Tourism

"Most of us yearn to holiday at isolated pieces of paradise that yield no scars of previous visits and provide no bins, designated fireplaces, car parks or rules that remind us of the world that we have left behind. Unfortunately such dream locations are scarred by each and every visit no matter how careful we are"

The Australian outback, like all of Australia, contains amazing, beautiful, stark and wonderful places to visit. Unfortunately, while the very thing that attracts us to visit is the untouched beauty of these places, they don't stay 'untouched' for very long once we start to visit them.

Developments such as fencing to protect sensitive areas, toilets, showers, signage and designated fireplaces with firewood supplied are all initiatives which can be introduced to these places to minimise visitor damage. While these may seem to spoil the 'untouched' nature of these places, they can have other benefits along with the protection they offer.

Coward Springs Campground, once a rubbish-ridden, dilapidated railway siding, was converted to a rustic campground in 1991. Fencing cattle out of the area has benefits for campers and also local birds. A section of the naturally warm spring has been lined with railway sleepers making an accessible, mud-free spa.

"Outback tourism is already big and it is still growing. Already the tourism industry generates twice the profits of the pastoral industry and is second only to mining as a revenue earner from Australia's rangelands. Right throughout the region tourism needs to be managed because no matter how well intentioned most travellers are, they still have an impact."

The trend towards sustainable tourism is growing and is already important to the conservation of Australia's varied ecosystems. Tourists now learn about the importance of protecting the environment, so that future generations can enjoy the benefits they are experiencing. Diamantina Tours have been operating tours to the outback for over ten years and, impressively, their repeatedly-used camp sites show little impact.

"Other tag-along-tours and indigenous tourism outfitters have also started showing their clients how to enjoy central Australia without leaving behind the legacy of chain-sawed trees, generators, broken bottles, toilet paper and off-road driving.

By generating income through protecting environmental values, ecotourism may be a key to long-term conservation of the outback environment.