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 Outback Australia |
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| Outback History || Outback Population || Outback Medicine |
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The Outback refers to remote arid areas of Australia, although the term colloquially can refer to any lands outside of the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas deemed "the bush".
The outback is home to the Australian feral camel, donkey and dingo. The Dingo fence was built to restrict dingo movements into agricultural areas towards the south east of the continent. The marginally fertile parts are primarily utilised as rangelands and have been traditionally used for sheep or cattle grazing, on cattle stations which are leased from the Federal Government. While small areas of the outback consist of clay soils the majority has exceedingly infertile paleosols. Riversleigh, in Queensland, is one of Australia's most renowned fossil sites and was recorded as a World Heritage site in 1994. The 100 km² area contains fossil remains of ancient mammals, birds and reptiles of Oligocene and Miocene age. |
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| Outback History |
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Early European exploration of inland Australia was sporadic. More focus was on the more accessible and fertile coastal areas. The first party to successfully cross the Blue Mountains just outside Sydney was led by Gregory Blaxland in 1813, 25 years after the colony was established. People starting with John Oxley in 1817, 1818 and 1821, followed by Charles Sturt in 1829-1830 attempted to follow the westward-flowing rivers to find an "inland sea", but these were found to all flow into the Murray River and Darling River which turn south.
Over the period 1858 to 1861, John McDouall Stuart led six expeditions north from Adelaide into the outback, culminating in successfully reaching the north coast of Australia and returning, without the loss of any of the party's members' lives. This contrasts with the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition in 1860-61 which was much better funded, but resulted in the deaths of three of the four members of the transcontinental party.
The Overland Telegraph line was constructed in the 1870s along the route identified by Stuart, who had found enough water to support the needed repeater stations.
Exploration of the outback continued in the 1950s when Len Beadell explored, surveyed and built many roads in support of the nuclear weapons tests at Emu Field and Maralinga and rocket testing on the Woomera Prohibited Area. Mineral exploration continues as new mineral deposits are identified and developed. |
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| Outback Population |
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Due to the low and erratic rainfall over most of the outback, combined with soils which are usually not very fertile, inland Australia is relatively sparsely settled. More than 90 percent of Australians live in urban areas on the coast.  However the outback and the history of its exploration and settlement provides Australians with a culturally valued backdrop, and stories of swagmen, squatters, and bushrangers are central to the national ethos. The song Waltzing Matilda, which is about a swagman and squatters, is probably Australia's best internationally known and most well-loved song.
Aboriginal communities in outback regions have not been displaced as they have been in areas of intensive agriculture and large cities, in coastal areas. So a significant proportion of the country's indigenous population lives in the Outback[citation needed], in areas such as the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands in northern South Australia. |
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| Outback Medicine |
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Flying over western New South Wales. Near the bottom of the picture, a squiggly line appears; apparently, a creek created by recent rain.Main article: Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
Due to the wide expanses and remoteness of people in the outback, a 'Flying Doctor Service' exists to provide medical services and medevac to remote areas. This service was created in 1928 in Cloncurry, Queensland by the Very Reverend John Flynn (known as Flynn of the Outback). The aim of the service is to provide medical care, primary and emergency, to people who cannot reach hospitals or general practitioners.
Regular Clinics are flown out to remote communities, with consultations held in a specially built clinic, in a homestead, or even under the wing of the plane. In addition The Royal Flying doctors Service provides Air Ambulance to remote areas, Hospital to Hospital Transport and Telephone and Radio consultations. In Queensland RFDS nurses are RIPRN endorsed so that they can offer a greater level of knowledge and skills to outback people. Often in areas where there may be no doctor in the town. |
 More Information on the RFDS (Royal Flying Doctors) |
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