A thousand miles of Outback adventure

Ambassadors and their hosts from FF Adelaide explore Kata Tjuta, one of the wonders of the Australian Outback.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

Members of Friendship Force Adelaide were disappointed when an inbound exchange had to cancel, so they took matters into their own hands.

“Adelaide doesn’t have a high profile around the world, so we set out to create one for ourselves,” exchange director Bobbie Mulholland said.

“We wanted to generate interest in this part of Australia and make it known that after visiting us there are a number of options for adding value, the Outback being a major drawcard.”

They devised their own program to invite the world for a five-day homestay and an Outback adventure.

FF Adelaide knew they couldn’t lead a group of ambassadors into the Australian desert on a whim, so they planned a trial run and made it a club activity.

“The trial run also served to fill those empty months when there were no incoming exchanges. It was a great hit with our members and served as a team builder, providing great fellowship,” Bobbie said.

They contacted FFI headquarters and put “Discover Outback” on the online catalog for adventurers across the world to sign up.

On April 27, 2010, twenty ambassadors from across Australia and around the world arrived in Adelaide. They spent five days getting to know the charms of the city and its surroundings – the beaches, vineyards, beautiful hills and good-natured people.

The ambassadors enjoyed themselves thoroughly, but Adelaide is called the Gateway to the Outback, so on the fifth day it was time to pass through and see what’s on the other side.

Over the mountains of the famous Flinders Ranges, into the red desert they rode, following the aboriginal Oodnadatta Track and the Old Ghan Railway. They were in for a real Outback experience, not a luxury tour, and they would spend four nights sleeping in “swags” under the open sky. But the ambassadors packed their sense of adventure and found they were rewarded for it.

As they crawled into their swags at night, they saw the vast Milky Way spread before them. “The tranquility of the starlit Southern sky is an experience we will never forget,” Lisa Cordell of FF Harrisburg, USA, said.

The Adelaide hosts who accompanied them brought plenty of hospitality from home, too. “We brought along more than a week’s supply of our own cakes, slices, biscuits, vacuum flasks and a supply of tea and coffee to cope with wayside stops twice a day, each day. We were also set up well for a ‘bar,’ and happy hour took place around the campfire each night,” Bobbie said.

The ambassadors got the full Outback experience, as promised. In addition to the starry sky, endless desert and Aussie provisions, they explored many of the Outback’s most remarkable features.

Part of their journey took them down a remote track through the world’s largest cattle station, and they continued on to Coober Pedy, called the opal capital of the world. They took an underground tour where they learned all about Australia’s national gemstone and the history of the mining town.

Along the road they even saw a wild camel fight. They pulled over to watch, and ambassadors learned that Australia has so many wild camels, they even export them to the Middle East.

One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Australia’s most famous natural wonder, Uluru, or Ayers Rock. Seeing it for the first time, the ambassadors were amazed by its splendor.

“The vast desolation of red rock and sand in the Australian Outback was extraordinarily beautiful. The grandeur of Uluru and the contrast of red rock against blue sky were awe-inspiring,” Lisa said.

An aborigine tour guide led the travelers around the base of the rock, explaining the mystical relevance of Uluru to Australia’s earliest inhabitants. Both the Australians and their international visitors were inspired by reflecting on the natural world.

“Uluru is very important in the culture of our Australian aborigines. Experiencing its enormity and presence and hearing their Dreamtime stories was very spiritually moving for me as a white Australian,” Jeanette Brown of FF Hobart, Australia, said.

Less famous, but just as sacred to the aborigines and impressive to the ambassadors was Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). Its name meaning “many heads,” this group of 36 domed, red rock formations rise mysteriously from the desert plain. The ambassadors experienced the beauty of Kata Tjuta close up as they walked through the Valley of the Winds.

By the time the ambassadors reached their final destination in Alice Springs, they had travelled over 2,000 km (1,300 miles). Every experience along the way gave them new insights into the history of Australia and the culture of its people today.

“For Australians, the Outback personifies our laid-back outlook on life. Although most of us live in the seaboard cities, somehow we all identify with the adventurers and the explorers who opened up the vast interiors of this country,” Bobbie said.

“While we have to join the hubbub of business, most of us would prefer to be camped outback somewhere, with a barbecue going and a can of beer in our hand.”

The ambassadors left with the same feeling. Friendship Force Adelaide enjoyed sharing their homes, their lives and their fascinating desert with their friends from around the world, and they look forward to doing it all over again with the next group of adventurous ambassadors.

Learn more about the Friendship Force of Adelaide