“I the thermometer indicating 106(F) in the shade. Our water supply gradually decreasing. It is evident, I must again retreat from here; for in two days every drop will be gone. This is certainly not a delightful position to holdI” Thus wrote adventurer Ernest Giles in December 1873, on one of his trips into Australia’s then unmapped outback.
But Europeans have since learned from the traditional owners of the land now called the Gibson Desert and, with their help and a string of camels to carry food and water, travellers can safely explore it.
The Outback Camel Company has places on its expedition leaving Alice Springs from July 21, returning August 6. On this journey, you walk, matching your pace to that of the camels, and learn bushcraft from the Aboriginals. The price of AUD$3,470 (about pound;1,363) includes guides, local transfers and meals - and water will not be rationed. Details: 00 61 7 3854 1022; www.cameltreks.com.au. More information on the Northern Territory: www.ntholidays.com.
Get away is edited by Renata Rubnikowicz