sandstone rock, that looks very red at
sunrise and sunset. It is also an im-
portant feature of the creation accord-
ing to the Anangu, traditional owners
of the region.
Walking up Uluru is now officially
discouraged.
With so few people in the outback
I found that many welcomed the op-
portunity of conversation. One lady
who I met briefly with a smile at a fuel
station, later stopped down the road
in a lay-by. When explaining to each
other why we were out here, she told
me that after a long and happy mar-
riage her husband passed away. She
described it as “very inconvenient of
him”. We both cried together.
At another stop I met a small group
who were on an overland trip by bus
from London to Sydney. There were
two Chelsea Football Club supporters
amongst them! I also met a newly ar-
rived young lady from Maryland, USA,
who had just left home to travel Aus-
tralia and ended up in Coober Pedy.
This is Australia’s Opal mining town,
but also the most remote and bizarre
location on my route. Her self-confi-
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