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Presenter: Ian Wright
Covering three quarters of the continent of Australia,
the Outback is one of the most sparse and rugged landscapes
in the world. Ian Wright begins his journey in Darwin,
where many travellers meet before trekking through the
Outback.
From Darwin Ian passes through Kakadu National
Park where he feeds the crocodiles and encounters
a black headed python. From there he journeys to Katherine
in time for the Barunga Aboriginal Festival
of sports and culture.
Cloncurry used to be the biggest copper
producer in the British Empire, but these days the town
is rather quieter. Ian is invited to participate in
a Kangaroo hunt, which he does somewhat reluctantly.
He also tries his hand at Bush Poetry with a little
help from the locals. |
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Australia Rocks: Ian enjoys the heat of the outback
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Digeri-don't : Ian blows his mighty horn
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The next leg of Ian's journey takes him to Alice
Springs where he looks at some Aboriginal Art
and experiences working life on a cattle station covering
a modest 300,000 acres of land. After all that hard
work, Ian finds the most luxurious way to travel, floating
in a hot air balloon over Alice Springs.
About three hundred miles South West of Alice is Australia's
most famous natural landmark - Ayers Rock.
It's now known as Uluru, and Ian meets
some of the few Aborigine people who still live around
here. The area was home to the Anangu aborigines for
thousands of years but now that it has become a major
tourist attraction only a few communities remain. |
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Ian heads north west along the 600 mile Tanami track
which links Alice Springs and Hall Creek
in Western Australia. Whilst travelling through the
desert Ian eats a bush grub dug up on the roadside and
also dines on kangaroo tail. Another four hundred miles
west of Halls Creek, Ian visits the coastal town of
Broome. At night he sees light reflecting
on the mud flats, known locally as the staircase to
the moon. He also visits an area around Cape
Leveque, home to aborigines known as the Bardi
people, where he is shown how to catch crabs.
The final leg of his journey takes Ian to the town
of Kununurra where he gets work as
a bar man at a Bachelors and Spinsters Ball - a raucous
event. He ends his journey in the Bungle Bungles,
spectacular ancient hills in the Kimberley Ranges
which few tourists visit.
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