It could have been the photo of the year (with something different than an iPhone to capture this moment). On the night of November 5, 2012, more than 173,000 lightning strikes had hit South Australia, with electricity cut in nearly 90,000 homes! Obviously, it was one of the more extensive and violent lightning storms recorded in the area. Leaving Coober Pedy in the morning, it was really hot and sunny. On the way to Port Augusta, we could see the storm far away on the horizon. By late afternoon, arriving at Lake Hart, the temperature suddenly dropped by fifteen degrees. The sky darkened to become completely black as night. We were stuck, alone, in the midst of an incredible natural phenomenon. In addition to the heavy rain that fell at that time, these thousands lightning strikes lit up the sky every second. It lasted half an hour, an hour maybe. We have never witnessed such a show before. Unforgettable!

Woomera is a village located between Adelaide and Coober Pedy. Not sure if its name rings a bell but Woomera has long been a rocket range which was as important as Cape Canaveral in the '50s. Unfortunately, we can not visit the range. It is located in the Woomera Prohibited Area, the world's largest land-based weapons test facility. However, stop for a few minutes in town where you can attend a curious outdoor exhibition: rocket and missile memorabilia are all witnesses to its former glory! We do not spend hours there, but it is certainly worth a pause in our long journey accross the Outback.

Crossing the Australian desert is an opportunity to come accross termite mounds (a lot!), some baobabs between Western Australia and Northern Territory, unique places, abandoned car wrecks on the occasion and... trains! These freight trains (photo) can reach two or three kilometres in length. The Ghan, a passenger train operating in the Australian desert between Adelaide and Darwin, has a length of "only" 1.2 km. Anyway, if your route crosses a railroad, be patient (and take pictures)!

There is nothing like a bit of water to cool off when temperatures exceed 40°C. In Western Australia, there are Karijini National Park's waterholes. In Katherine area in Northern Territory, you can find hot springs, the spectacular Katherine Gorge or Edith Falls. Further north, you can have a swim in Kakadu National Park. And in the desert? Well, you block a sprinkler with a piece of wood and transform it into a shower! There are easy to find in front of many roadhouses of the Outback. It seems each of them has engaged in a competition to win the Greener Lawn Award. We even saw roadsigns indicating the presence of a gas station, a restaurant and... "Green Grass"!

Kata Tjuta (Mount Olga) is less known than its famous neighbor Uluru, but it is still impressive. These domes (there are 36 exactly) are located about thirty kilometres away from the rock of Uluru. They are part, with the latter, of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We urge you to walk within the valleys and deep gorges created by these rock formations. Whether you choose the Valley of the Winds (7.4 km), or in the Walpa Gorge (2.6 km) (photo), do not miss this opportunity to get away from everyone and everything in a breathtaking environment. You will certainly feel alive! The colors are particularly beautiful in the afternoon and early evening. Be careful though, because of the extreme temperatures which often occur in the area, the tracks are not always open to the public. They are closed when the temperature exceeds 36°C. The picnic area located a few kilometers away from the base of Kata Tjuta, however, is a good alternative to admire the sunset.

Uluru is one of the most famous rocks in the world (photo). Also known as Ayers Rock, this world-class natural show is particularly moving, an emotion difficult to express with words. No photo or video can replace what you see with your own eyes after the long journey that takes you there (Alice Springs is 460 km away, Adelaide is 1,600 km away and Darwin is 1,960 km away). It is located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which also includes the rock formations of Kata Tjuta (Mount Olga), sacred places of a very high importance to the Anangu people, one of the oldest human societies in the world. The park is one of the few sites part of the UNESCO World Heritage List for both its natural and cultural wealth. Uluru, which has become a major tourist attraction since the World War II, is a symbol of Australia. With the construction of a huge modern resort and the presence of too many tours, the place loses its authenticity. Sometimes it feels like Disneyland and that is unfortunate. Just like us, you can do your part not to encourage this excessive commercial development:

• Do not climb Uluru, you will show respect to Traditional Owners' law and culture;
• Take part in a daily cultural guided tour, run either by the Rangers (free) or by Indigenous;
• Visit the impressive Cultural Centre (free);
• Spend the night, if possible, on one of the free campsites located around the park.

Finally, do not miss a sunset over Uluru. This is a unique moment when the rock changes colors. Note that raining is rare in the Outback. However, severe storms can occur at Uluru. On this occasion, you might see a rare sight: huge waterfalls. If you have had the chance to experience it, share your photos with our readers!

Australia is one of the best countries for road trips. Those who have already experienced it know very well that having a breakdown comes with the fun of a road trip (we have experienced it ourselves when crossing the Nullarbor). Here in Australia, distances are sometimes so huge between the location of the breakdwon and the nearest garage, that towing can cost more than abandoning your vehicle along the road and buy a used one in the next city. Then, one can find curious trophies (photo) in the scenery along the highways. We even met some people whose job is to drive for hours to rid the landscape of the old rusting cars!

A few weeks ago we came accross the William Creek Hotel and the North Star Hotel in South Australia. This time, on the Stuart Highway between Katherine and Tennant Creek, we spotted the Larrimah Hotel, in the tiny hamlet of the same name. As for the other two, you have to stop in this pub. You will have no problem to recognize it: the Pink Panther is sitting outside along the highway. The Larrimah Hotel is a hotel, a camping, a pub, a museum, a zoo... but also one of the many unusual places that give the Outback part of its charm. There are certainly dozens of them scattered around the country. Feel free to share your own discoveries with us!

We are used to having shoulders on the side of highways in the western world. This lane is normally used as an emergency lane in the case of a breakdown or by emergency vehicles in the case of road congestion. They exist in Australia too. But in the most remote areas of the Outback, the emergency lane can sometimes occupy the entire width of the road... and become an emergency airstrip! It has not happened to us yet, but we can only imagine the surprise at suddenly being overtaken by an aircraft that lands in front of you.

The Australian Outback is full of surprises, some of which we have presented to you recently in Coober Pedy and William Creek. Today we discover a new natural wonder. Towards the Eyre Peninsula, we walked on a salt lake. Yes, on! Lake Hart is located along the highway between Coober Pedy and Port Augusta. Like most of the salt lakes of the region, it is dry, covered with a crust of salt of ten centimeters thick. Of course the most famous, also the largest in Australia, is Lake Eyre. It is not necessarily easy to access though (only by plane or 4WD), and might be out of reach for some budgets. However if you have the opportunity to experience the beauty of a salt lake like Lake Hart, you must stop. You will see how walking on such a landscape is somewhat surreal. If the sky is clear and the sun is shining, the experience becomes truly spectacular. It is a fantastic backdrop for photos.

Coober Pedy is ideal if you are looking for a completely different experience in Australia. The most unusual part of the city lies in its underground life. Indeed, more than half the population of Coober Pedy lives underground. Even churches are buried! This is certainly something you would not find in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney. It seems to be the soldiers returning from the trenches of the First World War, who imported this idea. The miners of Coober Pedy then promptly adopted this concept to protect themselves from extreme summer and winter temperatures. Underground, the temperature remains constant at around 24 ° C, regardless of outside temperature. We could not visit Coober Pedy without spending a few nights underground. So we tried the Bedrock hostel. This establishment was founded by Faye Nayler, a legend of Coober Pedy, who was the first to offer underground accommodation to tourists. It is ideally located in the heart of Coober Pedy, adjacent to the Opal Cave showroom. You cannot miss it, it is in the huge parking lot that hosts a memorable Mad Max relic. Small kitchen, shower, this is basic for a backpacker but it is more than enough for this initiation! To extend the experience, do not forget to visit Faye's Historic Underground Home & Mine.

For other unusual activities in Coober Pedy, you can:

• Try the Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Course, a course with no lawn, where the greens are black. This is the only one in the world having a reciprocal agreement with the prestigious Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland;
• Try your luck at noodling for opals;
• Explore the wonders of nature in the surroundings and have a look at the world's longest fence.

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Opal Cave.

Coober Pedy is not all about opal mining. Nature also reserves some wonders. Among them, the colourful landscapes of the Breakaways are located thirty kilometers north of the town. Throughout the day, the sun changes the colors of this arid zone. The best time of the day to explore them is probably at sunset. Two lookouts offer the best views of this area which is a surreal paradise for photographers and filmmakers! The town is scattered with left behind props from movies that have been filmed there such as Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Red Planet, Pitch Black and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. The loop back to Coober Pedy takes you along parts of the Dog Fence through a lunar landscape, otherwise known as the 'moon plain'  is impressive and not to be missed.

In the early twentieth century, a father and his son (Jim and William Hutchison), desperately hurled themselves into the desert of South Australia, over 800 kilometres northwest of Adelaide, in search of gold. After an successful attempt resulting in no gold and no water, they discovered opal and certainly never suspected that nearly 100 years later, the camp they had set up would become a city. Coober Pedy today has became the opal capital of the world. It produces three quarters of the world's opals. A bit like Las Vegas rising like a mirage in the Mojave Desert, it is very surprising to see so much activity in the middle of nowhere. The city is surrounded by a moonscape dotted with mounds of debris from mining activities. Winner of the 2011 South Australia's Best Tourist Attractions award, a visit to Old Timers Mine is a must do! This original opal mine, dug in 1916, has been converted into a museum. Put on a helmet and go underground! This is a great way to travel in time and finding out under what conditions the miners and their families worked and lived underground in the hope of striking it rich. Clearly there is no room for boredom in the desert with all these unusual discoveries (see our photos of William Creek and the Dog Fence).

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Old Timers Mine.

Here is another unusual eyecatcher in the desert that we just had to photograph after our stop at William Creek. The Dog Fence extends from Surfers Paradise's surroundings in Queensland to the coast of South Australia. Extending for over 5,000 kilometers, it is one of the longest structures in the world and the world's longest fence. It is intended to protect flocks of sheep on the southern side of the fence from being attacked by dingoes, the wild dogs of Australia from the north. For more information, the Wikipedia page dedicated to the fence is quite comprehensive.

In the desert, at no surprise to anyone, it is a vastness of nothing. So, we are somewhere in South Australia in the middle of nowhere, far from Adelaide, on the famous Oodnadatta Track. All of the Outback is occupied by the void ... All? No! A small town of indomitable Australians maintain their mark within the nothingness. With a permanent population estimated at between three and ten people, William Creek is the smallest "city" of Australia. Ironically, it is located on Anna Creek Station, the world's biggest working cattle station: 23,777 sq km (larger than Israel!). If we are talking about William Creek it is because you must go there once in your lifetime to visit the William Creek Hotel. Dating from 1887, this bar, hotel, camping, restaurant, gas station, made ​​of timber and corrugated iron is a legend. Inside it is like a giant visitor's book decorated with business cards, words scrawled on bank notes, caps and other random pieces of memorabilia left by its visitors. The atmosphere is very warm. The restaurant serves hearty food of the Outback. Unique experience guaranteed!
William Creek has its own airport, departure point for scenic flights over Lake Eyre. To follow our trip in the desert, visit our facebook page where more photos await you.

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of William Creek Hotel.

Today we take you to the western Flinders Ranges, where the mountains meet the desert to live our first real Outback experience. We spent a few days at Beltana Station, a fully working sheep and cattle station located on a property of more than... 400,000 acres! If Beltana Station was a sovereign state, it would rank just after Mauritius in the list of countries and dependencies by area. We can tell you that it is huge and that you will never be disturbed by the neighbours! The place is rich in history with most of its stone buildings dating from the nineteenth century. The farm was also the starting point for various expeditions including one made ​​famous by Ernest Giles in 1875. It is also in Beltana that Thomas Elder imported some of the first camels to arrive in South Australia. Among the many activities offered on site today, it is still possible to participate in a safari of several days with these magnificent creatures. A 4WD tour is also a must. From the summit of Mount Deception, which does not deserve its name, the view over the plains is breathtaking. Beltana Station offers a variety of accommodation options to meet different travelers needs ranging from camping to private rooms in the Shearers' Quarters historical buildings to the Overseer's Cottage. Whether for a weekend or long holidays on the farm, Beltana Station is a destination that will immerse you in the heart of the Australian Outback and will allow you to reconnect with the deepest human values​​. For those looking to work in Australia, make sure to contact Laura and Graham. They might have something to offer. We fell in love!

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Beltana Station.

We will drive through the Flinders Ranges and the Outback in the coming days. It is where you can discover the real Australia. This is also where you can find some of the oldest landscapes on earth. And this is where you can find properties larger than some European countries (the advantage is that you will never disturb your neighbors who are hundreds of kilometres away!). A great way to understand these spectacular regions before visiting them is to go to Wadlata Outback Centre. It is located in Port Augusta on the way to the Flinders Ranges and the Outback, three hours north of Adelaide. It reveals how the region has evolved over millions of years in geological terms, but also explains the Aboriginal legends and stories of European explorers and settlers. You learn a lot while visiting this multiple award-wining tourist attraction. We recommend it!

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Wadlata Outback Centre.