A 30th anniversary road trip from Darwin to Adelaide shows Australia is a country of contrasts – from the tropical heat of the north to the chill of the desert night.

 

It was a nice idea, the perfect way to celebrate 30 years of marriage and prepare ourselves for semi-retirement.

We would rent a camper van in Darwin and spend nine days driving through the blood red, drought-dry dirt of the Australian Outback, heading towards Adelaide for a few days R ’n’ R. The big day was to be spent at Uluru (Ayers Rock) with a romantic dinner under the stars looking out at the famous red monolith.

For me this is as romantic as it gets, and the wife was impressed with the planning that went into the event. There was only one thing that could go wrong – the weather.

The tour de romance began in June – Darwin in winter is 28 degrees and blue skies – and we knew as we headed south we might need a jumper at night. But nothing in the tourist brochures could prepare two Kiwis for days with temperatures similar to Hamilton in mid-winter and nights far colder.

First stop is Mataranka, 440km south of Darwin, where we have a dip in the natural hot springs and watch rugby league in the outdoor pub. This is to be our last night in the warm tropical temperatures.

Any thoughts of a cosy desert trip are dispelled on night two in the somewhat dull mining town of Tennant Creek. Winter cuts into the Outback like a knife and we’re grateful for two duvets as the heating in the van is too noisy to run all night long.

By Alice Springs, day temperatures are no more than 13 degrees and at night it falls to minus 5. Lesson one – winter is winter whether you are in New Zealand or Outback Australia.

Anniversary day dawns fine and bitterly cold. We walk the 10km around Uluru – it is now culturally insensitive to climb up it – and return to the van early to prepare for a night of romance. The bus picks us and 80 other international tourists up from various accommodation centres in Yulara and drives a few kilometres out of town to the ‘Sounds of Silence’ site for our dinner under the stars.

We sip bubbly as the sun goes down, reflecting vivid red on Uluru. Dinner of pre-prepared Australian specialities is served out of bubbling bain-maries by elegant wait staff in the stark, desert setting and the wine is good enough for this enthusiast, although as the evening drew on the red wine became too chilled to enjoy.

Soon the cold under the clear sky is biting through four layers of clothing and it’s not long before wine, women and song are secondary to survival.

We return to the van, all thoughts of romance dissipating with the bitter night air and the need to wear fleeces and beanies to bed. So it’s a quick kiss, cuddle up to keep warm and here’s to 30 more good years.

The Stuart Highway is a dream road, almost dead straight for 3000km and in good repair. Our two-berth van cruises at 120km/h. Our longest day’s drive is 753km from Uluru to Coober Pedy, leaving at sunrise and arriving in the opal mining centre by 4pm.

As newbies we plugged into powered sites at camping grounds, except for a planned night in the wonderfully cavernous underground hotel in Coober Pedy, where your bedroom is a worked-out opal claim.

Camp grounds rated from two-star in Tennant Creek to five star at both Alice Springs and Yulara (Uluru).

Both the Big 4 MacDonnell Range Holiday Park at Alice Springs and the Voyages Ayers Rock Campground show how a fine facility can be run. Professional, friendly staff, cleanliness that was next to godliness, and in the case of Big 4 MacDonnell Range Holiday Park, an on-site petrol station, nightly educational talks and a mobile dessert caravan in the desert for those evening munchies.

Nine days after Darwin we roll into Adelaide. It’s still winter and raining for the first time. We are left knowing that vanning through Aussie is firmly on the to-do list, but next time it will be a four-berth vehicle and we will do what the Grey Nomads (retired Australians) do – follow the seasons and the sun.

By Rhys Mathias