Australian Woman On 5,000km Solo Trek Through Outback With Team Of Camels

OODNADATTA, AUSTRALIA - MAY 21: An aerial view as Sophie Matterson walsk her five Camels through the South Australian desert on May 21, 2021 near Oodnadatta, Australia. Sophie Matterson, 32, is on a 5,000km journey - walking with five camels coast to coast from Australia's western-most point in Shark Bay, Western Australia, to its eastern-most point in Byron Bay, New South Wales. Sophie left her life in Brisbane working in film and television to embark on the trek in March 2020. Shortly after setting off on her journey, state border closures and travel restrictions due to COVID-19 meant Sophie crossed the heart of Australia in almost total isolation. Sophie walked a 700km stretch of the Great Victoria desert with almost no contact. There were intense highs and lows through this challenging leg. While the isolation and strain have at times been overwhelming, Sophie says the highs have outweighed initial challenges. "I just loved being out there alone, watching the landscape change," she said. "There are not many places left in the world where you can look around 360 degrees and just see nothing but the landscape." Sophie has recently embarked on part two of the trek from Cooper Pedy in South Australia, where the team had a break over the summer months. Sophie is now in the South Australian desert, following the famous Oodnadatta track before turning North-East towards the meeting of three Australian state borders at Cameron Corner. Sophie's day starts at 5:30am with a fire and breakfast made while the camels graze for an hour. The process of gathering the camels together and saddling up with supplies takes another hour. Sophie usually walks 18km per day with the camels and plans to make it to Byron Bay by November of this year. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)