An outback road trip: The cheap holiday that Aussies tend to forget

IT’S good for your soul, it won’t break the bank, and you’ll see things that will stay with you forever. So why is it Aussies tend to overlook this holiday?

AUSTRALIANS often have tunnel vision when it comes to holidaying on the cheap.

There are some tried-and-true destinations we can be guilty of returning to again and again: some people make a beeline for Bali while others head to the sunshine state for a little R&R.

The Australian outback is a place many Aussies never actually go.

But there is something about getting off the beaten track in Australia that is so good for the soul. Driving for hours and not seeing another car, and having nothing but an expanse of blue sky and red soil surrounding you brings a sense of peace. If you ever want to take some time out to meditate and reset, there’s no better place than the outback.

Without sounding like an utter wanker, it’s an undeniably spiritual place.

Vivid colours at sunset along the Birdsville Track. Picture: Supplied

The Birdsville Track is part of the country that most Australians won’t ever see because frankly, there’s hardly anything out there to draw tourists in. But that’s the beauty of it. There is zero clutter, which facilitates a cleansing of the mind. Having no mobile phone coverage certainly helps you disconnect from the hustle and bustle of city life as well.

The Birdsville Track is one of Australia's most remote stretches of road.

The 517km track stretches from the south west corner of Queensland down to Marree in South Australia. It traverses three deserts — the Strzelecki Desert, Sturts Stony Desert and Tirari Desert.

One of the characters you might meet along the way.

Admittedly, it’s not an easy holiday and there are a few requirements to travel the track. You have to have a reliable car that can handle the terrain, and an acceptance that this is going to be a relatively unglamorous journey (you will definitely pee by the side of the road at some point, unless you have a bladder of steal). But the experiences you have and the people you meet will certainly make up for that small indignity.

The Birdsville Track runs from Birdsville in Queensland to Marree in South Australia.

I travelled the Birdsville track in a Mazda BT50. The road can be fairly gnarly at times, and even when the conditions are good, there are corrugated sections that would make your back teeth chatter in some vehicles.

If you can, get your trip to coincide with the Birdsville races as we did (ie early September). This is a horse race like no other — you’ll find hardened blokes from cattle stations wearing dresses, a travelling boxing troupe that pulls local amateurs out of the audience for a bout, mechanical bull riding competitions and people such as Pauline Hanson sleeping in a swag underneath the light plane they flew in on.

Men in dresses ... a common sight at the Birdsville Races.

Fred Brophy’s Boxing Troupe is a popular fixture at the Birdsville races.

The horses thunder down the home strait at the Birdsville racetrack.

The town’s population swells from about 100 to 7000 people for the two-day event that place on a dusty desert track. The fact that it is one of the most remote horse races in the world makes it a real bucket-list event for many people.

People swarm to the Birdsville Hotel after the races finish.

Once you’ve slept off the responsible amount of XXXX that you’ve consumed at the Birdsville Hotel after the races, it’s time to hit the road.

It’s a long drive, but if you can manage to make it down to the Mungerannie Hotel, you won’t be disappointed ... because that place is next level deranged.

Someone at the Mungerannie Hotel, which is the only business in a 200km radius, has a sense of humour.

The Mungerannie Hotel has many weird and wonderful items pinned to the roof.

At the Mungerannie Hotel people clip off their ponytails and pin them to the ceiling. There is underwear hanging from the light fixtures. There are jaw-dropping photos and signs all over the walls. You can lose hours scouring the interior of this pub for hilarious bits and pieces.

Signs on the wall at the Mungerannie Hotel, including a picture of Phil, who is undeniably hardcore, and a woman’s backside with scorpion tattoos on it.

An excellent spot to camp on the first night is Clayton Station. The real drawcard here is the outdoor spa bath that is fed by artesian waters with “therapeutic qualities”. A few people from our group donned their Speedos and got in with some grey nomads who were putting away an impressive amount of Chardonnay under the stars. Their laughter was the only thing that broke the incredible silence that comes from being in a place as remote as this.

Campers enjoying the 'spa' at Clayton Station. Picture: Google

Which brings me to another important point — camping people are the best people. Everyone we crossed paths with on this trip was so friendly and accommodating. It was life-affirming.

Wild horses along the Birdsville Track.

The other thing that is truly remarkable about this part of the world is the way the light and the colours change at sunset. Sitting around a campfire and watching a kaleidoscope of pastel colours move across the sky to give way to a blanket of stars is an awe-inspiring experience.

Camping under the stars at Clayton Station.

If you leave Clayton station the following morning you should have completed the track and arrived in Marree by noon. And the Marree Hotel is a worthwhile lunch stop — it’s full of charm and the schnitzel is very good.

The pace is wonderfully slow at the historic Marree Hotel.

A joey being cared for at the Marree Hotel.

During lunch we got to meet a rescue joey who was being cared for by the publican, and witnessed the resident pub dog Bundy chase an emu down the main street.

And that is the beauty of a trip like this. Moments like that will stay with you forever — and you didn’t have to book a ticket or queue up for hours to experience it.

Simone Mitchell travelled the Birdsville Track as a guest of Mazda.