Outbackers - The Kartoffelauflauf Chronicles

We have returned to civilisation after nearly 4 months working in a Wilderness Sanctuary in the Flinders Mountain Ranges of the South Australian Outback. It has been unforgettable.

Arkaroola has been ten times any other experience I've had. Living and working amongst gorges, waterholes and mountains of red rock alongside some real Aussie characters.We were barmaids, waitresses, receptionists, housekeepers and, as some bright spark soon decided that my culinary skills were WASTED front of house, they made me a chef! The best bit was baking pies, cakes and crumbles for 100 guests. The worst bit was that I didn't get a chef hat.

We hopped on to the 4x4 Ridge Top Tours, helicopter flights, hiked through the ridges and watched the transit of Venus across the sun in the Astronomy Tower. The stars arrived in their thousands at night, and the crescent moon would always shine at the bottom like a Cheshire Cat grin.

To keep us entertained we celebrated the odd Aussie tradition of 'Christmas In July' to give the festivities their wintery feel, dragging the tree and decorations out of their hibernation in the back of dusty cupboards. We ended the day with a full Christmas dinner - candles, mulled wine, brandy cream and all. It was also noticed how tragic it was that our hoovers Hetty and Henry had to work in separate department METRES away from each other and so the only obvious solution was to arrange their Outback Wedding, complete with a photoshoot of their courting in Arkaroola :)

Kangaroos and wallabies bounded about the sanctuary, emus sprinted aimlessly, eagles soared above and soon Agnes and Helga the wombats came to visit. I spent my birthday opening presents on the top of a mountain, and received such wonderful handmade and recycled gifts from my co-Outbackers. It was so nice to work closely with an older generation - the maintenance guys, pilots and tour drivers became real friends and it was sad to finally say goodbye to our adopted uncles.

It has been disappointing returning to skyscrapers and concrete after adjusting to the company of lizards, eucalyptus and orange rock. Onwards to Malaysian jungles...