This post features student writing.

Hey there!

This is Madison and Jordan here after an amazing Australian Outback adventure. We spent a total of five days in the Outback and were able to see and hear about aboriginal culture, go on hikes, see wildlife, sleep outside under the stars, and so much more. On day one we flew into Alice Springs and met our two extraordinary guides, Ben and Nicole. From there we drove to see a bird show which was very cool. One bird was able to open an emu egg using its beak! Later that day, we arrived at our campsite, unpacked, ate dinner, did love tank, and slept under the beautiful stars.

The next day we woke up at sunrise to some pumping music and we hiked Kings Canyon. While there, Ben and Nicole dressed up and acted out a scene from a famous movie that was filmed there. Some of us, including me (Jordan), went in the waterhole at the end of the hike which was a bit frigid but extremely refreshing and fun. Following that, we ate lunch and took a four-hour drive to our campsite. That night some dingoes appeared and went into Charlotte’s bag, but don’t worry, everything is good. She is fine.

On day three, we hiked again and drove to Bush Camp where we got to experience “poo with a view,” as Nicole calls it. It was also girls’ fire night so the girls built and maintained the fire. We had pasta for dinner and sat together under the stars while playing love tank and doing our nightly meeting. After that Nicole taught us two Australian dances which we did all day together and shared many laughs.

On day four we did a 7.4 km “hike” which was more of a walk on a rocky path and took us the morning to do. After that we went to the cultural center to see and read about aboriginal culture. Following that, we went to a sunset spot where we could see Uluru. When we got back to our campsite, we showered and walked 100 meters to a beautiful view of the sunset and Uluru, as well as the boulders that we hiked the day prior. Then we ate dinner and did our final love tank and meeting because Jack K. was leaving the next day. If you did not know, love tank is where one person from the group sits in the middle and we go around in a circle while everyone says nice things about them.

This morning we woke up at 5:30 AM so that we could go to Uluru for sunrise, which was so pretty to see. After that, we went to Uluru itself and Nicole and Ben taught us about it and the cultural stories behind it which was very interesting. Then we went back to pack up our campsite so that we could go to the airport for our last night of the trip in Sydney. We all said goodbye to Jack and got on the plane.

Overall, the Outback was an amazing experience. We are all very sad to say goodbye to everyone tomorrow when we go home. Well that’s all for now. Can I get a WOOT WOOT!

— Madison & Jordan