With the cooler weather (mostly) over and temperatures still moderate, August might be the best month to visit the outback. This year, with rain widespread throughout the west during the usually dry months of June and July, the country is looking particularly resplendent in a verdant covering of fresh vegetation and wildflowers. Happy news for the farmers, but not all good for travelers as many outback roads and campsites were closed due to flooding. However, as these dry out, and routes and campsites are opened again, it’s a great time to hit the dirt and get out west.
Nightimes are still cool, so you’ll need to bring the doona; but daytime temperatures are pleasantly warm, hitting the mid-twenties, so just perfect for a bush walk.
The daily high temperatures of 45c+, which make life a real challenge for the station owners and workers out here, have not arrived yet and neither have the bush flies, which in many years can be such a nuisance. After all the rain there are mozzies, both at dawn or dusk, so you’ll need to come prepared, but they are manageable.
Outside school holiday season the roads are pretty quiet too. There is the annual migration of the Grey Nomads as they head back south again to their feeding grounds in Victoria, but these travelers like to stick to the tarmac and the coastal routes. August (and September), according to station owners in the outback, are part of the ‘shoulder’ period and the number of travelers sharply drops off as the season winds down towards closure in October.
It’s a great time to see wildlife too, as many of the animals who have been in semi-hibernation (like the lizards and amphibians) come out of their hideaways and start to feed. Bird-life is in abundance after the recent rain, with breeding in full swing for many species with the prospect of a rich season ahead.
Time to hit the road and head west.
