International recognition of our expedition success
N 23°22'32.9" E 150°24'01.3"
Day: 267 Stage Three expedition days total 658
Sunrise:
05:40
Sunset:
18:41
Daily kilometers:
6980
Temperature - Day (maximum):
23° degrees, no sun
Temperature - Night:
20°
Latitude:
23°22'32.9"
Longitude:
150°24'01.3"
Paradise Lagoons-Camp – 07.02.2003
Because our tent is about 10 centimeters deep in water, we moved into the wrestlers’ dirty accommodation last night. We spent the night on our camp beds in the so-called living area, where there is of course not the slightest privacy. We are woken from our sleep at six o’clock in the morning by rumbling, loud conversations, laughter and banging doors. Tired, we pull ourselves up and start another day that only seems to happen once in our lives.
The rain has thankfully subsided and in some places we can see a bright spot in the dark carpet of clouds. We hear the news on the radio that the man who tried to save his horses yesterday has been found dead. Hundreds of cattle also died horribly in the water. First they had to be brought through the drought by the farmers for almost two years and now the survivors are sinking into the mud and dying horribly. We hear that many of them have to be shot. They are too weak to get out of the marshland on their own.
Around midday we go to the camels to see how they have survived the night. The raging Lions Creek has receded considerably, but it still floods the road. The water comes up to your knees, but you can walk through it without being washed into the barbed wire. The road can also be seen again. The water soon borders the asphalt strip everywhere. Tree trunks, wood, flotsam, dead grass and much more is scattered around wildly. In some places, the strong flood has torn entire slabs of asphalt from the road. We feel as if we are walking on a thin ribbon through an ocean.
We reach our animals without difficulty. They stand freezing on their island and look towards us. They have now completely eaten away the tall grass. The lower branches of the trees are also bare. We are happy. They are doing well under the circumstances. They are smeared with mud and earth but they are fine. Sebastian’s sunken eyes fill with life despite the flood disaster. Satisfied, we return to our dwelling.
From 6 p.m. onwards, the phone almost breaks. Newspapers, radio and television stations in Europe and Australia are constantly calling to get an interview. We can hardly believe it, but an Australian press agency has sent the news of our expedition success out into the world. The response has been overwhelming. I give interviews to BBC London, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Saarländischer Rundfunk, Hessischer Rundfunk, Ostdeutschland, Deutsche Welle television, RTL Franken Life, the press agencies, ABC Sydney, ABC Brisbane, ABC Melbourne, ABC Perth and many private radio stations and television stations until 23:00 at night. Although we are delighted with the international recognition of our expedition, we are completely exhausted at the end of this eventful day. My head is buzzing and as I lie down on my lounger I feel like I’ve just been plugged into a socket. Thousands of questions from journalists and presenters pulsate back and forth in my brain until a leaden tiredness finally frees me.
