A guide to Australian outback destinations

What’s a girl who wears Gucci heels and reads fashion magazines doing travelling around the Australian outback? This was a question I asked myself before embarking on my first wilderness trip with my husband. Several trips later and I can tell you that it’s an experience not to miss. The wide open landscapes, fresh air, and amazing wildlife provide a revitalising new lease on life.

DESTINATIONS:

Let’s take a look at some of the best Australian outback destinations by state:

QUEENSLAND

The South West- extends from Mitchell in the East to Birdsville in the West. Expect dramatic red sand hills and plentiful flora and fauna.  Key attractions include; bushwalking, fishing in a billabong, bird watching, taking a natural mud bath or a hot soak in artesian springs and experiencing life on a livestock station.

Central West-this is the area that inspired Banjo Paterson lyrics. It is rich with history including the Stockman Hall of Fame and the birthplace of Qantas Airlines. Try some bush tucker and learn about what life was like in the pioneering days.

North West-Here you can see dinosaur fossils, experience fantastic freshwater fishing, go on an underground working mine tour and try some fossicking of your own.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Some of the best outback sites to see in Western Australia include:

-Cable Beach, Broome- a 22 kilometre long white sandy beach with clear, turquoise blue water. You can take a camel ride along the beach at sunset.

-Ningaloo Reef-enjoy over 200 kilometres of colourful coral, tropical fish, turtles, rays and whales.

-Kununurra-this is the town where the movie Australia was shot from. It is home to the mighty Ord River and is like an oasis of green in the desert. Take a visit to the nearby Argyle Diamond mine.

-The Gibb River Road-is a rugged dirt drive from Derby to Kununurra. Stop and check out Windjana Gorge where you can witness crocodiles sunning themselves on the riverbank.    

-The Bungle Bungles- are a World Heritage listed site in the Purnululu National park. They are an amazing formation of sandstone cliffs and pillars.

NORTHERN TERRITORY & SOUTH AUSTRALIA

This is the region where movies like Crocodile Dundee, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Mad Max were filmed. Places of interest include:

-Kakadu national Park- scenes from the movie Crocodile Dundee were shot here. The 20,000 square kilometre park is World Heritage listed.

-Alice Springs-the town of Alice is a desert community. If you want to see a typical outback town this is a good pick. This is also where you can witness camel races.

-Uluru (once known as Ayers Rock) is an arresting rock monolith that is over 348 metres high and more then 9 kilometres around the base. Making it one of the largest rocks in the world. It is part of the Kata Tjuta National park which is a World Heritage site.

- The Olgas-Also in Kata Tjuta national park are a group of rock formations. These are a short drive from Uluru.

HOW TO TRAVEL:

There are numerous ways to see the Australian outback. You can take a guided bus tour, a train trip, plan a self drive tour or fly in and out of major towns.

Some popular train trips include:

-The Indian Pacific- This train travels from Western Australia in the west to New South Wales in the east. Scheduled stops include Broken Hill and a town called Cook with population of 2 in the Nullabor plain.

-The Ghan- travels from Adelaide in South Australia to Alice Springs and Darwin in the Northern Territory. It is a luxury train trip through the heart of Australia.

-The Spirit of the Outback is a journey to the West in Queensland.

WEATHER

Weather in the Australian outback can be quite harsh. Summer days can hit 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit and Heavy rains can also occur at this time. It is recommended that you travel between April and October for more temperate fine weather.