Outback
For the restaurant chain, see Outback Steakhouse; for the SUV, see Subaru Outback.
In Australia, the term outback is used to describe the semi-desert interior of the continent. The less arid 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 the mining and farming there is considerable.
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:
Historic
The outback is also criss-crossed by numerous historic tracks, roads and highways, including:
External links, resources, references
Referenced By
Anne Baxter | List of regions in Australia | List of regions of Australia | Louis de Rougemont | Monolith | Swag | Swag (disambiguation) | The Maxx | The Rescuers | The Rescuers Down Under | Tourism in Australia
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