Roman had a life long dream to come to Australia, to visit Uluru, the Australian outback and to experience as close to true wilderness as possible.

He’s used to rugged terrain, to challenging climbs and to the demands of the trail but in his home near Salzburg the mountains are full of people, full of habitation and no place is truly wild.

As beautiful as the lakes and snow covered mountains of his home in the Austrian Salzkammergut are they are such a part of daily life that they ironically become just part of the local scenery.

We started out from Adelaide by car, made our way up through Coober Pedy, through to the red center of this great continent and then out west to Ulurua and Kata Tjuta. We spent a little time around the beautiful Kings Canyon before undertaking the long road trip back to Adelaide again. No matter where we were, on the highway, Uluru, Kata Tjuta, or on the ridgeline of Kings Canyon we always stopped to experience the sunset and marvel in the extraordinary places we found ourselves.

Despite his desire to to experience just how vast Australia is I think he was glad to see the end of many thousands of Australia kilometers driving or as a passenger watching the country rolling by.

Back in Austria again I am sure he remembers the sunsets, has forgotten the long kilometers and will cherish his time here.

Photo: Robert Rath, ‘When Boyhood Dreams’, 1/25s f/16 ISO160 15mm