Great Australian Desert
The outback is the remote and arid interior and north of Australia, although the term colloquially can cover any lands outside of the main urban areas of the vast island continent. The term "outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas deemed "the bush." The outback does not officially exist within any governmental frameworks or boundaries. Many local government shires use the term to enhance tourist appeal for their own shire.
Indeed, the desert image of the outback belies the land's natural riches: gold, semi-precious gems, a wealth of grazing animals, and a varied collection of magnificent rock outcroppings juxtaposed to the stark, lunar-like landscape. More and more, tourists are taking the trek of lifetime to visit the Australian interior. Meanwhile, the hardy souls who populate this rugged terrain are not unlike America's hardy pioneers, who had to deal with the issues of climate (Australia is the driest continent), great distances to the cities, and few amenities (doctors must be flown in on emergencies.)
Agriculture
The marginally fertile parts, mainly within the Lake Eyre Basin, are known as rangelands and have been traditionally used for domestic sheep or cattle farming, on sheep stations and cattle stations which are leased from the Federal Government. The outback is also home to the Australian feral camel and dingoes. The Dingo fence was built to restrict dingo movements into agricultural areas towards the south east of the continent.
Whereas these grassy areas have fairly fertile clay soils, the remainder of the outback has exceedingly infertile paleosols which cannot support fodder nutritious enough for the economic raising of stock. Although the north of Australia has high (if extremely seasonal) and fairly reliable rainfall, giving it almost all the continent's runoff water, the soils there are so poor and eroded (mainly of ironstone or bauxite) as to make cropping impossible even with fertilizers such as superphosphate[1].
Mining
Along with agriculture, tourism and mining are the main economic activities in this vast and sparsely settled area. Due to the complete absence of mountain building and glaciation since the Permian (in many areas since the Cambrian), the outback is extremely rich in iron, aluminium, manganese and uranium ores, and also contains major deposits of gold, nickel, lead and zinc ores. Because of its size, the value of grazing and mining is considerable.
Tourism
There are many popular tourist attractions in the outback. These include: The outback is increasingly becoming a world tourist destination. Popular places include Cooper Pedy, an underground, mining town known as the "Opal Capital of the World;" Alice Springs, a vibrant oasis in the middle of the Great Australian Desert; and Ayers Rock (Aboroginal name: Uluru), 210 miles southwest of Ayers Rock, is the second largest monolith on earth, five miles around and almost a thousand feet high.
Organized road travel to the outback is also popular, although some Australian and international tourists travel in their own vehicles. Such a trip, particularly once off the few bitumen roads in the outback, requires considerable advance planning and a suitable vehicle (usually a four wheel drive.) On remote routes considerable supplies and equipment may be required, this can include prearranged caches. Some trips cannot be undertaken safely with a single vehicle instead requiring a convoy approach. Deaths from tourists and locals becoming stranded on outback trips occur, and rescues for the ill-prepared are a regular occurrence.
The outback is also criss-crossed by numerous historic tracks, roads and highways, including:
Population
Less than ten percent of the Australian population lives outside the urban settlements on the coastal fringes. Despite this, the outback and the history of its exploration and settlement provides Australians with a mythical backdrop, and stories of swagmen, squatters, outlaws such as Ned Kelly (though Ned Kelly spent virtually all his time in the relatively temperate Great Dividing Range), and so on, are central to the national ethos of the country. The song Waltzing Matilda, which is about swagmen and squatters, is a popular traditional Australian song.
Medicine in the outback
Due to the wide expanses and remoteness of people in the outback, the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia exists. This service was created in 1928 in Cloncurry, Queensland. The aim of the service is to provide medical care, primary and emergency, to people who cannot reach hospitals or general practitioners. Consultations are carried out via radio or telephone and for serious situations, doctors are flown out to patients.
Terminology
Culturally, many urban Australians have had very generalized terms for the otherwise complex range of environments that exist within the inland and tropical regions of the continent. Regional terminology can be very specific to specific locations in each mainland state.
It is colloquially said that 'the outback' is located "beyond the Black Stump." The location of the black stump may be some hypothetical location or may vary depending on local custom and folklore.
"The Never-Never" is a term referring to remoter parts of the Australian outback. The outback can be also referred to as "back of beyond," or "back o' Bourke," although these terms are more frequently used when referring to something a long way from anywhere, or a long way away. The well-watered north of the continent is often called the "Top End," and the arid interior, "The Centre."
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
Van Driesum, Rob. Lonely Planet Outback Australia. Lonely Planet Publications; 3rd edition, 2002. ISBN 978-1864501872
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- ↑ Wadham, Sir Samuel, Wilson, R. Kent and Wood, Joyce: Land Utilization in Australia, pages 49-50. Cambridge University Press, 1957 (3rd edition)
