I’m going on holiday! | Walking in Australia’s desert for two weeks
The last few weeks in Adelaide have felt like a slow, steady deep dive into a corner of South Australia. The kind of chapter where you stop rushing and really get to know a place. My days have been split between wandering the inner city and slipping out to the coast, with plenty of hikes through the Adelaide Hills in between. Quiet streets, red-brick terraces, beach sunsets, and ridge-top views have all blended into a calm rhythm of exploring and settling into a new temporary home.
A few days ago, that steady rhythm shifted. My friend Jesse arrived in Adelaide, and just like that, the pace snapped back into “holiday mode”. When we lived in Melbourne almost two years ago, we tackled the Great Ocean Walk together. That was nine days of cliffs, beaches, and sore legs that we still talk about regularly. After that trip, riding the high of finishing our first big hike together, we started planning a new goal: the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory.
Back then, it felt simple. We’d work, save, and fly north. But then COVID-19 hit, borders slammed shut, and all those plans were suddenly out of reach. We postponed once. Then again. And again. Each time it felt a little less certain that it would ever happen. Now, finally, the stars have aligned. The trail is open, we’re in the same place again, and this time we’re really going.
I’m going on holiday!
Yesterday we flew from Adelaide to Alice Springs, a town that has sat on my wish list for a long time. Stepping off the plane onto red dirt and warm desert air felt like crossing an invisible line — not just into the outback, but into my final, unvisited state in Australia. With this flight, the Northern Territory completes the circle: every state and territory officially visited.
Right now, the calm days in Adelaide have been replaced by gear piles, food bags, trail notes, and weather checks. Jesse and I are neck-deep in Larapinta prep: sorting out fuel, planning water carries, double-counting calories, and trying to convince ourselves our packs are “not that heavy”.
The Larapinta Trail is a 240km route through the red desert west of Alice Springs. It follows the spine of the West MacDonnell Ranges. It sounds almost unreal when you say it out loud: 16 days of ridges, gorges, long exposed sections, and only our footsteps connecting one campsite to the next. We have a lift out to Mount Sonder (or Somber, as it’s sometimes misheard) at the far end of the trail. From there we’ll walk all the way back into Alice. No shops along the way, no towns, and no backup if we forget something important. So “be prepared” is suddenly not just a nice idea but a necessity.
It’s equal parts exciting and intimidating. We both know this will be one of those trips that changes the way we look at distance, time, and what “a long walk” really means.
Beyond the trail: Uluru, Kings Canyon, and a real break
The holiday doesn’t end when the trail does. Once we step off the Larapinta in Alice Springs, the plan is to swap hiking boots for car keys and go on a proper road trip. We’ll spend more time around Alice itself, then head out to two places that have been quietly waiting on the horizon of this whole Australian journey: Uluru and Kings Canyon. Desert sunrises, starry nights, rust-red rock formations — this time, no rushing, just soaking it all in.
Because of the hiking and the kind of trip this is going to be, my laptop stays behind in Adelaide. Jesse and I are going on holiday in the full sense of the word: offline, dusty, tired, and happy. My computer gets a holiday too — closed, resting, waiting for the next editing marathon when I get back. That means there won’t be any new posts over the coming month, but there will be a camera full of stories waiting to be told.
Once I’m back, I’ll make sure to catch you up on everything. The highs, the lows, the blisters, the ridgelines, and everything in between. For now, it feels good to say it out loud at last. After a long season of planning, cancelling, and re-planning, we’re finally going on holiday.
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