In the first episode of this extreme-sports and backpacking adventure, the group gets thrown right into the heart of the Australian outback. Birmingham city-slicker Rebecca soon discovers that home-comforts are a little too far away for her liking; while Miki tries to overcome her fear of putting her head under the water as she trains for her Scuba Diving Certificate…but the unspoken question on everyone’s mind is… sharks! These young travellers who carry their world on their backs in search of life-changing experience on the road, soon discover the challenges of living off the sunburnt country.
Last time the Irish Engineers got lost in the bush. This time they head deep into the desert. Last time Rebecca from Birmingham shared an apartment with other backpackers in Sydney. This time she finds a job waitressing in a strip club. Last time at the training farm, Miki from Japan became fast friends with Rachel from Canada. This time they split up for a while when Rachel takes a job and Miki goes exploring. The Irish Engineers, Brendan and Jimmy have been earning some petrol money by doing a little rough carpentry on an outback station. But their traveling companion, James from London, is an artist and philosopher, and he won’t compromise his principles. He believes the workers should be free to work, while the players are free to play, until it’s time to move on.
This time Miki continues exploring the world’s largest sand island, while Rebecca gets her heart broken and then flees to the Outback. Anita returns with her dog Chooka, and we meet Enrico from Italy and Reiko from Japan. Backpacking on the world’s largest sand island, Miki is making new friends and learning to drive. She is delighted to encounter one of those wild Australian dingo dogs that are so fond of human children. . . But this dingo isn’t hungry enough to take any real interest in Miki. Miki’s love for nature is irrepressible . . . and undiscriminating! Here she discovers the painful sting of an Australian bluebottle jellyfish.
Anita has been minding horses and planting native trees in exchange for room and board. Although she’s enjoying her life on the farm, her companion is not happy there - so Chooka is being placed in a new home, back at the farm where Anita was last working. She leaves her canine companion behind so she can travel around Australia with her American boyfriend, Baaba. Her plan is to buy a new vehicle …one which is more conducive to romance. Rachel’s job in the Aboriginal community is finished, so she takes Miki on a farewell picnic with some of the kids she’s been working with.
Last time Enrico and Reiko set off in canoes up the Katherine Gorge. This time they find out it’s not as easy as their guide had told them. Anita got her dream job minding horses, and now she has her own car to go travelling with her dog Chooka. Rebecca is steeling herself for the withdrawal from Tim Tam Biscuits, and prepares to immerse herself in the bush for a whole week, on this no-frills guided tour through Central Australia- first stop is Uluru. Like most tourists, she’s come here in search of an authentic experience of the Australian wilderness. And for her, if romance happens to come with the package, for example with Bones, the tour guide, well, that would be okay, too. And if nothing else, at least one can come away with a good taste of that emptiness and isolation that defines the remote centre of Australia.
Rachel and Miki are checking into the backpacker hostel where they bought their car. The car cost them all their savings, so now they can’t afford to drive any more. Their hope is to find some work picking fruit for the local farmers, so they can save up and get back on the road again. Miki’s experiences in Australia have already changed the way she sees the rest of her life unfolding. Two weeks of fruit picking gives Miki and Rachel enough money to hit the road once more. Rachel and the tour group continue their insect-eating antics and gathering campfire wood. An all-female tour group called ‘Birds In The Bush’ sets up camp nearby- the boys in Rachel’s group discover their presence and invade their space.
Rachel bids a tearful goodbye to her adopted mother, Margie and the schoolkids she’s grown to love. In this episode, Rachel and Miki buy a car and take a road trip in Western Australia where they’ll earn a living picking fruit. Enrico and Reiko enjoy a series of disasters on the river, and Rebecca continues her no-frills tour of Central Australia- she has attracted two men and a permanent entourage of flies! She tells everyone who will listen how outback experience so far has left her speechless. Fifty kilometres west is the next stop on the tour -- The Olgas, one of Central Australia’s unique geographical features, and an important place in the Aboriginal Dreamtime.
Previously, we saw Anita from Amsterdam connecting with her guru and boyfriend, Baaba from Los Angeles, whose great grandfather was a Masaai warrior. Now they’re on the road together in Australia. We also saw Miki and Rachel meet up in Western Australia, where Rachel was working in a remote Aboriginal community. In this episode, Miki and Rachel use their hard-earned savings to hit the road together and embark on their desert road trip. They head deep into the desert with their pre-owned but never nurtured car. It’s a 600 dollar vehicle that’s been handed down through several generations of backpackers.
No matter what your age, you'll want to visit this whimsical toy store in Paris.
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