Welcome to the Outback

Sue Williams has delivered us Women of the Outback and Outback Spirit, stories she gathered from the people of the bush. Ever curious, this time Sue puts herself in the firing line, seeking to find the essence of the outback experience – perfect for all us armchair travelers.

She traveled the width and length of Australia by bus, train, car, campervan, Troopy, horse, goat, foot and plane. She helped pregnancy-test cattle at a remote property in the far north of South Australia, swallowed countless flies and ran through muddy dams carrying a pretend-sheep on her shoulders in an outback Ironwoman challenge.

She saw the country in drought, in flood, between swarms of locusts and a mice plague, mixing with old drovers, new backpackers, overseas tourists, new settlers and old-timers.

Sue knows how to tell a good story – and confirms once and for all that it’s a weird place out there.