Hey there, we're Gary and Amanda...
Welcome to Travel Outback Australia.
Travel Outback Australia is a site for people who want to explore the Australian outback independently but aren't quite sure where to start.
And when we say explore, we just don't mean sit in the back of a tour bus and take photos of big red rocks.
We mean taste, touch, see and experience the Australian outback exactly as local people see it:
- road tripping
- backpacking
- hiking
- camping, and
- off-road driving
On this site, you'll find inspiration and advice on destinations, trip planning, and lots of how-to articles mixed in with our personal stories and experiences.
You'll also local travel knowledge and insights on outback national parks, flora and fauna, culture, and history.
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How are we different?
We know there's dozens of websites out there that talk about travelling the outback - which is why we aim to be different.
Along with information on how to see the outback independently, we specialise in telling the hidden stories about the outback's animals, birds, plants, people and history.
We provide bird lists, Aboriginal Dreaming stories, kinship and languages, and historical snapshots that you won't find in many other places on the web.
We can do this because...
We live in Alice Springs, the heart of the outback.
All the places we write about, we've been to at least three or four times, in many different seasons via different forms of transport.
Been bogged in mud in the Simpson Desert? We've done it.
Climbed Mt Zeil, the highest peak in the Northern Territory? We've done that. Camped at the Devil's Marbles in mid-summer? Unfortunately, we've done that. Sung all night under the stars in sacred Aboriginal ceremonies? Yes, we've done that, too. And many other crazy adventures...
We really do this stuff!
Our jobs -national park ranger and anthropologist- mean that we live and breathe everything we're writing about here. As part of our work we have to camp, hike, drive off road, study plants and animals and work with Aboriginal people (Amanda can even speak an Aboriginal language).
This means you can use our experience and knowledge to help you to plan your outback adventures. It also means we can give you up-to-date information, prices and advice.
We are advocates of slow travel.
It's our belief that you can't see the outback in any less than 5 days.
So we really encourage you to spend time here, getting to know the place, its unique vibe and its people, rather than fly-in-fly-out, fleeting visits. However, if you only have a short amount of time, you'll still find plenty of information here to help you plan your visit.
We are not a travel company or tour guides.
We are real people who love the place they live in and want to share it with others. Yes, we'll even meet up with you for a coffee or a beer if you're in town. Send us a DM to @TravelOutbackOz on Twitter or drop by our Facebook group and say hi.
Who Are We?
We've written a whole page about us here. In a snapshot, we're an ordinary couple with three nearly grown children who live life to the max. We especially love travel, gadgets, reading, adventure, hiking and camping.
Sign up for our newsletter here and get even more insider secrets that will help you explore the outback just like a local.
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