This journey took me from the dry center to tropical rainforest and lonesome beaches. Australia is a country of contrasts: the vibrant city center of Sydney seems to scream for attention - queer hippies live next to never resting businessmen, who seem to pursue the ever lasting goal of doing anything faster, more efficient, fritionless. George Street is flooded with people of different nationalities, each having to tell a unique story. The air is filled with scents: smoke, tires, chinese food and the distant smell of the sea mingle and create a dense atmosphere. All these impressions are accompanied by the sound of horns and squeaking seagulls, who are - as always - desperately looking for leftovers in the busy streets.
A few hours driving will then show a completely different picture. Along the coast, never ending beaches and rainforests seem to compete for the most beautiful scenery award. Tropical birds, plants, crocodiles and other reptiles live next to each other in this very delicate ecosystem that has not yet been shaped or exploited by mankind.
And then, finally, the red center manifests its beauty: endless asphalt tracks have been drawn trough endless plains. The heat shimmers on the horizon, while country music blubbers happily in the cheap van speakers. Apparently the people in the outback have less worries than their fellows in Australia's big cities. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a huge rock glimmers in the light of the fading day. Uluru - Ayer's Rock - the giant of the desert. Again, the air is dusty. The only sound is the ever present howl of the wind, as the shutter of the medium format camera captures the stunning beauty of this holy place.