When you think of the outback the thought of desert comes to mind so when you visit the Gascoyne region of Western Australia you may well have to rethink your ideas. This area has golden fields, rich red soil and amazing rock formations. There are many cattle stations here and lots of history.
Spring sees a spectacular display of wildflowers and the scenery is something to write home about. Mount Augustus and the Kennedy Range National Parks offer some great bushwalking and hiking experiences where you can see a wide variety of plant life as well as the chance of running into some of the local animal inhabitance.
There are several self drive trails to embark on including the Kingsford Smith mail Run, Miners Pathway and the Wool Wagon Pathway. These 4WD experiences will take you through some rugged countryside and you will learn about the pioneering history of the area including those lives of the gold prospectors. There are also many Aboriginal sites to see as well as the ancient rock formations.
Camping out under the stars is an ideal way to get the whole experience or maybe you would rather a farm stay at one of the many cattle stations in the area. Many of these stations offer a range of accommodation from shearer’s quarters to rooms in the main house.
Enjoy gold prospecting and fossicking, exploring the ghost towns, experiencing the beauty of the national parks and 4WD tours to remote areas. Remember to take plenty of supplies when going off road and always let someone know where you are going. In the outback mobile phone services are very limited and you may not get any signal at all. Be sure to have enough water and should you breakdown do not leave your vehicle. A car is much easier to spot than a person.
Do browse our many Australia tours designed for backpackers.
