Welcome to The Real Outback
The Real Outback is a four wheel drive (a.k.a. 4WD) tour company with a focus on the arid lands and rangelands of Australia. The Real Outback offers catered and Tag-Along safaris in the Outback.
Combined with a choice of trips and interpretation born of 40 years of experience, these 4WD trips will satisfy the traveler, adventurer and explorer in you.
Amazing landscapes and destinations off the beaten track can be expected.
Be charmed by campfires, good food, cosy swags, a zillion stars and a communion with nature. In-depth perspectives and commentary, fascinating routes and the journey of a lifetime are provided in a small group setting.
Combined with a choice of trips and interpretation born of 40 years of experience, these 4WD trips will satisfy the traveler, adventurer and explorer in you.
Amazing landscapes and destinations off the beaten track can be expected.
Be charmed by campfires, good food, cosy swags, a zillion stars and a communion with nature. In-depth perspectives and commentary, fascinating routes and the journey of a lifetime are provided in a small group setting.
More information
We use modern, up-to-date 4WD's, comprehensively modified for Outback conditions and we tow a heavy duty, specially modified supply trailer.
On a daily basis we rotate seats so that you can get a fresh perspective and view.
The days of 'roughing it' are well behind us.........we sleep on stretchers in swags with sheets, doonas and mozzie nets, so we can assure you complete comfort. We use chairs and stools, and eat at a set table with ample lighting. We call this style 'glamping'. (glamping. Slang. Luxury camping involving a variety of high-end gear, accessories, and amenities. The term is a contraction of the words glamour and camping. )
You are on a fully catered journey. Cooking is essentially done on a campfire and the menu is varied. Special dietary needs are accommodated. Naturally, we have refrigeration and a wine cellar to look after the inner person.
On a daily basis we rotate seats so that you can get a fresh perspective and view.
The days of 'roughing it' are well behind us.........we sleep on stretchers in swags with sheets, doonas and mozzie nets, so we can assure you complete comfort. We use chairs and stools, and eat at a set table with ample lighting. We call this style 'glamping'. (glamping. Slang. Luxury camping involving a variety of high-end gear, accessories, and amenities. The term is a contraction of the words glamour and camping. )
You are on a fully catered journey. Cooking is essentially done on a campfire and the menu is varied. Special dietary needs are accommodated. Naturally, we have refrigeration and a wine cellar to look after the inner person.
Touring in our specially modified 4WD and supply trailer
OUTBACK defined (1)
"Outback is of course an Australian word meaning backcountry.
There is an implication of remoteness and sparse population. There is also, behind the word, an implication that very little in the human sense happens there and what does happen can be slow and un-dramatic.
Nothing could be less true. It is as if in the immensity of outback Australia peoples temperaments expand like yeast to occupy and give point to the immensities of space."
Thomas Keneally, author.
There is an implication of remoteness and sparse population. There is also, behind the word, an implication that very little in the human sense happens there and what does happen can be slow and un-dramatic.
Nothing could be less true. It is as if in the immensity of outback Australia peoples temperaments expand like yeast to occupy and give point to the immensities of space."
Thomas Keneally, author.
OUTBACK defined (2)
The Outback could be loosely defined as the outer perimeter of the orange coloured desert section of this Koeppen climate map of Australia.
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia; the term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term 'The Outback' is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named 'the bush'. Grasslands, shrublands, woodlands and savannas in arid and semi-arid, temperate and tropical areas constitute the The Outback.
Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent in the world. About 35 per cent of the continent receives so little rain, it is effectively desert. In total, 70 per cent of the mainland receives less than 500 millimetres of rain annually, which classes it as arid, or semi-arid.
Australia's deserts, listed below, are distributed throughout the western plateau and interior lowlands. The total desert area equates to 18 per cent of the total mainland area of Australia.
State/Territory Name area in km2 percentage of Australia
WA, SA Great Victoria 348,750 4.5
WA Great Sandy 267,250 3.5
WA, NT Tanami 184,500 2.4
NT, QLD, SA Simpson 176,500 2.3
WA Gibson 156,000 2.0
WA Little Sandy 111,500 1.5
SA, QLD, NSW Strzelecki 80,250 1.0
SA, QLD, NSW Sturt Stony 29,750 0.3
SA Tirari 15,250 0.2
SA Pedirka 1, 250 less than 0.1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 1,371,000 18
Source: Geoscience Australia Deserts database
Owing to the low and erratic rainfall over most of The Outback, combined with soils which are usually not very fertile, inland Australia is relatively sparsely settled. Other than agriculture and tourism, the main economic activity in this vast area is mining.
Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent in the world. About 35 per cent of the continent receives so little rain, it is effectively desert. In total, 70 per cent of the mainland receives less than 500 millimetres of rain annually, which classes it as arid, or semi-arid.
Australia's deserts, listed below, are distributed throughout the western plateau and interior lowlands. The total desert area equates to 18 per cent of the total mainland area of Australia.
State/Territory Name area in km2 percentage of Australia
WA, SA Great Victoria 348,750 4.5
WA Great Sandy 267,250 3.5
WA, NT Tanami 184,500 2.4
NT, QLD, SA Simpson 176,500 2.3
WA Gibson 156,000 2.0
WA Little Sandy 111,500 1.5
SA, QLD, NSW Strzelecki 80,250 1.0
SA, QLD, NSW Sturt Stony 29,750 0.3
SA Tirari 15,250 0.2
SA Pedirka 1, 250 less than 0.1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 1,371,000 18
Source: Geoscience Australia Deserts database
Owing to the low and erratic rainfall over most of The Outback, combined with soils which are usually not very fertile, inland Australia is relatively sparsely settled. Other than agriculture and tourism, the main economic activity in this vast area is mining.
OUTBACK defined (3)
THE OUTBACK
There's a place where daily hardships are the making of a man
Where learning skills come less from books than a knowledge of the land
Where a rough and kindred mateship can be built on work and trust
And a fair day's work reaps just rewards for a fair day's work's a must
Where an unforgiving landscape boasts extremes of flood and drought
And a sheep walks miles 'tween blades of grass or it has to go without
Where the pestilence of rabbit, fox and feral takes its toll
And the red hills rust with iron ore and the valleys seam with coal
Where gold and light-rich opal can be wrested from the earth
And a man can find a solitude to test his very worth
Where a woman's sense of humour is a valued prize and dear
For a woman holds the heart of man when it's more than he can bear
Where a team is all that matters when the river's running rife
And a single strand of radio can be all there is to life
Where age is often listened to for experiences gained
And helping out a neighbour is an ethos much maintained.
It's a place they call The Outback and we're never far apart
For The Outback's not a place at all it's the beating of my heart.
© L.B. Watts
There's a place where daily hardships are the making of a man
Where learning skills come less from books than a knowledge of the land
Where a rough and kindred mateship can be built on work and trust
And a fair day's work reaps just rewards for a fair day's work's a must
Where an unforgiving landscape boasts extremes of flood and drought
And a sheep walks miles 'tween blades of grass or it has to go without
Where the pestilence of rabbit, fox and feral takes its toll
And the red hills rust with iron ore and the valleys seam with coal
Where gold and light-rich opal can be wrested from the earth
And a man can find a solitude to test his very worth
Where a woman's sense of humour is a valued prize and dear
For a woman holds the heart of man when it's more than he can bear
Where a team is all that matters when the river's running rife
And a single strand of radio can be all there is to life
Where age is often listened to for experiences gained
And helping out a neighbour is an ethos much maintained.
It's a place they call The Outback and we're never far apart
For The Outback's not a place at all it's the beating of my heart.
© L.B. Watts