Outback Australia

Overview

Traveller Ian Wright Covering three quarters of the continent of Australia, the Outback is one of the most sparse and rugged landscapes in the world. Ian Wright begins his journey in Darwin, where many travellers meet before trekking through the Outback. From Darwin Ian passes through Kakadu National Park where he feeds the crocodiles and encounters a black headed python. From there he journeys to Katherine in time for the Barunga Aboriginal Festival of sports and culture. Cloncurry used to be the biggest copper producer in the British Empire, but these days the town is rather quieter. Ian is invited to participate in a Kangaroo hunt, which he does somewhat reluctantly. He also tries his hand at Bush Poetry with a little help from the locals. The next leg of Ian's journey takes him to Alice Springs where he looks at some Aboriginal Art and experiences working life on a cattle station covering a modest 300,000 acres of land. After all that hard work, Ian finds the most luxurious way to travel, floating in a hot air balloon over Alice Springs. About three hundred miles South West of Alice is Australia's most famous natural landmark - Ayers Rock. It's now known as Uluru, and Ian meets some of the few Aborigine people who still live around here. The area was home to the Anangu aborigines for thousands of years but now that it has become a major tourist attraction only a few communities remain. Ian heads north west along the 600 mile Tanami track which links Alice Springs and Hall Creek in Western Australia. Whilst travelling through the desert Ian eats a bush grub dug up on the roadside and also dines on kangaroo tail. Another four hundred miles west of Halls Creek, Ian visits the coastal town of Broome. At night he sees light reflecting on the mud flats, known locally as the staircase to the moon. He also visits an area around Cape Leveque, home to aborigines known as the Bardi people, where he is shown how to catch crabs. The final leg of his journey takes Ian to the town of Kununurra where he gets work as a bar man at a Bachelors and Spinsters Ball - a raucous event. He ends his journey in the Bungle Bungles, spectacular ancient hills in the Kimberley Ranges which few tourists visit.