How to travel the Australian Outback

How far do you have to travel into Australia’s outback, before you’re actually heading back in? Peter Robinson ventures passed Broken Hill through Uluru and Alice Springs to the Kimberley and back to find out exactly where the Great Australian Outback begins . . . .

There’s been a 4WD sitting in my driveway for the past 20 years. Not fulltime, you understand; it gets driven often, being the only vehicle I own.

And, yep, it gets driven around town a fair bit, which means I get my fair share of grief from doubting do-gooders who view any large-base vehicle in a metro setting as the ultimate in environmental terrorism.

But the fact is, I’ve chalked up tens of thousands of kilometres in the outback. And that’s where a big, capable 4WD comes into its own.

In 1813, when Gregory Blaxland struck out eastward from Sydney to forge a track through the Blue Mountains, it was a great adventure into the unknown.

Not that he probably thought that at the time, given the hardship involved. It must have been much the same for any of the other pioneering Europeans who made first forays east to west, south to north, edge to baking centre – the likes of Charles Sturt, John McDouall Stuart, Burke and Wills.

“It’s not actually delineated on any map, although many books refer to the outback nonchalantly as if the reader knows just where it is."

Now, in air-conditioned luxury, we can take a smooth, black ribbon towards the vast interior of Australia and find places where Google Earth and GPS units give way to good old-fashioned map reading. But first, it’s a huge country out there, and most of it’s outback – so let’s have a look at exactly where you’re going.

It’s not actually delineated on any map, although many books refer to the outback nonchalantly as if the reader knows just where it is. International tourists have heard of it and come to visit only to find a week in a hire car doesn’t cut it.

“…draw an imaginary line 200km inland starting from Adelaide, all the way around the east coast to Cairns, and call anything north and west of that line The Outback."

It’s been defined by various authoritarian tomes as “remote, sparsely inhabited back country", and “remote inland districts or back country of Australia." But these are no help at all.

Neither is the old saying that the outback consists of “anything out the back o’ Bourke." Beyond the Black Stump? Perhaps. But no two people can agree on which stump near what town is the real deal.

As a rough guide, here’s what AT reckons: draw an imaginary line 200km inland starting from Adelaide, all the way around the east coast to Cairns, and call anything north and west of that line The Outback.

Apart from a few larger towns, that’s a pretty good stretch of country to call outback (with apologies to Perth and Darwin) and there’s hardly anyone there (more apologies to Perth and Darwin and anyone stuck in-between).

For a final word on the matter, we asked long-time AT supporter and former Deputy PM the Honourable Tim Fischer to give us his first impressions of exactly where the outback might be.

“…once you’ve exhausted two tanks of fuel you’re in back country, where the population is sparse and mobile phone coverage is even worse. You’ll be allocated a batch of flies, which will enjoy your company and your food."

“Everything 50km or more north of the Sydney to Perth Transcontinental Railway Line," he asserts, “that’s also 100km or more west of the Newell Highway and 100km west of the NSW and Queensland east Pacific Coast. Alternatively, excluding all of Victoria and Tasmania, the ‘Great Outback’ is, by rule of thumb, everything north of a line from Sydney to Spalding, Port Lincoln to Esperance via the coastline of the Bight, and thence to Perth, but more than 100km inland from the Queensland east coast, 200km inland from the NSW east coast, and Cervantes on the northwest coast of WA. And I prefer that first one." Glad we got that settled.

On the practical side, once you’ve exhausted two tanks of fuel you’re in back country, where the population is sparse and mobile phone coverage is even worse.

You’ll be allocated a batch of flies, which will enjoy your company and your food. Locusts will hitch a free ride in your radiator, and corrugations will rattle your fillings loose.

Stand just about anywhere in the outback, wave away the flies and look down at your feet. Discard any notions that this is the “dead" heart of Australia; though it’s a harsh environment amid the spinifex and saltbush, a surprisingly dynamic and resilient microcosm of life survives.
A downpour in the outback can produce – literally overnight – an ephemeral carpet of colourful wildflowers midst stone and red sand. In the same timeframe, it also produces impassable roads.

And, if Cooper Creek floods into Lake Eyre, another miracle occurs: vast saltpans become an inland sea teeming with myriad aquatic and bird life until the cycle begins all over again. With luck you might get a once-in-a-lifetime sight – a waterfall on Uluru, or snow on St Mary’s peak in the Flinders Ranges. Or simply a cold beer in a remote country pub.

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.