Middle of Nowhere
You’ll often hear Australians say that something is “in the middle of nowhere”, or “beyond the black stump”. This photo is of the place I reckon is the most “middle of nowhere” that I’ve ever been. It is out in the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory. I was there in 2000 on a trip from Alice Springs to Broome. The Tanami Road is the direct way between them. It’s basically 1,100km through the middle of the desert from Alice Springs to Halls Creek in Western Australia, and another 800 km to Broome once you hit the relative civilisation of the Great Northern Highway at Halls Creek.
The spot pictured is actually not on the Tanami Road, but just off it. The year I went, the main road was cut by floodwater - it had been a big wet season in the Kimberly, so we had to take a detour via Lajamanu and Kalkarinji, 2 aboriginal communities in the west of the Northern Territory. The photo is on the Lajamanu Road. We had camped overnight near here, and it truly was in the middle of nowhere. You could stand on a hill behind our campsite and see no sign of civilisation. No houses, no cars, nothing except us. At this point, we were roughly 650 km from Alice Springs and 500 km from Halls Creek - which barely qualifies as civilisation. The night sky is incredibly clear and beautiful when there’s no manmade interference with your view of it.
What’s the most remote place you’ve ever been in Australia? Or overseas for that matter?
I travelled through similar areas in mid-2007 on my way from Adelaide to Darwin
I agree it’s great to sleep in the outdoors and see all the stars at night without smog and light pollution blocking them out
I guess it would have to be Lightning Ridge. Still quite civilised itself, but seemed like the middle of nowhere…………. so many more places in our great land that I haven’t yet been though………..
The most remote part of Australia? Well, I can say either Lighting Ridge or out on Magnetic Island - long before it was a big tourist trup up there on the Great Barrier Reef… the most remote overseas… well, I would have to say Mauna Kea in Hawaii, Mt Etna in Italy (though you could say highest for those two), Carmelo in Uruguay… that was way out there… in the US itself… out in Vegas were out in Valley of Fire just outside of Vegas… we were the only ones out there… and all you could hear was the wind blowing past you…
The southern edge of Lake Eyre has a very remote feel about it. You look north over a vast sea of dry salt and all about are low sandy ridges. It’s here that Donald Campbell broke the land speed record in the jet powered Bluebird car back in the 60’s. When I was last there I found the trailer that he used to tow the huge jet car onto the salt surface. I’ve posted a story about it on my history blog.
My laundry. Seems no one, besides me, has ever been there!
Wow, the Tanami Track, that is remote!
I think Cape Levique, which is a few hundred km’s above Broome. We were living in Bidyadanga at the time, an aboriginal community 200km’s south of Broome.
Later we lived in Nullagine (between Marble Bar and Newman in northwest WA). and we tried going to Woodie Woodie, which is further east, but the Oakover River was flowing to fast to cross. This was all at age 9/10, so I don’t remember much
Have been all around Australia, but no the red centre (Uluru etc) or Tasmania. So there’s still plenty to see!
Great photo! I too have travelled up the Centre from Adelaide to Darwin, and through outback Queensland. But the most remote - and most memorable - would have to be my journey on a 16-foot trailer-sailor from Broome to Darwin with my husband and one of his mates. The night sky is indeed wonderful from an anchorage in Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, on the edge of the Timor Sea, too!