When I had returned from my holiday in Africa, I was made enthousiastic for trekking in Australia by my colleague Daan Stegeman. Because a 2-way trip to Australia is rather expensive from Holland, we decided to stay about 6 weeks. Therefore, we were looking for 2 bushwalking trips in a row with Willis's Walkabouts: A Darwin-based tour-agency specializing in treks of at least a week in Australia. We booked a 2-week trip in the Gregory-Stokes Ranges (500 km south of Darwin) and following that (with a break of a week) a 2-week trip in the MacDonnell Ranges, close to Alice Springs.
After we had booked, we still had to buy some new new equipment, like a tent, drinking bags, and other camping stuff. Besides that, we had to practice walking with our backpacks. We stuffed them up with about 25 kg and walked back and forth to work (twice an hour). This had 2 disadvantages: in Australia, we ended up walking about 5 hours a day, and Australia is, to put it mildly, less flat than the Netherlands. (One lady on the trip had practiced by taking the stairs in her building a couple of times a day with a full pack.) But the advantage of my practice was that my shoes were well broken in. I did not suffer from blisters at all.
Below are the journey's schedule and a financial report.
| 4-6 June: | fligth from Schiphol to Darwin |
|---|---|
| 7 June: | Northern Territory Wildlife Tour |
| 8 June: | Litchfield Tour |
| 10-23 June: | Trek Gregory-Stokes Ranges |
| 25 June: | flight from Darwin to Alice Springs |
| 26 June: | Desert Park |
| 27-29 June: | Kata Tjuta, Uluru, King's Canyon Tour |
| 30 June: | Reptile Centre |
| 1-14 July: | Trek MacDonnell Ranges |
| 15 July: | flight from Alice Springs to Darwin |
| 16-17 July: | flight from Darwin to Schiphol |
(c = paid with credit card)
Next to c-items the prices are in Dutch Guilders as calculated by the credit card company.
| f 26.00 | train journey Enschede-Schiphol |
|---|---|
| f 27.50 | international driver's license |
| f 270.42 | cancelation flight maart/april |
| f 2410.73 | 2-way flight Amsterdam-Darwin |
| f 496.32 | 2-way flight Darwin-Alice Springs |
| $ 8.15 | taxi Darwin-Airport |
| $ 8.15 | taxi Airport-Darwin |
| $ 10.00 | shuttle bus Airport-Alice Springs |
| $ 7.50 | shuttle bus Alice Springs-Airport |
| $ 15.00 | bicycle rental for 1 day |
Totaal: f 3240.97 + $ 48.80 = f 3298.51
| $ 1423.75 c | Gregory Stokes |
|---|---|
| $ 1147.50 c | West MacDonnells (f 3522.83 incl previous) |
| $ 395.00 c | NTAT 3 days Ayers Rock (f 532.55) |
| $ 16.25 | entry fee Uluru park |
| $ 211.00 | NT Wildlife park and Litchfield park with AAT Kings |
Total: $ 3193.50 = f 3522.83 + 532.55 + 314.52 = f 4369.90
| $ 18.00 | entry fee Desert park |
|---|---|
| $ 7.00 | Reptile Centre Alice Springs |
| $ 13.00 | cinema (Tomb Raider) |
| $ 13.00 | cinema (Pearl Harbor) |
| $ 6.00 | internet cafe |
Total: $ 57.00 = f 78.89
| $ 154.00 | Melaleuca Backpackers resort (6-6 tot 10-6, 23-6 tot 25-6, 15-7) |
|---|---|
| $ 56.00 c | Melanka Backpackers resort (4 nights, f 75.50) |
| $ 16.00 | Melanka Backpackers resort (14-7 tot 15-7) |
Total: $ 226.00 = f 75.50 + $ 170.00 = 310.79
| $ 53.85 c | food Gregory Stokes trip (f 75.10) |
|---|---|
| $ 15.85 | Muesli-bars Gregory Stokes trip |
| $ 6.55 | lunch in Katherine |
| $ 50.00 | after Gregory Stokes trip dinner |
| $ 35.94 c | food West MacDonnells trip deel 1 (f 48.24) |
| $ 17.79 c | food West MacDonnells trip deel 2 (f 24.62) |
| $ 35.00 | after West MacDonnells trip dinner |
Total: $ 214.98 = f 75.10 + 48.24 + $ 125.19 = f 296,61
| f 22.05 | Delifrance Schiphol |
|---|---|
| $ 14.10 c | food Singapore Airport (Singapore dollars, f 20.58) |
| $ 19.70 c | food Rorke's Drift Darwin (f 27.16) |
| $ 7.05 | candy 3 days Ayers Rock |
| $ 45.50 c | dinner Red Ochre Restaurant Alice Springs (f 61.67) |
| $ 7.65 | food Mac Donalds |
| $ 15.38 | drinks Woolworths Darwin |
| $ 5.65 | coke at Woolworth Alice Springs |
| $ 36.40 | dinner Guiseppes Darwin |
| $ 5.60 | food Mac Donalds |
| $ 33.75 | dinner Red Ochre Restaurant Alice Springs |
| $ 5.47 | drinken e.d. Woolworths Alice Springs |
| $ 7.65 | food Mac Donalds |
| $ 7.25 | lunch SubWay Darwin |
| $ 24.45 c | dinner Singapore Airport (Singapore dollars) |
Total: f 22.05 + $ 38.55 SIN + $ 197.05 =
f 22.05 + 56.27 + 27.16 + 61.67 + $ 131.85 = f 349,64
| $ 19.95 | book history of Australia |
|---|---|
| $ 29.00 | book feral future |
| $ 27.30 c | book future eaters |
| $ 60.00 c | engraved stone slab |
| $ 25.00 c | necklace |
| $ 20.00 c | book boomerang |
| $ 117.85 c | CD + 2 T-shirts |
Total: $ 299.10 = f 413,97
| f 455.47 | developing 8 35 mm and 8 APS films |
|---|---|
| f 63.80 | 6 rolls 36 films 35 mm 400 ASA |
Total: f 519.27
| f 459.00 | Trekking tent |
|---|---|
| f 19.95 | trowel |
| f 13.95 | blister treatment stuff |
| f 11.95 | ear plugs |
| f 7.95 | dinner bowl |
| f 5.95 | mug |
| f 29.95 | raincover for backpack |
| f 95.00 | waterproof airline bag for rugzak |
| f 89.00 | polarizing filter |
| f 429.95 | sleeping bak Ajungilak |
| f 69.95 | waterbag platypus 4l |
| f 39.95 | waterbag platypus 2l |
| f 12.95 | mouth piece platypus |
| f 7.50 | shoe laces |
| f 15.95 | shoe cream |
| f 183.20 | fleece-sweater |
| $ 51.95 c | gaiters |
| $ 41.25 c | camera-bag |
| f 186.50 | repearwork shoes |
Total: f 1678.65 + $ 93.20 = f 1806.84
Total explained expenses: f 11444.42
Unexplained expenses:
| f 2885.40 | During the journey (see hereafter for the calculation) |
|---|---|
| f 3522.83 | Trips Willis's Walkabouts |
| f 5450.94 | Other expenses in and from the Netherlands (see hereafter for explanation) |
Total onexplained: f 11859.17 - f 11444.42 = f 414.75
During the journey:
| f 2227.04 + | credit card expenses during the journey |
|---|---|
| (if an item is among the mutual expenses, then that figure was used) | |
| f 928.76 + | used cash in AUS $ (see total Aus. dollars) |
| f 270.40 - | refund by Daan (see calculation mutual expenses) |
Total: f 2885.40
Total in Australian dollars
before the journey: $ 720.00 f 996.51 ($ 1 = f 1.384)
after the journey: $ 48.95 f 67,75
Expenses Netherlands: f 5450.94 (of which f 1678.65 one-time expenses: see new equipment). This includes all transport paid in and from the Netherlands, food at Schiphol, and the development of photos.
| $ 26.00 | cinema (Tomb Raider) |
|---|---|
| $ 107.69 c | food Gregory Stokes trip |
| $ 39.44 c | dinner Rorke's Drift Darwin |
| $ 112.00 c | Melanka Backpackers resort (4 nights) |
| $ 790.00 c | NTAT 3 days Ayers Rock |
| $ 44.00 | Melaleuca Backpackers resort (24-6 tot 25-6) |
| $ 16.30 | taxi Darwin-Airport |
| $ 30.00 | bicycle rental for 1 day |
| $ 36.00 | entry fee Desert park |
| $ 32.50 | entry fee Uluru park |
| $ 91.00 c | dinner Red Ochre Restaurant Alice Springs |
| $ 35.58 c | food West MacDonnells trip deel 2 |
| $ 15.30 | food Mac Donalds |
| $ 32.00 | Melanka Backpackers resort (14-7 tot 15-7) |
| $ 10.95 | drinks Woolworths Alice Springs |
| $ 15.30 | food Mac Donalds |
| $ 15.00 | shuttle bus Alice Springs-Airport |
| $ 14.50 | lunch SubWay Darwin |
$ 1463.56 Total
| $ 3.25 | refund Russell ($38 - $34.75 refund voor Oskar) |
|---|---|
| $ 11.30 | coke at Woolworth Darwin |
| $ 72.80 | dinner Guiseppes Darwin |
| $ 30.76 | drinks Woolworths Darwin |
| $ 264.00 | Melaleuca Backpackers resort (6-6 tot 10-6, 23-6 tot 24-6, 15-7) |
| $ 422.00 | NT Wildlife park and Litchfield park with AAT Kings |
| $ 31.70 | muesli-bars Gregory Stokes trip |
| $ 16.30 | taxi Airport-Darwin |
| $ 11.20 | food Mac Donalds |
| $ 67.50 | dinner Red Ochre Restaurant Alice Springs |
| $ 14.00 | Reptile Centre Alice Springs |
| $ 12.00 | internet cafe |
| $ 20.00 | shuttle bus Airport-Alice Springs |
| $ 70.00 | after West MacDonnells trip dinner |
| $ 26.00 | cinema (Pearl Harbor) |
$ 1072.81 Total
$ 390.75 / 2 = $ 195.37 = f 270.40 paid to Oskar