After breakfast, Millie and I set off to finish the scavenger hunt while Nick packed up the car. She was so determined to find every item in the massive caravan park, and I was so determined to get on the road. We ended up going to the front desk to ask for clues and they sent us to a whole other side of the park we didn’t know existed. We finally completed the sheet and met Nick at reception to collect the prize. It was a gift bag with all sorts of roadtrip goodies, perfect for our upcoming 5.5 hour drive.

We filled up with gas and got some refills of basics at the store, and then we were off. Within 2 minutes of leaving Port Augusta we were presented with the vast nothingness of the outback. Our GPS told us to keep driving for 550km. I took this photo where we were aptly surrounded by road trains, which were basically the only other living thing we saw all day.

Nick and I road trip people. We like long boring drives. Living in Central Texas means we’re used to driving for hours without much to see, but this was on a different level. During the 5.5 hour drive we saw one gas station and about 500 dead kangaroos. That was it. No houses, no stores, not even any abandoned buildings. It’s crazy to think that this was the more populated section of our outback roadtrip and that it’s only going to get more desolate from here.

We have seen these kangaroo signs and thought they were quaint, but then we shocked by the amount of kangaroo carcasses that littered the road. Supposedly the risk of hitting one is worse at night, so we plan to stick to daytime driving.

Somehow we drove straight through for the whole time and didn’t feel bored. Millie watched movies and Nick and I listened to our audiobook.

We arrived in Coober Pedy, which is an old mining town, population 1000, but it felt like Tokyo compared to where we had just been. The roads are littered with old cars and old mining equipment. It reminds us of Terlingua in West Texas, before all the Airbnbs moved in.

Because this is an old mining town, 70% of residents live in old mines. These are dug out of the mountains and provide climate control for the harsh summers and cold winters. We booked in at a dugout house and pulled up to this.

Inside is a big porch and then a very cozy house. We’ve got a full kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, laundry, and more… all carved into a mountain.

I was about to say that it’s the most unique place we’ve stayed this year, but then I remembered it’s the second carved out lodging we’ve had. What a year it’s been!

We are here in the off season so many restaurants are closed down. This sleepy town is somehow even sleepier in January and February. So we went to the small grocery store and got some sausages to grill for dinner.

Millie set the table and insisted we have a “polite night”. She policed our manners and made us keep our napkins on our laps. We had a simple meal of sausages, grilled corn, and veggies with hummus. Millie finished her entire plate (extremely rare) and then we all feasted on the strawberries we picked two days ago.

When we were done, polite-night Millie asked “may I be excused from the table?” We usually don’t enforce this one so it was funny that she even knew to ask.

She played for a while with the blocks they have here, and then went to sleep in her dark little underground burrow.