Outback Adventures
Australian Outback Overland Tours
Covering vast areas not accessible to regular vehicles, these 4WD Australian outback tours take you to remote deserts, gorges, Aboriginal communities and alpine wilderness.
It is a side of Australia few Australians ever experience. Evenings around the campfire feature gourmet food and great Australian wines.
70% of the Australian continent is arid - a strange dry land. Its unique ancient landscapes are unlike any other on the planet. It is home to an extraordinary fauna, forged by unique climatic events, where lizards are the carnivores and ants the herbivores. Where Marsupials and other remnants of the super-continent Gondwanaland have developed and evolved in isolation over millions of years.
The Outback flora is spectacular, plants which have evolved to withstand the arid conditions, many reliant on regular devastation by bush fires. The Outback has a bio-diversity far greater than the verdant eastern seaboard and only a handful of scientists have been studying this living open-air museum. In Outback Australia there lives arguably the oldest continuous Aboriginal culture in the world. Come and join us on a journey of discovery deep into this vast, ancient land.
What to Bring
Clothing
Bring along sensible clothing for the outdoors. Winters in the Outback are typified by cool to warm days and cold nights. Unfortunately, with the weather there are never any averages, so pack for cold and wet, dry and hot, and everything in between! The best approach for clothes is to wear layers that you can peel off as the day becomes warmer, you may be cold first thing in the morning and warm at midday.
Baggage
As these tours areas expedition, space and weight are at a premium. Your crew will be eternally grateful if all your clothing can fit in a soft bag not weighing more than 20kgs. We request a soft bag because they are easier for us to pack. Don't bring your very best Guggi bags, just something rugged and preferably fairly airtight that you don't mind getting dusty. Ideally you should have 2 bags, one for your clothing, which is stowed and inaccessible during the day, and a small day bag that you carry in the vehicle holding items that you may require while you are travelling ie: Camera ,Binoculars, Torch, Water bottle, Note pad/pencil. There are also a couple of days where we stop for a shower while travelling and you will want to bring your towel and toiletries with you on these days in the vehicle. Just make sure it is not a huge bag, as it will need to be stowed under your seat or next to you in the vehicle.
Personal Medication
These tours venture into some of the most remote country in the world, and you have to be well prepared. Your tour guides are trained in advanced and remote area first aid, and we carry extensive first aid equipment, however we are not a mobile dispensary, nor do we carry pain killers for everyday use, and recommend you bring the following:
Adequate personal medication you may need
Bandaids or Elastoplast
Paracetamol or Aspirin
Stingose
Insect Repellant
Fly net - We have very friendly flys in the outback.
It is most important that you advise your leader about any personal medication you may be taking.
Drinks
Our drinking water in camp is well water. It is of excellent quality. We also provide cordial, tea and coffee in camp and table wines with dinner. Fresh coffee is always on at breakfast. If you wish to bring something else to drink please feel free. We have an icebox to store beer and soft drinks and room to store spirits. Do not buy cans, as they tend to rupture, buy drinks in glass. You can stock up on soft drinks regularly en route, and you can buy alcoholic drinks prior to the tour, and at a few stops along the way on most tours. We find that people tend to drink more than they think they will, so err on the side of indulgence rather than temperance. The desert climate, combined with balmy evenings under the stars are certainly conducive to a moderate tipple! You may also want to bring a water bottle in case you want a sip of water while travelling or walking.
Souvenirs
Since fossils and aboriginal artifacts are off limits by law, and the usual assortment of tea towels and spoons are as tacky as always, desert sands make a great souvenir. Just collect a couple of spoonfuls at different stops, then pour the layers into a spaghetti jar or glass container when you get home. There is an amazing array of different colours. Bring along a packet of zip lock glad sandwich bags.
