INFO

Here you can find general infos about the route and the locations, where the pictures have been taken.

The ROUTE:

I started my travel in Sydney and after one week i went to the Blue Mountains, which are about 200 km west of Sydney.
Again after one week, i went back to Sydney and took a flight to Darwin in the Northern Territories. From there i started my trip to the "Center", visited the Litchfield National Park, Mataranka, the Devils Marbles, Alice Springs, the Uluru and the Katajutas. On my way back to Darwin on the Stewart Highway i went through the Kakadu National Park.... lovely!

The TIME:

In summary i spent about two months in australia, from begin of february - end of march 2001.
It was the end of the wet season in the north, so i had the good luck to see lot of the places without crowds of tourists and the privilege to enjoy the solitude of the landscape. i had to pass a lot of floodways and improved my driving skills;). but some streets had been closed and there was always a really good reason for that. My recommendation is to stick to this rules, cause otherwise u easily can get lost ;)

Travel description from Valerie:

"As far as I remembered, I was always fascinated by Australia, this huge country so far away from France. I discovered the Aboriginal culture thanks to Bruce Chatwin book "The Songlines", then their paintings and their music.

I realized my dream to start the new millenium in Australia. I was there from the end of December 2000 until the end of March 2001.

I spent the first month with my French friend Edith : we crossed the country from West to East. Perth, The hot Red Center 40°C), Kangaroo Island, the cold Tasmania (Freezing night), the road from Brisbane to Sydney vias the Blue Mountains. It was Summer for Christmas!

Then I was by my own. I spent 2 weeks with my ozzie friends Ildiko and Chris, in Bundeena, in the Royal National Park , the one which was unfortunately on fire last Christmas! They fed me generously with the australian culture (exhibitions, paintings, books, movies, chats...) Then I went back to the Northern territory, in Darwin and I met a lot of very nice and talkative people.

I first planned to go to the Kimberleys but it was the wet season and I was stucked in Katherine because of the flood. So I went back to Darwin and I went down the Stuart Highway with Reg, a friend guide to Alice Springs. On the way, I met Reinhard and we went together to Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Watarrka.

Then I got a permit to spent a few days in Papunya (an Aboriginal community, 200 km West from Alice) where painters are living. Wonderful people, beautiful paintings, but their existing conditions are difficult.

Then it was time to come back to France.

This trip was much more powerful than I have imagined and my new dream is to go back there again!"

and the same again en francais

D'aussi loin que je me souvienne, j'ai toujours été fascinée par l'Australie, cet énorme pays si loin de la France. J'ai découvert la culture aborigène grâce au livre de Bruce Chatwin "Le Chant des Pistes", puis leurs peintures et leur musique.

J'ai réalisé mon rêve de commencer le nouveau millénaire en Australie. J'y étais de fin Décembre 2000 à fin Mars 2001.

J'ai passé le premier mois avec mon amie française Edith: nous avons traversé le pays d'Ouest en Est. Perth, le caniculaire Centre Rouge 40°C), Kangaroo island, la froide Tasmanie (il gelait la nuit), la route de Brisbane à Sydney en passant par les Blue Mountains. C'était Noêl en été!

Puis je me suis retrouvée seule. J'ai passé deux semaines chez mes amis australiens Ildiko et Chris, à Bundeena dans le Royal National Park, celui qui était malheureusement en feu à Noêl dernier!
Ils m'ont généreusement nourrie de leur culture australienne (expositions, peintures, livres, films, discussions...). Je suis alors retournée dans le Territoire du Nord, à Darwin où j'ai rencontré beaucoup de gens affables et loquaces.

J'avais dans un premier temps prévu d'aller dans les Kimberleys mais je me suis trouvée bloquée à Katherine à cause des inondations. Je suis donc remontée à Darwin pour redescendre la Stuart Highway jusqu'à Alice Springs, avec mon ami guide Reg. Sur le chemin j'ai rencontré Reinhard et nous sommes allés à Uluru, Kata Tjuta et Watarrka.

J'ai ensuite eu un permis pour passer quelques jours à Papunya (une communauté aborigène, à 200km à l'Ouest d'Alice) où vivent des peintres. Des gens merveilleux, de belles peintures, dans un monde où les conditions de vie ne sont pourtant pas idylliques!

Puis ce fut le temps de rentrer en France!

Ce voyage fut plus puissant que je l'avais imaginé et mon nouveau rêve c'est d'y retourner!