Following months of preparations The Isuzu Challenge teams arrive in Australia for the first day of the event. Some teams have been in the air for 40 hours before landing Down Under.

On our first day we face rain and strong winds that threaten to blow away our tents. We survive the night and wake to a clear, calm and mellow morning.

We pack away the tents and look over the vehicles that we are using on the voyage across Australia. Parked neatly in a semicircle, it wasn't long before we are on our long convoy north, to the heart of the Flinders Ranges.

The road greets us with magical groves and a variety of weird eucalyptus trees. (Did you know that there are more than 600 species of eucalyptus tress in Australia?).

Complementing the scenery are kangaroos that skip around us - we are strange beasts indeed and they are inquisitive. Above us colorful parrots circle.

Inside the Flinders Ranges National Park we drive on "The Geographic Road," it's 20Km long and offers impressive rock folds and awe inspiring geological forms sculptured by nature millions of years ago. There's a tremendous diversity of animals and insects such as the wallaby, ostriches and giant spiders.

We leave the park behind and turn towards the tiny village of Blinman which has just 21 inhabitants - all join us for lunch. The situation is amusing: we photograph the locals and they take pictures of our yellow convoy.

We bid farewell and continue on our way. At the Elder Ridge we head for the dry riverbed for real field driving. But it's not easy. The land is so rough that covering just a few kilometers takes three long hours.

The roads are difficult, the driving is technically intricate and there are water passes. But at the end there is also ample applause as we congratulate ourselves on completing the first day's driving. This is where the second night of camping awaits us.

Photographer : Gerry Avramovich