Road Trip: Alice Springs to Darwin
I sat in the passenger seat and stared at the console in front of me. It was a manual car. Shear panic.
I’d already signed the paperwork, taken pictures around the rental to document any damage, and waved off any more questions. What am I going to do? I haven’t driven manual since my dad gave me a few lessons on our old Saturn back in high school. Just breath. And use google.
As I turned the car on and immediately stalled out, a kind taxi driver waiting for his passengers came over to help. We chatted a bit, then he gave me a quick tutorial on what to do. I took a big breath, knowing I could at least make it back to the hostel and get a more in-depth run down. I’d be driving mostly in the middle of nowhere. I could do this!!
Seb totally saved my life. As I was driving a Landcruiser with a pop-up roof top tent (aka all mysterious to me), he ran through each of the gears then showed me how to open and close the tent. Without that lesson, I probably would have admitted defeat and slept in the backseat.
My first solo road trip. Considering the fact I’m technically traveling solo, I haven’t traveled alone very much. I headed off with just myself, my BingeMode podcasts, and some road snacks.
The trip was fairly uneventful. The first night I stayed in an alien themed caravan park at Wycliffe Well. The next day brought me past Devil’s Marbles, Daly Rivers, and to Mataranka Thermal Pools for the night. I had the warm water almost completely to myself as the sun went down, able to completely relax as I read my book.
After another swim in the morning, I headed off to the spot I was most excited for - KATHERINE. I had a delicious lunch and golden latte at the Finch Cafe as I used the wifi to do some work and research (booking a hostel in Darwin for the next night being a high priority). Then, I headed off to Edith Falls - choosing a relaxing night with an easy camp set-up instead of trying to jam pack the afternoon with the Gorge, Hot Springs, And Falls as I originally planned.
Devils Marbles
Mataranka Thermal Pool
Katherine at Katherine
Edith Falls
The drive went fairly smoothly, with the long open road giving me time to practice on different gears and starting/stopping. But once I arrived outside Darwin and suddenly had traffic lights ever few meters, I forgot everything. I think I stalled at every light except one and then proceeded to bounce my way into the Apollo rental car. I parked the car and shakily got out. Tough end to an otherwise great road trip.