& a country such as I firmly believe has no parallel on earth's surface.
- The explorer Charles Sturt, 1844.

 

All routes in the Outback radiate out from Port Augusta and, with few connecting roads, interstate destinations will probably dictate which direction you leave town. Buses cover the highways but elsewhere you'll need to have your own transport or take a safari. To the west, the Eyre Highway runs 950km to the border of Western Australia, with desert scenery all the way unless you detour around the coast of the Eyre Peninsula. The rail line west runs further inland, through even more extreme desolation. North, the Stuart Highway and New Ghan rail line link Port Augusta with the Northern Territory through 890km of progressively drier scenery where regular markers along the roadside record the distance covered, as well as how far there is to go. Prohibited zones surround much of the highway, though about the only places you'd want to leave it anyway are at Woomera and Coober Pedy , both outside military areas and the boundaries of Aboriginal Land.

All other roads north head from Port Augusta along the route taken by the legendary but now defunct Old Ghan to the country towns of Quorn and Hawker , where routes diverge: northeast through the Flinders Ranges and along the Strzelecki Track to Innamincka ; or due north to Marree , at the head of the Birdsville and Oodnadatta tracks . Sealed roads end at Lyndhurst on the way to Marree, and Wilpena Pound in the central Flinders. Check conditions if you plan to go any further - in dry weather 2WD vehicles often make it to Innamincka and Oodnadatta, but none of the north's remoter tracks should be attempted during the searing summer months. Buses run the length of the Stuart Highway, between Woomera and Andamooka, and from Port Augusta to Marree and Arkaroola in the northern Flinders.

A Desert Parks Pass is required for legal entry into Innamincka Regional Reserve, Lake Eyre National Park, Witjira National Park and the Simpson Desert: $80 per vehicle allows twelve-months' unlimited access and use of campsites, with copies of the detailed NPWS Desert Parks Handbook and Westprint Heritage Maps' surveys thrown in. Passes are available from agencies throughout the north, or by post from the Port Augusta NPWS (PO Box 78, Port Augusta 5700; Desert Park Pass free call 1800 816 078). To find out about road conditions in these regions, call 1300/361 033, or check out the Desert Access website , www.desertaccess.com.au/desertparksbulletin.htm .

Independent travellers share common concerns throughout the north. Plastic is often carried in preference to wads of cash; many roadhouses and fuel pumps have EFTPOS facilities. Water is vital: with few exceptions, lakes and waterways are dry or highly saline, and most Outback deaths are related to dehydration or heatstroke - bikers seem particularly prone. As always, stay with your vehicle if you break down. Summer temperatures are lethally hot, winters pleasant during the day and subzero at night; rain can fall at any time of year, but is most likely to do so between January and May.

RAA road maps are good but lack surface detail. If you're spending any time in the north, pick up the excellent Westprint Heritage Maps and the cluttered Landsmap Outback : Central and South Australia . The South Australia Tourist Association issues a road map of the Flinders Ranges, but it's inadequate for walking, so hikers traversing the Flinders on the Heysen Trail need topographic maps of each section and advice from the nearest NPWS office. Conditions of minor roads are so variable that maps seldom do more than indicate the surface type; local police and roadhouses will have current information.