b'National Park, with red sand, sunshining and blue skies, you could bemistaken for thinking that you were faraway in the outback. The first surprisefor me on this trip was the diversity ofthe flora, so much more than just yourtypical Mallee scrub. In some areas,the variety of different trees andshrubs was like a landscaped garden,so much more interesting than what Ihad anticipated.We stopped to havea look at the Pink Lakes and yes, theyreally are pink.WARNINGScience nerd alert!!This interesting phenomenon is infact due to the work of a microscopicanimal-like/plant (whats the rightpronoun to use - he, she, it, they?).radio check in history! The trip This alga called Dunaliella salinaleader James provided a very thrives in the salty water of the lake,comprehensive and detailed overview which is as much as 800 times saltierof the days route and sights along than the sea. It (the alga) secretes athe way, his meticulous planning for red pigment beto-carotyne(same asthe trip was evident and very much that found in carrots) which protectsappreciated by all the participants. the delicate cells from strong lightrays. During summer, the water inThis first day, like the following days many of these lakes evaporatesof the trip, had an interesting and leaving shimmering salt beds. Youvaried route with many attractions to can buy pink salt produced fromsee along the way. The driving for some of the lakes in this area and it ismost of the day followed easily world famous, used by many famoustraversed tracks, many of which could Michelin Star Chefs in their restaurants!be negotiated with a regular vehicle, Later, passing through the Murrayalthough the driving became more Kulkyne Regional Park, we ended ourchallenging over the following days. day at the Snowdrift camp withinAs a side note, for those that may Wyperfeld National Park. As indicatedconsider the modern era Discos as by the name, the Snowdrift campsitebeing somewhat compromised when is next to a very large sand dunetackling sandy tracks and dunes, I which provides endless hours of funcan say that my vehicle (and also the for kids (and those young at heart)other Disco 4 on the trip)performed sliding down on large pieces ofadmirably and beyond expectations, cardboard, plastic or any thin flats even with a hack driver like me material, with Felix, James sonbehind the wheel (justremember to having had a great time doing exactlyturn off the Dynamic Stability Control that. Climbing to the top of the duneand keep it off whilst driving on sand). also had other advantages, preciousUpon entering the Murray Sunset mobile coverage if you stood in the Day 1: Ouyen to Snowdrift (MurraySunset NP)A trip to the Victorian deserts iscertainly an appealing way to spend aweek in the middle of winter and in-between Covid lockdowns. The tripwas scheduled to visit 4 deserts in 4days and despite being during theschool holidays, this part of Victoriadoesnt receive that many visitorscompared to other popular 4WDdestinations. I had only visited someof these areas long ago and waslooking forward to the week ahead.Meeting point for the start of the tripwas at the Blackburn Park RecreationReserve in Ouyen and commencedwith what mustve been the longestTRACKWATCHMARCH 2022 9'