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“Sometimes we have to get lost to find
ourselves,” says an Aboriginal boy in the movie. “So we go
walkabout.”
In 1995 I went walkabout for three months in the outback,
spending most of it in places where the movie was filmed. I
often traveled with Aboriginal guides, sometimes slept under the
stars, and even sailed in uncharted waters. It was a life
changing experience – at the age of 53.
Australia, the movie, is an epic romance set in the late 1940s.
A wealthy English woman (Nicole Kidman) comes to Australia to
see what is happening on a huge cattle station her husband owns
– only to discover he has been murdered just as she arrives. To
save the station, she hires a drover (Hugh Jackman) to help her
drive the cattle to Darwin. The drive crosses dramatic,
dangerous country, but the way is aided by the local Aboriginal
people. Just as life might be normal, the Japanese start their
first bombing raid on northern Australia in World War Two.
This movie was filmed in some of the most remote country in the
world - places I have traveled and explored many times. If you
want to go walkabout and see the real Australia –the one few
tourists see – you’ve just found the best place to plan your
trip. [text deleted here…. ] I’ve designed six unique
itineraries. Each features a sheep or cattle station, Aboriginal
culture, and wildlife. They can be modified to suit you. Or, add
on other touring if you wish. |
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1. Australia
– see the movie sites!
If you truly want to see the main movie sites, take this tour in
the Kimberley, where cattle stations are over a million acres.
You won’t need a movie star’s budget, but you should go with a
small group. It’s safer and you’ll learn more. Start in Broome,
once the pearling capitol of the world, where you’ll ride a
camel at sunset on a beach along the Indian Ocean. Then depart
on your 8-day small group tour. Explore magnificent gorges,
sleep in safari cabins and tents, visit the station where much
of the film was shot, and see the fascinating Bungle Bungles.
View Aboriginal rock art and hear about the struggle between the
natives and settlers. Travel the legendary Gibb River Road. In
Darwin, tour the World War Two sites and enjoy a daytrip to the
islands where the rescue of the Aboriginal children took place.
This tour is for adults of all ages who are reasonably fit and
adventurous. Set departure dates, May-September only.
Tour Summary (View/Save PDF) |
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2.
Historic Darwin, a Cattle Station, the Kakadu and Aboriginal
Arnhem Land
Darwin is closer to southeast Asia than to Sydney, and Australia
was caught off guard when the Japanese bombed it in World War
Two. The movie depicts this history. You’ll have a personal
guide to see the military installations and glimpse Darwin’s
diverse ethnic history. Then off to the Kakadu National Park and
Arnhem Land - restricted Aboriginal territory - with a small
group tour. Cruise billabongs filled with birds and crocs. Visit
top Aboriginal rock art sites. Then take your charter flight to
a cattle station like no other! See how an outback station
operates. Swim in a waterfall like the one in the movie! If it
is roundup time, be a jackaroo or a jillaroo for a day! Best of
all, you’ll get to know the family who runs the station. Chat
with their boys about attending the School of the Air. Hear how
they survive annual wet season, cut off from the rest of the
world. Clients return with rave reviews, always. Mid May through
mid October.
Tour Summary (View/Save PDF) |
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3.
Where the Outback Ends: tropical rainforests, a cattle station,
and a private Aboriginal tour
This itinerary has a wide variety of environments and is
conveniently located in far northern Queensland. Departing
Cairns, drive to the Atherton Tablelands and stay in a villa on
a former farm. The new owners are slowly restoring the original
rainforest. Go birding, perhaps see a platypus, and explore on
your own. Then drive north to Cooktown – where the paved road
ends. Enjoy a private day with one of the best Aboriginal rock
art and culture guides in Australia. Then it’s off to a cattle
station where you can go horseback riding, feed the animals, or
even play a round of golf. Return south on the thrilling
unsealed road that goes past Bloomfield Falls, into the heart of
the Daintree Rainforest. After your nature tours here, continue
south and visit the Great Barrier Reef on a small boat. Best
taken April through late October.
Tour Summary(View/Save PDF) |
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4. Wildlife, Sheep Stations, and Aboriginal culture
Kangaroo Island has been my clients’ favorite place in
Australia. With your professional guide in a small group, see
koalas, kangaroos, amazing birds, echidnas, wombats, sea lions,
fur seals – and amazing geology. Back on the mainland, explore
the rugged Flinders Ranges. Stay on a sheep station, to learn
the story of this area filled with history-making geological
discoveries and dotted with the ruins of stations that failed
due to the weather. Spend a few days at an award-winning
Aboriginal cultural center, where you will hear about the
profound spiritual and environmental relationship between the
people and the land. By the campfire at night, hear their songs.
Walk with the women to visit sacred sites. See unique rock art.
Then continue to one of the most unusual nature preserves in the
country, founded by a man who was knighted by the Crown of
England for his work. See the night sky from Australia’s largest
private observatory. Tour ends back in Adelaide.
Tour Summary (View/Save PDF) |
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5.
The Outback in Style: a luxury cattle station, a mountain lodge,
& a fabulous Great Barrier Reef resort
This luxurious tour is for travelers who want the outback and
their creature comforts – in ten glorious days! You’ll fly to a
working cattle station just two hours from Sydney. Tour the
station, canoe on billabongs filled with birds and wildlife. Let
the local Aborigines teach you to play the didgeridoo and paint
a boomerang. See a real Corroboree! Then transfer to an
eco-lodge in the mountains of southern Queensland, where you’ll
experience the wildlife of a temperate rainforest. The grand
finale is a pampering stay at one of the most luxurious resorts
on the Great Barrier Reef. Dine on the pier by candlelight,
snorkel, dive, or take leisurely bush walks. Best taken March
through late October.
Tour Summary (View/Save PDF) |
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6. In
the Red Heart of Australia
There’s no town like Alice Springs, sitting in the red center of
Australia, isolated from the rest of the country by thousands of
miles of haunting, barren landscape. Your private guide will
take you to the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the School of the
Air, and other historic spots. You’ll visit some of the
country’s finest Aboriginal art shops. The next morning as the
sun rises over the ranges, you will float in a hot air balloon
to a cattle station! Join in station activities, take bush
walks, go birding. At night, you’ll see the Milky Way like
you’ve never seen it before. Back in Alice, ride a camel to
dinner in the desert! Then depart with a small group to take the
back roads to Uluru, stopping along the way to see gorges,
nature preserves, a huge crater, and King’s Canyon. You’ll have
a special tour of Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas).
The grand finale is a daytrip to one of the best Aboriginal rock
art sites in Australia, the famed “seven sisters” paintings.
Best taken April through November.
Tour Summary (View/Save PDF) |
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