Discover the Secret Outback

The unique Sturt Desert Pea

There is a secret outback waiting for you to discover it.

What is it?

It is the "Secret Ingredient" that keeps visitors returning.

The Australian bush has a soul or a spirit of its own. It is a place to find your own self. The vast distances and the sheer size of everything seems to put your life into perspective and encourage you to look inwards.

But the Secret Outback is only visible to those who take the time to discover and appreciate its hidden wonders.

You can learn to find a different kind of beauty in things such as a brilliant sunset, the silhouette of the trees in the dawn or the secret rock hole filled with water, high up on a rocky outcrop. See a bare tree transformed into a green living mass as a flock of countless budgerigars land in it, or marvel at the pattern of cracks made in the mud as it dries in a lonely clay pan.

Notice how the landscape is swept clean and renewed after rain or a wind storm. You are able to feel as if you are the first person to step on that spot or to see that view.

Look at the contrast between the colours of the white clouds in the brilliant blue sky and feel the closeness of the stars in that same sky at night.

Look for the contrast also between the magnificent gum trees that line the creeks and the red of the sand hills or the blue-grey of the salt bush. Catch your breath at the brilliant beauty of an unexpected glimpse of the first Sturt Pea in a landscape of drabness.

The Secret Outback can be a tonic for your spirit in many flavours.

These may include the beauty, the solitude, the challenge, the mateship, the time for yourself or the flavour of freedom.

You can find the solitude in the open plains where there are no buildings, no fences, and no people in sight. Or your solitude might be found at the secret waterhole discovered unexpectedly after wandering off the main track.

Swim naked if you want to. Make love in the open. (You can usually hear another car coming for miles, giving you plenty of warning.)

Sleep under the stars away from trees and your campfire. After a while you feel the night sky close in like a warm blanket.

Spend a couple of hours fishing or pretending to, at a secluded billabong. Noodle an opal dump in a remote part of the opal field. Explore the ruins of on old outback homestead. These are places where your thoughts can roam uninterrupted.

Get up early in the morning and carefully walk over the sand hills to see the myriad of tracks left by unseen and unheard visitors during the night. The Secret Outback is written on the ground in front of you.

Climb a hill and spend time gazing over the vast expanse of “nothingness”.

Sit in the shade and watch the microcosm of life around you. Look for the signs of unseen life in the animal tracks, the hidden bird’s nests, the mysterious burrows and the variety of animal droppings.

The insects and animals out here have adapted to an environment unfamiliar to us. On the pure white sand hills of the Old Strzelecki Track you can see where a species of ant builds a network of clay tunnels to travel from one spinifex bush to another.

Accept the challenge of exploring remote and secret areas, the challenge of being on your own or the challenge of overcoming difficulties by yourself. The reward is worth it.

Find mateship in the presence of other travellers, the locals, your outback guide or from someone you meet when you are in trouble. These people are all friendly if you are prepared spend the time with them. Share your outback trip with someone special and your relationship will find a new strength and depth.

The feeling of freedom and timelessness only comes with experience. A sense of comfort in these surroundings needs to develop first, then the Secret Outback is revealed in the beauty of the landforms, the endless horizons, the proximity of the night sky and the feeling you can explore, travel and camp anywhere you want.

Take your time, forget about your itinerary for a while and enjoy the experience.

The Secret Outback is a tonic. It will discover your spirit and rejuvenate it.