What to experience in the Australian Desert?

Question

traveling to Australia and i want to experience something rustic, memorable and adventurous?

Answer 1

Definately do an adventure tour through the Kimberleys (Broome to Darwin).  It has amazing scenery (eg. the Bungle Bungles) and wildlife everywhere.  You camp in swags under a billion stars at night and wake to the sounds of thousands of parrots in the mornings.  You swim in beautiful billabongs or under waterfalls and cook your food over a campfire.  There is a fair bit of hiking involved (into gorges or into underground caves) so you need to have a reasonable level of fitness.  The best thing is there are so few human beings in such a huge spectacular area.  Broome has a great beach .  Ningaloo Reef which is off the NW Australian coast is amazing to dive/snorkel in as well (famous for their whale sharks amongst many other things).  After Darwin, make your way down to Alice Spirings and see Uluru.  You might want to check out Kakadu after that.

I have travelled all over the world and I am normally a 5 star girl, but this trip through the Kimberley's is one of the most memorable things I have done in my life.

I can hightly recommend Fraser Island as well (biggest sand island in the world/covered in forest with big fresh water lakes).  It is a stunningly beautiful place as well.

Answer 2

By all means see Uluru. Go to Katherine Gorge and Kakadu because they're marvellous and shouldn't be missed, but if you're in Oz in early September, do NOT miss the Birdsville Cup. It's a country (horse) race meeting and is very rustic, memorable and adventurous. I promise you that you'll never forget the experience. Everyone from thousands of km around comes to town (many fly in) and the fun isn't only at the races.

Another experience not to be missed if you're in Oz at the end of August, is the Henley on Todd River Boat Regatta. The really memorable thing about the regatta is that the Todd River is dry i.e. no water in it. Great fun and very outback Australian. Again, rustic, memorable and adventurous.

I think you've just missed all of the camel races out there for this year, but if you're around in July next year, they're well worth catching too.

EDIT:

Just remembered. There's going to be another Great Australian Cattle Drive in 2010 if you're still here. Wish I was still young enough to do that!

http://www.cattledrive.com.au/

Answer 3

If you are traveling to Australia a must see if Uluru also formerly known as Ayers Rock. Rising above the desert plains 348m high and encapsulating approximately 9.4 km in circumference, the rock is locally revered as a spiritual symbol. This vast sandstone offers visitors an ample mix of mythology and magnificent scenery. It is widely admired for it's dramatic and stark colour contrasts that befall it during sunset or sunrise. The rock appears to glow with a deep red rust like hue that appears to have remained from its original time of creation thousands of years ago. It is located in the Uluru-KataTjuta National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Check out this link for more info, videos and pics.  

Answer 4

I agree, Uluru is amazing.  You can't climb it anymore, but it's still amazing to walk around the base.  Head there towards the afternoon/evening, if you can...we took some photos of the sun setting a few minutes apart and the different colours the rock appears is awesome.  Also check out Kata-Juta.  There are many wonderful gorges to check out in the Uluru area.