West MacDonnell Ranges, NT

In April, I receive a phone call: “Stuff having a 60th, I want to see Australia. You in or out?” - Dad’s spontaneous wish to head to The Alice to visit Ormiston Gorge that weekend. Naturally, I couldn’t say no, and for the next 6 days I found myself scrambling through some of Australia’s most fierce and incredible terrain, seeing sights I didn’t even believe our country had on offer.

I have a short attention span, and I tire of my most favourite things quickly. Food, music, movies. If i’ve had something once, I’ve had it a thousand times. That is everything except the sunset. I'm not sure whether it's the finite time we have to view it each day, the way sounds of birds and insects alike change their tone, or just the way each and every one is different from the last - sunsets seem to just erase the woes and fill you with a sense of calm.

I can recall so many instances of chasing it to the ends of the earth, watching it gently fall beneath the horizon and send the world around me into total darkness. I’ve seen the process, I’ve witnessed the colours, and I’ve felt that very feeling before. But this phenomenon - it just gets better every single time. Then, you arrive in the desert, and a sunset goes from the subtle end of usual day, to a full blown explosion of colour, light and life. The reds are richer, the shadows longer, and the silica in the sand seems to glisten in the fading light. There are many things that should be mandatory in life, but desert sunsets should absolutely be at the top of your list.