The Outback Travel Guide

Quite simply put no other wild open space in the world that compares to the Australian Outback. The Outback is the arid sparsely populated interior of Australia that makes up almost 70% of Australian landmass and is also sometimes called "Beyond the Black Stump". Very few humans live out in this primitive, empty land where the ancient aborigines co-existed in harmony with the harsh yet breathtakingly beautiful environment. Even the colour of the earth is different – clouds of swirling red dust that coats everything in the vicinity with its colour, announces to first time visitors of the onset of the great Australian Outback.

Emerging from the red dust clouds are bright blue skies, endless horizons and awesome variety native flora and fauna. The desert habitat favours many animal and plant species: a mob of kangaroos moving against a backdrop of the setting sun amidst the red sand dunes at Sturt National Park, a flock of ibis taking off in a tangle of flapping wings from the Menindee Lakes, clumsy emus racing across the Mundi Mundi Plains and the wildflowers that carpet this dry and inhospitable land in a veritable riot of colours.

So much of nature’s bounty in one place makes the Australian Outback a perfect easel for open-air art galleries painted on the canvas of rock and stone by ancient aborigine masters.

The Outback is not a specific area but refers to any sparsely populated regions of Australia. All of inland Australia and most of north and north-west Australia is generally known as the Outback.