Jaxon Dundee watches as a Lear Jet lands at Alice Springs Airport. He had been contacted by Captain Burghoff about some new recruits flying in for dessert and jungle training. He suggested that he takes them out for a week in the desert and to the rainforest for a week.

Jaxon didn’t mind and the person sponsoring the people coming in, paid him good money to put his recruits through the wringer. He wonders how many the training camp sent this time. He waits for the jet to come to a full stop, before approaching it.

“Wake-up, everyone.” Tammy and Stanley had stayed awake during the flight.

The rest of their team had fallen asleep on the flight to Australia. Sophie was curled up in her seat. Becky was reclined back in her seat. The guys were all sound asleep. The only two people in their group that were still awake was her and Stanley.

“Do I have too?” Sophie was slowly waking up.

She was having a nice dream and didn’t want to wake-up. She sits up and notices everyone was still waking up. She checks her watch and notices it was 0700 hrs. She had adjusted her watch before they left for Australia. They left at 2300 hrs. Saturday night and now it was Sunday morning.

“Come on people, let’s get up and moving.” Tammy grabs her gear and heads out of the Lear Jet.

Jaxon spots three Sheila’s coming off the jet and five Bloke’s following them. He watches as they mob up.

“G' day, mates! I’m Jaxon Dundee and I am going to be your guide while you’re here in the Outback. I have some camels for us to ride unless
you lot want to walk out in the desert. Now if you’ll come with me, we’ll load up and head to my ranch.” Jaxon escorts the eight individuals to his SUV.

Sophie looks up at the sky and wonders how hot it was going to get today. She looks towards Mr. Dundee.

“Jaxon, how hot is it forecast to get today?” She did some reading about the Northern Territory where they were and would be spending a lot of time in.

“In the high 70’s today. You’re lucky that your coming during this time, instead of later in the year.”

“Why’s that?” Sophie was curious.

“Because out in the Outback, the temperatures can reach into the high hundred’s during the day. That’s why you were sent out here.” Jaxon takes everyone to his ranch.

Greg and Dave were watching the way they took to get to Jaxon’s place. As they got closer, they could see he had horses and camels.

“Mr. Dundee, how come you have a lot of camel’s?” Zak was curious because he didn’t know Australia would have them.

“The ones I have, use to be wild. We have over one million wild camels here in the outback.” Jaxon wonders what the government is going to do with them.

“How many feral horses does Australia have?” Sophie liked horses better than camels.

“Close to five hundred thousand.” Jaxon pulls the SUV up to the bunkhouse where they would be staying for the night.

“So, have any you blokes and sheila’s ridden a camel before?” Jaxon wonders how many he was going to have to train before they go out.

“I have.” Sophie raises her hand. She rode one when she was traveling with the circus.

“Good, you can help me teach the rest of your mob how to ride a camel.” Jaxon shows them to the bunkhouse to settle in for the day.

The rest of the day he shows them how to ride a camel. He kills one to teach them how to cut into it and what parts they can eat from it in order to survive out in the desert. He shows them how to save the skin.

Sophie throws up when Jaxon removes the internal organs and such from the dead camel. She had gotten up and ran away from everyone to upchuck what was left in her stomach. A few minutes later Becky and Greg join Sophie as they upchuck their stomachs.

A smile forms on Jaxon’s face as he watches them chunder. He was expecting the sheila’s, but not the bloke to chunder.

“If you think it’s bad now. Wait till you need to use it as an emergency shelter during a sandstorm.” Jaxon could tell the others were paying attention and taking notes.

Sophie, Greg, and Becky come back over and clear their mouths out with some water from their canteens. Jaxon looks at the poor kids. The younger of the two looks like she has never killed an animal before.

“If you want anything stronger, there’s some coldies in the bunkhouse.” Jaxon points towards the bunkhouse.

“Water is fine. What do you call the bathrooms around here?” Sophie wonders if they are called what she heard on Crocodile Dundee and
Kangaroo Jack.

“There’s a dunny inside and another one over there.” Jaxon points to a small white building that had Sheila on one end and Bloke on the other end.

Late in the afternoon, they go to a nearby pub and have a country and a pint. The atmosphere in the pub wasn’t that bad. It had an old style feel to it and the draft handles look like they had been there since the pub opened. Greg and Dave get into a card game with some locals.

A bloke challenges David to a knife challenge. David takes it easy with him, so he doesn’t lose too much money.

“No mate, I’m full.” Zak had turned down another drink from a patron.

Tammy and the girls were watching their drinks as well. The last thing any of them wanted, was to be drugged. They stay at the pub till late.

“Come on guys, we need to head back and get some sleep.” Stanley herds his team back to the ranch and into the bunkhouse.

0500 hrs. Monday Morning
“Wakey, Wakey everyone. Time to load up and hit the trail.” Jaxon was in the bunkhouse banging on a steel tub.

“I’m ready to shoot someone.” David and Jerry fall out of bed.

Sophie gets up and heads towards the dunny to relieve her bladder. Tammy checks the weather on her cellphone before she starts getting ready herself. Everyone does their morning routine and meet outside.

“You’re going to be lucky this week. The weather is going to be in the high 80’s.” Jaxon heads outside.

Tammy lifts her pack and head outside. Stanley is directly behind her.

After yesterday’s lessons on how to ride a camel and how to pack their things on them. Jaxon watches and double check them after everyone’s gear is loaded and ready to go.

“I suggest you wear your shades and hats.” Jaxon had his shades on along with his dusty tan cowboy hat.

“Good idea.” Everyone who brought sunglasses put them on.

Sophie comes walking out with a tanned explorer hat. It matched the clothes she had on.

You're going to be hot. You are better off wearing dark clothing or some sort of checker pattern. Also, if any of you have on white soaks, you might want to change them. The dust around here will change the color of your socks.” Jaxon figures they should know that.

“Thanks.” Becky goes back inside to change.

Sophie and several others follow her. They change clothes and afterward come back out in different clothes.

“Alright, lets head out.” Jaxon leads them out the side gate of his property.

Tammy and Becky were given Satellite phones to call if they wanted to quit. The reason Becky was given one, she was given a challenge by the base IT specialist to perform while they were in Australia.

They were only allowed to bring their handguns with them and their normal gear. That meant they all had their specialty weapons like their bo-staffs, throwing knives, swords, and whatever else they normally carried with them.

After thirty minutes of riding Jaxon stops at a hole in the ground near some rocks. Jaxon waits as everyone catches up to him. Once they have
“out here in the outback, the Aboriginal people have places like this where you can find water. Unfortunately, this water well is empty right now, thanks to the drought we are experiencing.”

Tammy and some of her people get off their camels and look at the dry well. It didn’t look deep when they first looked at it, but as they got closer. They could see how deep it was and what the water level is normal.

“How would we find water, say like in the Sahara or in the deserts in America?” Sophie was curious.

“In the Sahara, you’ll find water at oases. In America, you can get water from some of the cactus. However, only certain cactus can be drunk from. The reason why is because certain cactus contains high levels of acids and potent alkaloids.” Jaxon starts moving.

Everybody starts following Jaxon as he takes them to a dry river bed. He waits for people to catch up with him.

“If you follow some dry river beds or creeks, you can find places where if you dig down, you’ll find water.” He keeps going down the river bed until Jaxon finds what he is looking for.

“Here, see how green the trees are and this patch of green grass and wildflowers. If you dig down, you will find water.”

“Neat.” Becky was listening while working on the task the training camp IT gave her.

“Another place you might want to consider getting out of the sun is in the shade of the rock formation.” Jaxon continues until he finds what he is looking for.

They finally arrive at a lake late in the afternoon. Jaxon figures this would be a good place for them to camp and enjoy the water. He watches his group reaction as they get off their camel’s.

“Is this place safe to wade out in?” Sophie was looking at Jaxon.

“This lake is safe for you to wade in and drink from. We’re going to spend the night here. Just collect the wood laying about. We're not trying to start a bonfire. Also, other creatures and such use that wood.”

“Yeah, like snakes and spiders.” Sophie heard stories about how Australia has nine of the most poisonous snakes in the world.

“You don’t bother them; they won’t bother you.” Jaxon has only encountered a few snakes while he has been training people.

Jaxon watches as everyone sets up for the night. He pulls his swag off the camel and lay it out.

“Hey Jaxon, what are you having for dinner?” Amy made sure they had enough MRE’s for the group.

She arranged for her, David and Jerry to have extra MRE’s to take with them. She knew this was a survival course and they more than likely we're going to learn how to hunt and learn what roots and vegetation they could eat. She wanted to be on the safe side and requested extra MRE’s for her group.

He pulls out a can of Vienna Sausages and shows her. He was going to show them how to hunt and identify tracks of the different animals Australia had to offer.

“I used to like them when I was younger.” A playful smile appears on her face.

“Enjoy what you have tonight. Starting tomorrow night, you’ll have to hunt for your food.”

“I think I can do that. My father was a navy seal and taught me the basics of surviving.” Tammy wonders what her father would think about what she was doing.

“We’ll see how well you and your mates do.” Jaxon pops open the can of sausages he brought.