The outback made easy

THE OUTBACK IS MUCH MORE than a place to most Australians; it is a concept of our country that fascinates and intimidates, sometimes in equal measure. While the landmass of the outback can be plotted on a map, the true significance of the landscape itself, the ancient history that has shaped it, the proud people who have both lived off it and nurtured it through millennia, the stories (old and new) that have mythologised it, and the otherworldly beauty that characterises it, is almost impossible to convey through words. It is something that needs to be experienced, a feeling that needs to seep into your fibre, an image that needs to be imprinted into your mind’s eye.

In spite of all of these reasons why you should visit the outback, there are also a lot of stereotypes that convince people that you shouldn’t – from the distances and size (too big) to the dangers and to the cost of travelling there (too expensive). As a result, exploring the outback, still largely the untamed heart of our Great Southern Land, is something that a lot of Australians relegate to the ‘too hard right now’ basket, telling themselves they will get around to getting there one day.

But, quite literally, there is no time like the present. Outback regions have been hit hard by border closures and travel restrictions during the pandemic – from Indigenous tour operators to accommodation offerings – but this also presents