Big, Weird & Wonderful

Cool off at an Outback pub–where you’ll be sure to meet plenty of locals. The pub is the one place guaranteed to bring people together eager to share their news and stories, to build relationships, escape the extremes of the land, have a bit of fun and a good Aussie ale. Bring some spare change as you may be asked to buy a raffle ticket, to shout the bar, to bet on a cane toad race or to partake in a game of ‘Two-Up’. And don’t worry if you over-indulge as there’ll always be a bed for you and a hot meal.

Be immersed in an Outback experience on a cattle and sheep station where you can join in mustering, shearing, whip cracking, horse riding and cooking a meal or two around the campfire while watching the billy boil. Discover just how remote these stations can be when you realize you need to travel tens, or even hundreds, of miles just to visit a neighbor.

Fashion yourself in the style of Outback people, with a uniquely Australian Akubra hat, Drizabone jacket, Blundstone boots and dungarees.

Make a splashin a wonderland of waterholes, rivers, gorges and creeks that course through our massive Outback deserts. Many of these waterholes are bone dry in summer and during droughts but spring quickly back to life in a spectacular fashion when it rains. If you witness this phenomenon after a long, dry spell, then, you will likely ask the question: “where did the fish, frogs and other water life come from?”

Sleep under a galaxy of starsin an Aussie ‘swag’ – your very own camp bed set beside the fire in an uncovered camp site.

Take a visit to a country townwhere you can experience firsthand the lives and rituals of Outback locals who regularly gather in the main street on a Saturday morning to shop, have a haircut and to compare grain, livestock and wool prices. Time your visit to the local races, rodeo, dance or fete and join in the party atmosphere or visit a local agricultural show to see the best cooks, creators of arts and crafts and breeders of livestock in the region.

Explore by self-drivecar, 4WD or on tailor-made tours with naturalists, guides, bush tucker experts or fishing experts and discover many other facets of Outback life. If you do go exploring by yourself, ensure you take plenty of water and fuel – and let people know where you are going – as Australia’s Outback can be very unforgiving.