A Lifetime of Outback Adventures
Steve Brown first fell in love with The Outback Loop as a small kid.
He and his two siblings piled into the back of his parent’s FJ40 Land Cruiser with troop seat locked and loaded, and set off across the Simpson Desert, filled with dunes and wildflowers.
With so many expeditions under his belt now, Steve’s got plenty of good stories to rip out around the camp stove with a cold stubby in hand. Steve remembers well the conditions in 2010 when huge rains and floods swept across the region. The water had risen high enough in Eyre Creek that it looked impassable. When the skies finally opened again, Steve drove through the desert with swales as green as Adelaide Oval.
“Every dune just had this line of green and white and yellow blossoms on it, and it was incredible.”
Making his most recent trip with a convoy of mates, Steve has brought with him countless family members and friends to experience the beauty and grandness of the Loop. Some were already experienced with 4WDriving, and others completely new to the concept. Many have no idea what to expect when coming into the desert, believing that there is only sand, sand, and a bit more sand. But after experiencing the changing environments of the outback, they’re all champing at the bit to get back there once more.
Tips for Visiting the Outback
There are trees, riverbeds, birdlife, and dunes in the desert and more. And Steve knows that at the top of the biggest one, Big Red just out of Birdsville, there is a view that puts a lot of other famous vistas to shame.
During his time on outback roads Steve has discovered he has no love for wild camels. In fact, if any more camels get in his way, he might completely lose his marbles.
“Is it too much to ask them just to get out the bloody way?”
If there’s one thing Steve wants you to know about The Outback Loop, it’s that whatever your perception of stars may be, prepare to have it blown totally out of the water.
“Honestly, you lie back on your camp chair and look up, and you can see the satellites going across, shooting stars, and the Milky Way is actually milky. It’s absolutely breathtaking. I never get sick of seeing that. I never tire of that one little bit.”
