Backpacker's guide to the outback
This ultimate backpacker bucket list will show you the best outback experiences.
By Lee Atkinson
There are hundreds of only-in-Australia experiences waiting to be discovered in the vast red outback. If you don’t have time to do them all, here are a few you simply can't miss.
Walk the rim of Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park, Northern Territory © Tourism NT, Mitchell Cox
Peering over the edge of Kings Canyon more than 100 metres (109 yards) above the desert floor is an experience you'll never forget. The view as you walk around the rim is worth the walk to get up there. Entry to the national park is free and Kings Canyon Resort has reasonably priced backpacker lodge accommodation.
Swim in a desert waterhole
Simpsons Gap waterhole, Alice Springs, Red Centre, Northern Territory © Tourism NT
Hire a bike in Alice Springs and cycle to Simpsons Gap on the bike path. It's a 17-kilometre (11-mile) ride each way along a sealed path. If you're lucky you might even spot a euro wallaroo (a small cousin of the kangaroo) on the way. Cool off with a swim in the waterhole inside the gorge.
Walk beside the oldest river on Earth
Glen Helen Gorge, West MacDonnell National Park, Northern Territory © Tourism NT, Shaun Jeffers
The Finke River is said to be the oldest river in the world. It carves its way through sheer red rock walls at Glen Helen Gorge, about 138 kilometres (86 miles) west of Alice Springs, forming a sacred pool. Take a walk beside the river at dusk to watch the birds and other wildlife congregate at the water's edge. Glen Helen Resort also offers backpacker accommodation.
Ride a camel into the desert
Pyndan Camel Tracks, Alice Springs, Northern Territory © Tourism NT
There's no better way to explore the ethereal desert landscape around Alice Springs than from the back of a swaying camel. You'll be following in the tracks of the explorers and pioneers. Take a sunset tour into the West MacDonnell Ranges with Pyndan Camel Tracks for a spectacular way to see the colours of the outback come to life.
Sleep underground at Coober Pedy
Desert Cave Hotel, Coober Pedy, Flinders Ranges, South Australia © Adam Bruzzone, South Australian Tourism Commission
Sleeping underground in a dug-out room is a new experience for most people, though not for the locals in Coober Pedy, who do it every day. Most of the homes in this outback opal mining town are underground – it’s a great way to beat the sizzling summer heat. Shop for opals at local prices, explore working opal mines, see Faye's Underground Home - hand dug by three women in the 1960s (check out the swimming pool in the underground lounge room) and experience an extraordinarily different way of life. Radeka Downunder Dugout Motel & Backpacker Inn has underground beds you can hire.
See an outback rodeo in Mount Isa
Mt Isa Rodeo, Mt Isa, Outback Queensland © Tourism and Events Queensland
Watch the country's best cowboys (and cowgirls) in action at the Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo, the largest and richest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere. Held every August, it's outback Queensland’s biggest event, with more than 615 competitors hoping for a slice of AUD$200,000 prize money over three days of classic rodeo events. There are also Mardi Gras parades, fashion festivals, market stalls, carnival rides, arena tours, bush poet breakfasts, a boxing show and country music concerts once the sun goes down. You can get a dorm room at the Travellers Haven Backpacker Hostel and getting there is easy by bus, plane or train from Brisbane.
Cruise with crocodiles in Kakadu
Yellow Water Cruises, Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory © Tourism NT, Shaana McNaught
Looking a wild crocodile in the eye is an exhilarating moment. You'll have plenty of opportunities to get a close-up look at these awesome predators in their natural habitat on a Yellow Water Cruise in Kakadu National Park. Other reasons to go to Kakadu include ancient Aboriginal rock art galleries, wetlands brimming with birdlife, natural swimming pools perched on clifftops and thundering waterfalls. Hire a campervan and camp or join a tour from Darwin.
Swim beneath a waterfall
Florence Falls, Litchfield National Park, Northern Territory © Tourism NT
If you've ever dreamed about swimming beneath a waterfall deep in a forest, you'll love the wild plunge pools of Litchfield National Park, 120 kilometres (75 miles) south-west of Darwin. There are half a dozen perfect swimming spots, the most popular of which is Wangi Falls. You can camp here or stay in a bunkhouse at the nearby Litchfield Tourist Park.
Paddle the Katherine River
Kayaking, Katherine River, Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, Nitmiluk National Park, Top End, Northern Territory © Tourism NT
Enjoy the peaceful beauty of drifting through a river gorge so old that it would have looked exactly the same when dinosaurs roamed. You can join a boat cruise on Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park, near the town of Katherine in the Top End, but gliding in a canoe along the ancient waterway is the ultimate way to appreciate the area's peaceful beauty. You can hire a double canoe from Nitmiluk Tours.
