Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Outback
- For the restaurant chain, see Outback Steakhouse; for the station wagon, see Subaru Outback.
The outback is the remote and usually semi-arid interior of Australia. The marginally fertile parts are used for sheep or cattle farming—apart from this, tourism and scattered mining are the main economic activities in this vast and sparsely settled area. Due to the size of the outback, the total value of mining and farming is considerable.
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Population
Over 90% of the Australian population lives in urban settlements on the coastal fringes. Despite this, the outback and the history of its exploration and settlement provides Australians with a mythical backdrop, and stories of swagmen, squatters, outlaws such as Ned Kelly (though Ned Kelly spent virtually all his time in the relatively temperate Great Dividing Range) and so on are central to the national ethos of the country. The song Waltzing Matilda, which is about swagmen and squatters, is the popular traditional Australian song.
The outback is now the only place where Australian Aborigines still live in a more or less traditional way.
Tourism
There are many popular tourist attractions in the outback. These include:
- Alice Springs
- Ayers Rock (Uluru)
- Coober Pedy
- Devils Marbles
- Katherine River Gorge
- Kings Canyon (Watarrka)
- The Olgas (Kata Tjuta)
- The MacDonald Range
- Stockman's Hall of Fame
Historic
The outback is also criss-crossed by numerous historic tracks, roads and highways, including:
- Birdsville Track
- Burke Developmental Road
- Canning Stock Route
- Colson Track
- Connie Sue Highway
- French Line
- Gary Highway
- Gibb River Road
- Gunbarrel Highway
- K1 Line
- Kalumburu Road
- Kidson Track
- Oodnadatta Track
- Peninsula Developmental Road
- Plenty Highway
- Rig Road
- Sandover Highway
- Strzelecki Track
- Tallawana Track
- Tanami Track
- WAA Line
External links
- Photography Galleries
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