From Red Rocks to Waterholes: One Wild Week in the Aussie Outback

Looking at a last glance of Kata Tjuta

One week, 2 photographers, 1 very patient sister, 1 aging van named Delilah, and 2,100+ kilometres of outback roads. What could go wrong?

Turns out, not much, except maybe a dead kangaroo, a missed snake photo-op, and an ongoing argument about whether a rock is just a rock. But along the way, we also found magic: sacred sites that silenced us, camels in the wild, turtle-filled springs, and strangers who somehow crossed paths with us a year ago on the other side of the country.

Here’s the story of our week in the Northern Territory; equal parts sweat, wonder, and rosé at sunset.

Day 7 - The Day the Rock Wasn't Just a Rock

• Distance so far: 3134 km

• Wildlife spotted: Wild camels!

• Highlight: finally, some proper movement, a real walk!

"It's just a rock", she said. "Pretty special rock after all." - Deborah

We set off in the morning, heading straight to Kata Tjuta, which means “many heads", also known as The Olgas. As we drove, the scenery opened up to one of those jaw-drop Aussie panoramas: Uluru on one side, Kata Tjuta on the other. And just when we thought the morning couldn’t get better… wild camels! Sadly, Andrew blinked and missed them.

The walk between the towering domes of Kata Tjuta was chef’s kiss. After days of sitting in the car and shuffling around campgrounds, this hike felt like bliss. Legs moving! Lungs full! Spirits up! A real activity.

Inside the park, photography is not allowed. It’s a sacred site to the Aṉangu people. At first, that felt limiting (especially for us photo-happy wanderers), but in the end, it was kind of perfect. With no cameras, we just existed in the moment, surrounded by rust-red rocks, beautiful nature and pure silence. Honestly, some places are just too beautiful to capture anyway.

But don’t get us wrong, there were still a few spots that made us itch to sneak a photo. We didn’t. But oof. The restraint.

Later that day, we got nostalgic with some old photos from Andrew’s mum, Jenny, who studied in Australia 28 years ago and visited Uluru with her grandparents. It felt surreal to walk where she had walked. Like she was traveling with us, in a way.

We made it back to camp in time to claim our spot, chill, and gear up for sunset. Watching Uluru shift colours as the sun dropped was mesmerizing. A beautiful painting by Monet couldn't quite top it. Not only did the rock surprise us with her colours, even the sky next to it had the perfect painters palette. We called family from our rooftop perch, sipping the lovely rosé Izzy gave me for my birthday. Not bad for a Monday night.

Day 8 - The Glorious Joy of Laundry

Crepes for our frenchie meet up

• Distance so far: 3289 km

• Highlight: Finally, laundry!

We caught up with our Airlie Beach roommate Lucie (yay!) and spent the day doing something deeply underrated: laundry. You don’t know joy until you don’t have to wear bikini bottoms and dive socks as actual clothes. We transformed the van into a rolling drying rack and proudly strung socks across the hammock. A glorious sight.

We also remembered we never got that classic shot of Andrew with Uluru (let's say someone felt left out of the spotlight), so back to the viewpoint we went!

Oh, and we stopped by Mt Conner, aka Fake Uluru. Poor fella never gets the fame, but he makes a good stand-in for drone shots.

Dinner highlight: Japanese pancakes! Nothing compared to our food queens Marty & Hina, it wasn’t quite the same, but we still licked our fingers clean.

Day 9 – Kings Canyon: Hike, Camels, and Camera Stops

• Distance so far: 3650 km

• Wildlife spotted: more camels!

• Highlight: The 3-hour hike at Kings Canyon

His new hat and his big lens are his most precious things at the moment

Off to Kings Canyon we went, ready for a three-hour hike. Deborah might already be regretting traveling with two photo-obsessed people. We stopped every five minutes. Honeslty, little shoutout to my sister and her patience. Travelling with two photographers is a challenge. Even I was wondering what Andrew was gonna pause for next (another rock? A tree? A particularly photogenic ant?)

On the drive, we passed so many camels, skinny ones with just one hump. We did some homework: they are dromedaries, however here in Australia they don't specifically seperate camels and dromedaries, they're all camels. Why are they here? Unfortunately they are not native to central Australia. They have been transported in 1840 from India, Afghanistan and other Middle East countries. They were brought to help explore and develop the Outback’s heartland, especially for transport and building railways and remote infrastructure. Nowadays they're either used for tourism activities or free in the wild.

The canyon hike was stunning. Somewhere along the trail, we met Jenny & Chris, an Aussie couple who’ve been living on the road in their motorhome for three years (!). Turns out we all crossed paths a year ago in Airlie Beach when we went sailing. Wild how small the world can be.

We’re making our way toward Alice Springs, the nearest place to stock up on fuel and groceries. Because, as it turns out, Uluru is very in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, we packed spare fuel and rationed our food, but supplies are definitely running low. Time to restock and reboot.

Day 10 - Ghan to Devils Marbles

• Distance so far: 4266 km

• Wildlife spotted: Dingoes!

Today was a bit of a random one. We had planned to visit Rainbow Valley on our way to Alice Springs. Apparently, it's a picture-perfect spot for photographers.

Unfortunately, we didn’t make it there, as the road is recommended for 4WD vehicles. And while I completely trust Delilah to get us around on this trip, she’s still an old lady and we don’t want to ask her to run an Ironman.

So, off we went to Alice Springs to take care of a few chores.

We didn’t feel at ease in Alice Springs at all. There was just a bad vibe, which I’m sure was amplified by the stories we’d heard beforehand. We got what we needed and moved on to the next stop.

Day 11 - Devil's Marbels to Daly Waters Pub

• Distance so far: 4768 km

• Wildlife spotted: a dead kangaroo in the way

• Highlight: Beer, cards and pizza

We went looking for the Devil’s Marbles, couldn’t find them at first. Who would've thought you can miss these big Red rocks in the middle of nowhere? Apparently, we’d already passed them earlier in the morning. We circled back and found them, which gave us a nice 20-minute stretch for the legs. Andrew was mesmerised by the rock formations. Deborah and I, on the other hand, didn’t really feel the vibe, unfortunately.

On our way further up North, we ran over a kangaroo. It was already dead. Sadly, it hadn’t decomposed enough, and it hit the underside of the car. Luckily, nothing major happened, just the spare tyre came loose. Quite a few people stopped to check on us, and we were back on the road soon after.

You gotta appreciate Daly Waters Pub's sense of humour

We arrived at the Daly Waters Pub just in time. The space in the van was getting a bit too tight and you could probably smell us all the way from Uluru. We jumped in the pool to cooldown and took a quick shower. The Town is known for its first ever international airport and has been a base for travellers up and down the highway.

The best part? Definitely the pizza and beer for dinner. It was exactly what we needed, the cooking was getting tiring. A Western-style bar with some country live music while playing some card games was much appreciated.

Day 12 - Daly Waters Pub to Mataranka

• Distance so far: 4936 km

• Wildlife spotted: my first ever snake in AUS! and don't forget the peacocks

• Highlight: Finally a swimming hole

Today’s destination was just a short two-hour drive, so we took the opportunity to enjoy a slow and easy morning, pain perdu and a lie-in for breakfast.

After the drive, we finally got to swim. With 30°C heat and a UV index of 7, it was very welcome. Bitter Springs was absolutely stunning; crystal-clear water and a perfectly warm temperature of 33°C. Andrew couldn’t get enough; he stayed in so long he basically turned into a real-life version of Benjamin Button.

Deborah was less lucky. A real “Karen” situation pushed her over the edge, she was just done with it all. Not a big deal though we’ll come back in the morning for some peace and quiet. It should be even better then, since fewer people will have stirred up the ground.

On our way back to the car, we saw our first wild snake in the big, scary Australia. And yes, you read that right, it was also the first wild snake I’ve seen in my two and a half years here. A python was slowly crossing the road, so we all stood and watched the spectacle unfold as she calmly tried to get on with her life.

Andrew, of course, wanted to capture the moment and sprinted back to the car for the camera. Yes, you can already guess it, he missed it.

And then; peacocks! Not quite as exciting as a python, but we spotted two males strutting about. I think they wanted to start a staring contest, but we didn’t have the time for that. Off to the campsite we go.

Day 13 - Mataranka to Katherine

• Distance so far: 5072 km

• Wildlife spotted: Freshwater crocodiles and a Golden tree snake

• Highlight: The beauty of the gorge

Happy kiddo

6:00 a.m., and Andrew was already up and ready to pack. One tiny problem, my sister was still asleep in the tent, and I wasn’t exactly moving much either.

After a half-hour snooze, we eventually gave in. We headed back to Bitter Springs for a morning swim and it was even more magical than the day before.

We saw so many snake-neck turtles. Not just one or two; at least a dozen. Babies, big mamas… it was fantastic. It was Deborah’s first turtle sighting, and with no Karens around, we honestly couldn’t have asked for much more.

Later that day, after a short hour-and-a-half drive, we joined a small boat tour through Katherine Gorge. The guide told us about Aboriginal culture and pointed out a few saltwater crocodiles along the way.

We also spotted a golden tree snake lounging on the rocks. No snake sightings for two years, and then two in two days. Bring my sister along and suddenly it’s a wildlife documentary. I’m starting to believe she’s some kind of good luck charm with the amount of wildlife we’ve been spoiled with.

After an absolutely stunning two-hour boat ride, we decided to come back in the morning and do the hike to see the gorge from above.

Day 14 - Katherine Gorge to Kakadu National Park

• Distance so far: 5252 km

• Wildlife spotted: wild buffalos

• Highlight: the leftovers from yesterday

We started our day with what we thought would be a nice little morning walk.

Or so we thought.

The planned 3-hour hike quickly turned into a 4.5-hour trek. Right in the heat of the day. We figured we’d be back in time for lunch, but we didn’t roll in until well after. The last twenty minutes were probably the quietest of the whole trip. We all had one thing on our minds: food.

The lookouts were pretty stunning, though. Seeing the places we’d explored just the day before from above was genuinely impressive. We managed to get some beautiful panoramic views. Andrew, meanwhile, was very excited to snap some birds and brought along his 600mm lens. Unfortunately, no birds showed up for the shoot, but at least he got to practice what it’s like to hike while carrying a baby.

Along the way, we stopped for a quick dip in a waterhole; a very welcome refreshment. A few minutes before Andrew ended up spotting a crocodile. Deborah and I just heard a splash, but Andrew caught a quick glimpse of its tail as it slid into the water. Lucky guy.

After the hike, we were all a bit dazed and had to rethink our plans on the fly. None of us felt like driving another three hours, so we changed course and headed toward Kakadu National Park instead. On our way to the campsite, we were spoiled yet again, this time with a sighting of a wild buffalo. Not a bad way to end the day.

We'd take on any style against the flies

What a week it’s been. From shivering in the cold just days ago to sweating through 33°C hikes, it feels like we’ve crossed seasons, not just kilometres. Nights have cooled off to 22°C, but the days hit hard.

The flies have levelled up into full-blown mozzies, and while the long, endless drives have eased off, they’ve been replaced by jam-packed days filled with hikes, swims, croc sightings, and last-minute detours.

We’re constantly racing the daylight, chasing wildlife, and making up plans as we go, but honestly? That’s kind of the magic of it all.

written by Morgane Roggeman. Grammatically reviewed. My English isn't perfect.