Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. - Nelson Mandela

I remember reading that Australia is the oldest continent and at one time it was part of the vast African continent. It was called Gondwanda Land. This story is about driving along the western coast not far from where Australia broke off from Africa and began its own journey slowly drifting eastward on its own plate. Over millions of years the landscape transformed from once majestic mountains to the flat arid unforgiving landscape it is today. Time doesn't seem to make sense in this part of the world. It is the rotation of the planet that gives some meaning to time. The sun goes down and the stars come up. That is the clock. Days of the week don't exist while travelling through the desert and they are soon forgotten.

The drive from Perth to Darwin is 4250 kms or 2640 miles. People who take on the journey from Perth to Darwin know full well what is ahead of them and preparation is key to success. It is not for the faint of heart. Our group consisted of myself, my British girlfriend, an American couple and a decidedly timid Irish fellow who was ten years our senior. We found each other by answering an ad at a hostel bulletin board looking for sharing expenses of the journey to Darwin. The American couple owned an old Volkswagen Combi van and were not keen on taking the journey alone. It was to our good fortune that I was travelling with two guitars and the Irish fellow turned out to be a damn good guitarist. In hindsight, the trip would have been hellish without the musical entertainment each night at the campfire.

The combi van wasn't equipped with Roo-Bars. This meant that travelling when the sun went down was dangerous. Running into a nocturnal Kangaroo, whose center of balance is close to the ground, could easily flip the van over or cause irreparable damage. Not a risk anyone would want to take since any hope of medical help is many hours away nor are there any tow trucks. No cell phones or two way radio in this part of the world. There is one highway that goes from Perth to Darwin and it follows along the coastline with the exception of the Kimberly Range in the northwestern portion of the country. The highway is actually quite a distance from the Indian Ocean and any community that exists on the coastline is a fair drive away with the exception of Port Hedland and Broome. Anyone who has seen Rabbit Proof Fence will get a very good idea of what we saw on our journey. I was particularly excited to get going as I had spent far more time in Sydney and Perth than I wanted to. Traversing a desert felt like the final domain for me.

to be continued...