Journeys – Self drive adventures in the Australian Outback

Driving in the Kimberley in Western Australia

The vast and varied landscape of the Australian Outback offers visitors the chance to escape to a world of open skies, abundant wildlife, historic settlements, Aboriginal culture and real-life characters.

While many of the main roads are sealed, some are not, if you want to go off track you will certainly need a four-wheel-drive. You can even hire four-wheel-drive campervans.

Linking the towns of Broome and Exmouth in Western Australia is the 2,480km Warlu Way http://www.warluway.com.au/. The route, which travels through the remote Gascoyne, Pilbara and Kimberley regions, is inspired by the Aboriginal legend of the sea serpent, or warlu. According to ‘dreamtime’ stories, the warlu emerged from the ocean and slithered across the arid red landscape, creating waterways as it moved.

Along the route are vast coastal flatlands of spinifex grass, swathes of wildflowers in spring, turquoise sea speckled with islands, remote former pearling stations, mining townships, cooling waterways and pools and ancient Aboriginal art.

Want more? How about dramatic gorges and escarpments that turn from ruby to terracotta as the sun moves across the steely blue sky and the chance to jump into emerald waters for a swim with an enormous, but gentle, whale shark.

Another long-distance route is The Savannah Way http://www.savannahway.com.au/, a collection of linked outback roads and highways that link Cairns in Tropical North Queensland to the historic pearling town of Broome in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. This 3,700 kilometre route, which also passes through the Northern Territory, takes in 15 National Parks and five World Heritage areas.

Among the many highlights along the way are the Undara Lava Tubes http://undara.com.au/. These huge, hollow basalt chambers are the largest and best-preserved on earth. They were created by ancient lava flows that formed an external crust.

There are dramatic sandstone escarpments and spires too, Aboriginal art sites, as well as serene rivers, deep limestone gorges, salt pans, hot springs and historic towns to explore.
A tropical journey through the lush Northern Territory tropics on the Nature’s Way driving route could easily rank up with those lifetime-best experiences too. The road meanders through three World Heritage-listed areas, awe-inspiring Kakadu National Park http://kakadu.com.au/, Litchfield National Park http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/find/litchfield.html and Nitmuluk National Park http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/find/nitmiluk.html.

All three places are bird-watching paradises, but together they also offer astonishing panoramas, crashing waterfalls and fresh-water billabongs full of fish and water lilies. Here too are rainforests and open plains, canoe trips and crocodile-spotting adventures. There is wildlife everywhere and the world’s largest collection of Aboriginal rock art.

For an adventure that pierces the red beating heart of Australia don’t miss a journey along the Red Centre Way http://en.travelnt.com/advice/itinerary-ideas/red-centre-way.aspx. This incredible circular journey from Alice Springs takes in the world-renowned landmarks of Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon).

From Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory you could head out on an Outback odyssey from Adelaide to Darwin, via Alice Springs, along the Explorers Highway http://www.explorersway.com/. The journey, mostly along the Stuart Highway from the south of Australia to the far north, or vice versa, is truly one of the nation’s greatest driving adventures. It follows the route of one of Australia’s most famous explorers, John McDouall Stuart, who became the first person to traverse the continent from South Australia to the north, in 1862.

You should plan on around two weeks to complete the 3,245 kilometre journey, which passes through farmland, deserts and tropical vegetation.

Then there’s the Overlander’s Way http://www.overlandersway.com/default.aspx, which follows the footsteps of pioneer explorers from the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland to the unspoiled natural beauty of the rugged Outback of the Northern Territory.

This 1,550 kilometre route follows the paths of old-time cattle drovers who brought huge herds of cattle from the inland to the coast. You’ll spot lots of wildlife, from kangaroos to wedge-tailed eagles as you travel, there are spectacular gorges to explore, several towns along the way and friendly local characters.

Base yourself in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia and you have easy access to the Outback too. Popular driving routes take you inland to visit Lake Eyre, which abounds with waterbirds during periodic floods.

You can travel on the remote Oodnadatta Track to the Tirari Desert, with its salt lakes and sand dunes, or visit the dramatic red-ridge country of the Flinders Ranges http://www.flindersranges.com/ on the trail of the rare Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby and ancient Aboriginal art sites. Or you could head up to fascinating opal-mining town of Coober Pedy http://www.cooberpedy.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=191, where some of the townsfolk live in underground houses to escape the intense Australian sun.

One of Australia’s most famous Outback drives is from Adelaide to Perth, via the vast, almost treeless Nullarbor Plain. Along the route there is desert country, strange rock formations and fascinating former goldfield towns, such as Kalgoorlie http://www.westernaustralia.com/en/Destinations/Australias_Golden_Outback/Kalgoorlie/Pages/Kalgoorlie.aspx, with its historic buildings and character pubs. It’s a real Australian Outback adventure.

Driving west from Sydney is a popular excursion, once over the Blue Mountains the scene changes to open pastures, before the Outback puts in an appearance again as you head inland to the former silver-mining town of Broken Hill.

The town is popular with Outback artists and acts as a major base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the School of the Air – a school that uses satellite-technology to educate students in isolated Outback settlements.