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The Outback - Where is it?

Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 09:03

Member - Davoe (Yalgoo)

Ws thinking about taking a trip to the Outback so i consulted my maps but i couldnt find it.
I asked around and someone said it was inland but Ive been there thats either the goldfield, gascoyne or murchison.
Someone said it was up North but i know the kimberlys are there
someone else said it was in the middle but Im pretty sure thats just Desert.
So tell me where is the Outback?
or does it not exist except for the purpose of explaining non urban areas to foregien tourists
you dont need to leave perth to go bush
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You dont need to leave Perth to go bush
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ThreadID: 52189 Replies: 21
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AnswerID: 274747   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 09:10

brummie pete replied:

Any where you cant get a packet of smokes without getting in your car qualifys as outback to the european tourist .
Reply 1 of 21
AnswerID: 274749   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 09:16

Member - John (Vic) replied:

Look out your back door, thats the "OutBack"
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Reply 2 of 21
FollowupID: 538385   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 09:19

Member - Davoe (Yalgoo) posted:

nope thats currently the murchison
you dont need to leave perth to go bush
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You dont need to leave Perth to go bush
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FollowupID: 538388   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 09:27

Member - John (Vic) posted:

Yeah buts its "Out - Back" :-)
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AnswerID: 274750   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 09:22

Sand Man (SA) replied:

Don't thgink there's any specific boundary.

In South Aus It's recognised as being anywhere north of Coober Pedy I think.

Basically, Central Australia is good enough.


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HooRoo !


I'm diagonally parked in a parallel Universe!
Reply 3 of 21
FollowupID: 538396   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 10:17

Member - John posted:

Sand man, I thought it was North of Port Augusta?
Before the last trip
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John
FollowUp 1 of 3
FollowupID: 538464   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 16:10

Sand Man (SA) posted:

Well,

I guess it kind of is.
And definitely North of Adelaide.
And South of Darwin.
Sort of "In the middle".


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HooRoo !


I'm diagonally parked in a parallel Universe!
FollowUp 2 of 3
FollowupID: 538472   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 17:23

Hairy (NT) posted:

Sand Man,
Nup.. wrong again Im in the centre and from here its North, South, East and West but not here.

Cheers

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.
FollowUp 3 of 3
AnswerID: 274751   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 09:36

equinox replied:

More than 200km from the blacktop.
More than 200km from a shop.
Somewhere where you can hear nothing.
Somewhere where there is no traffic.
There is red dirt everywhere.

You'll find it!!
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Great Victoria Desert
Reply 4 of 21
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AnswerID: 274753   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 09:53

Rick (S.A.) replied:

It's just past the Black Stump.
It's the Never Never.
It's Out in the Sticks.
It's past The Bush.
It's past The Backblocks.
It's Set-o' -Sun.
It's Sunset Country.
It's Death-o' -Day.
It's The Mulga.
It's The Scrub.
It's wherever you are not.
It's the Boonies (Boondocks).
It's the Back of Beyond.
It's a place in my mind but not on your map.
It's the spiritual home of all Aussies.
It's also where most Aussies have never been, yet they know a "lot" about it.

" How is it if a person who leaves the coast to go INland, they say he is going OUTback, and when he reaches the very INterior, he's right OUTside?"

.............and so on.

Actually, Wikipedia has a nice definition.

Cheers
Reply 5 of 21
FollowupID: 538398   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 10:19

Bob Y. - Qld posted:


G'day Rick,

When I first went to NT, back in mid-60's, the blokes used to talk about going back "inside", meaning they were heading to the coast, or thereabouts. From some of the comments, anywhere east of the Isa, was "inside".

Hooroo,
Bob.
FollowUp 1 of 5
FollowupID: 538402   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 10:42

Rick (S.A.) posted:

G'day Bob

Was in the L Eyre South basin last week with a BBC documentary film crew. Country is very dry - no feed, no flies (to speak of) & no cattle. Then had two days west of L Eyre itself on Anna Creek - same goes. They are down to one sixth of their normal herd!

Are you still on any Georgina/Cooper/L Eyre committees?

How's the season at your place?

Cheers
FollowUp 2 of 5
FollowupID: 538435   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 15:26

Willem posted:

Good one Rick

G'day Bob


The OUTBACK starts about 1km north of my house. If you drove north continuously from the front if my house, you will just miss Birdsville and come out at Mt Isa. There are only station land and deserts inbetween.

We had 1mm rain last night taking our annual total to 328mm which is 28mm above average.

Cheers
Karoo Jackal
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FollowUp 3 of 5
FollowupID: 538466   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 16:46

Rick (S.A.) posted:

Mate of mine has one serious vice - he loves Mercedes Benz cars. It is his indulgence.

I asked him when he got the current spiffy 2-door if he'd take it for a run in the bush.

Nah, he said, Would never go past the Dog Fence.

Dog Fence?, I queried.

Yeah, you know - Gepps Cross.
FollowUp 4 of 5
FollowupID: 538692   Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007 at 20:48

Bob Y. - Qld posted:


G'day Rick & Willem,

Trust all good with you gentlemen?

Very ordinary season here, Rick, with stock numbers about 50% of average. Had 32mm the other day, best fall all year, and was enough to run the Diamantina about 2 metres high, and down past Davenport Downs.

Still on Georgina/Diamantina committee, but got "kicked" off the Desert Channels Queensland board last week. Came away with a very nice framed photo of the "outback" to hang on the wall, as a parting gift.

Yeah, heard some of SA is a bit dry, with changing weather patterns. Don't worry, it'll all be fixed next month, when it's going to rain, and rain, and.....

Merry Christmas to you both,

Bob.
FollowUp 5 of 5
AnswerID: 274754   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 09:57

Member -Signman replied:

Mate- I can be sitting in my air-conditioned lounge room- and be in the 'Outback'...
I'm sure it's not a geographical position- it's a state of mind !!
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Reply 6 of 21
AnswerID: 274755   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 10:05

Member - Andrew (QLD) replied:

It's usually where road funding ends....

Andrew

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Reply 7 of 21
AnswerID: 274756   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 10:12

Member - Doug T (FNQ) replied:

Davoe
Remember seeing a sign on the Great Northern about the OUTBACK STARTS HERE somewhere North of Wubin I think it is .



#

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Reply 8 of 21
FollowupID: 538697   Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007 at 21:50

BIG_red87 posted:

There's another just out of Yalgoo
FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 274760   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 11:09

Kevndeb replied:

Above the 26th parallel....thats were the tax department/government departments calls the outback....isn't it? Or has that changed now...?


Debbie < who is heading off across the Eyre highway and the Nullarbor Plain in 11 days and 18 hours....not that we are counting.
Reply 9 of 21
AnswerID: 274761   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 11:13

Member - Kiwi Kia replied:

To an 'insider' it's 'outside'.
To an 'outsider' it's 'inside'.

Some people should never never go there.
Some who have been never never want to return.
Once there some people never never want to go home.

One thing for sure, everyone should go there at least once in their life time.

Reply 10 of 21
AnswerID: 274769   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 12:34

Axel [ the real one ] replied:

Outback is that little house , so anywheres there ain't no sewerage is "outback"
Opinions are like the dollar coin , not worth much.
Facts however can save you lots of dollars.
Reply 11 of 21
FollowupID: 538413   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 12:41

Member - John (Vic) posted:

I thought that was the "Out House" LOL
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FollowUp 1 of 2
FollowupID: 538417   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 13:25

Axel [ the real one ] posted:

Q . Where is the "Outhouse" ??
A. "Outback"
Opinions are like the dollar coin , not worth much.
Facts however can save you lots of dollars.
FollowUp 2 of 2
AnswerID: 274807   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 16:37

Wayne (NSW) replied:

Davoe,

I asked my daughter the same question and she said it starts at the last MacDonald's and I thought when you lose mobile phone service.

Wayne
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AnswerID: 274815   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 17:42

Member - barry F (NSW) replied:

No No No No. It's a place called the Speewah where the crows fly backwards.
Reply 13 of 21
FollowupID: 538485   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 18:10

Hairy (NT) posted:

Doesnt everything go backwards in NSW??
LOL

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AnswerID: 274821   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 18:17

Member - barry F (NSW) replied:

No Hairy, You've been reading too many of Kev & Darkie posts!! LOL & best wishes
Reply 14 of 21
AnswerID: 274830   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 18:47

Member - Julie P (VIC) replied:

You'll know you are there when you see the red soil.
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Reply 15 of 21
FollowupID: 538538   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 21:20

Member - Davoe (Yalgoo) posted:

Sand here was mostly white/yellow so keep looking?
you dont need to leave perth to go bush
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You dont need to leave Perth to go bush
FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 274832   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 18:50

Mike Harding replied:

Good post Davoe.

I know where it is - it's where your heart is.

Mike Harding
Reply 16 of 21
AnswerID: 274839   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 19:04

Member - Roachie (SA) replied:

It reminds me of when I was growing up as a kid in Narrandera, NSW. I was a "townie" and a lot of kids I went to school with were from "the country" (meaning they lived on a farm).

However, as a 5 year old, I started to get confused when city relatives would show up and talk about being "here in the country"...... (I was confused cos WE weren't in "the country"; we were in _town_!!!!). So city-slickers called anywhere out of Sydney "the country", while us townies referred to anybody who lived on farm as being "from the country"......

Then it started to get uglier when the teacher at school started talking about "what country we live in" etc. So then I had to deal with 3 different levels or meanings of "country"!!!!!

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Reply 17 of 21
FollowupID: 538525   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 20:42

Member - Au-2 posted:

Poor kids do get confused with these 'details' don't they Roachie? 20+yrs ago we took our four kids (for the first time) to the Brisbane Ekka and decided to go by train, which was another first for the kids. Because of the crowds involved, we had to sit in separate seats in the carriage. As we went through a tunnel and the outside view disappeared, a little voice was heard to ask, "Are we still in Australia Mum?" Due to my own and the collective laughing of all the passengers in the carriage, I don't think he ever found out. At the end of the day, my kids seemed to enjoy that train ride more than they did the Ekka.
OzeSheila.

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FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 274854   Submitted: Monday, Dec 03, 2007 at 20:40

Bonz (Vic) replied:

For My money its North and west of Broken Hill

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Reply 18 of 21
AnswerID: 274948   Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007 at 11:24

Member - Russnic [NZ] replied:

Take the word of a Kiwi ( if you can)who has been there done that and is coming back for more.
The outback starts when everybody you meet on the road gives a wave, and when you stop everyone you see says "GIDDAY" .Just like country NZ was before it got over run by Aussie tourists

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Reply 19 of 21
AnswerID: 275041   Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007 at 22:24

Off-track replied:

Where the red dirt lies underneath a big sky filled with a trillion diamonds.

Where the friendly wave from a passing motorist is denoted by his index finger barely raising from the steering wheel.
Reply 20 of 21
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AnswerID: 275045   Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007 at 23:14

Steve from Top End Explorer Tours replied:

I can feel alone and lonely in City.

Yet in the outback I feel alive.

The Outback is a Journey not a destination.

Cheers Steve.
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