as a group and hit Sydney hard, with a nice meal and a few drinks. At midnight we celebrated as we realised after 20,000 miles, 13 weeks and 19 countries we had travelled on a bus from London to Sydney!!!
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
