OUTBACK ADVENTURE - Introduction

10 day Outback Safari
Days 89-98 of my NZ/Australia holiday

Introduction

By this time I had already seen much of Australia. I'd visited its major cities, seen its beaches, the great barrier reefs and many of the wonderful coastal towns in all seven of its states. But what I hadn't seen was the huge, desolate and dry, yet also adventurous and exciting outback. Coach tours regularly take tourists up from Adelaide to Alice Springs along the Stuart Highway, making sure to take in all the sights such as the Flinders Ranges or the world famous Uluru/Ayers Rock.

But I didn't want an air conditioned highway driven coach trip. I wanted a real rugged and genuine outback experience. So I arranged a safari 4x4 tour with a company called Heading Bush. Instead of taking six days to reach Alice Springs via the highway they take ten days on the scenic off-road tracks. Not only that but each night instead of sleeping in hotels or hostels they put passengers in swag-bags, person sized waterproof sleeping bags with padding. You just drop them on the ground and sleep under the stars. Perfect! Food would be a mixture of portable stove cooking and campfire cuisine. So as I'm sure you can imagine I was looking forward to the trip enormously.

I made sure to book the tour around autumn/fall. In summer the outback can reach temperatures of up to 57 degrees Celsius/135 Fahrenheit. I don't ever want to know what it's like being in that kind of temperature without being able to escape. It would be similar to being trapped in an extra hot sauna with no escape. No thank you! In autumn however it is simply very warm. Evenings are also cool and usually require an extra layer once the sun sets.

The vehicle used for such trips is a large four wheel drive jeep/truck that holds up to twelve passengers. The ten day itinerary also allows us to hop off more frequently for walks and scenic stops and the dirt roads lead off the beaten track, away from the crowds and closer to the scenery. Sounds fantastic eh? A real adventure in some of the most deserted places on earth.

I can't bloody wait!

Swags! These are what we sleep in each night!