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Old 11-08-2020, 02:32 PM
 
97 posts, read 86,474 times
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In terms of:
- Geography/Landscapes
- Climate
- Culture

American Southwest
How similar are the American Southwest and the Australian Outback?-monument-valley-2-az-ut.jpg
How similar are the American Southwest and the Australian Outback?-19723-hiking-arizona-sonoran-desert-superstition

Australian Outback
How similar are the American Southwest and the Australian Outback?-alta_dreamstime_xxl_65590885.jpg
How similar are the American Southwest and the Australian Outback?-5c4079982600001101faeb3e.jpeg
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Old 11-09-2020, 12:23 AM
 
1,174 posts, read 687,100 times
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The American South West is a generally more extreme climate.... for both heat and cold.....than the Australian Outback.
Also somewhat drier on average.
The Aussie 'Outback' is really a generic term that encompasses the majority of the Continent, with vast areas of all states and territories except Tasmania, Victoria and the ACT. Aussies consider anywhere west of Woop Woop as being The Outback.
Woop Woop is a fictional place in the same vein as 'Beyond The Black Stump'
The 'Outback' is not just the harsh Central Deserts, can also be the remote and sparsely populated deep tropical North too.
For example, the 'Outback' starts only 10 mins from my suburban Darwin house.

Geographically I would describe all parts of NSW west of the Darling River as 'Outback', all of Queensland west of the Great Dividing Ranges ( in the south east ) and north and west of Rockhampton in Central Queensland. All of South Australia north, east and west of the Clare Valley ( sorta north of Adelaide ). All of the Northern Territory. And all but the settled farmlands of the south west of Western Australia.
So a huge area !
Look up the Northern Flinders Ranges in South Australia. And the Hammersley Ranges in the Western Australian Pilbara.
These regions appear to be similar to the American South west geographically and climatically.
North Flinders Ranges, South Australia



The Hammersley Ranges, Western Australia


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Old 11-09-2020, 04:24 PM
 
5,951 posts, read 13,029,891 times
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Default I would say they have many similarities

I would say that yes - overall they are certainly similar enough to suggest that if one loves the American Southwest, then one would probably love the Australian Outback:

1. Vast, wide open spaces with a frontier vibe, with a cowboy/drover culture.
2. Arid and semarid climate, with the wetter areas, still being very seasonal and erratic and therefore bush/wildifire prone.
3. National Parks (and similar protected public lands) famous for their rock formations (especially sandstone).
4. Unusual local fauna and flora adapted to harsh conditions.
5. Endless outdoor recreation opportunities: hiking, off-roading, horse back riding, camping, etc.


Here are the differences:

1. The American Southwest can have much greater diversity of natural environments (climate and ecosystems) within very short geographic distances - due to major elevation changes (Case in point drive from Flagstaff to Sedona and down to Phoenix and go from ponderosa pine forest to high desert and sandstone buttes to saguaro cactus and Sonora desert). The Australian Outback also has a lot of diversity of environments but it occurs more slowly over much larger geographic distances.

2. The Australian Outback has much larger stretches of lonely highways with fewer service in between. One has to really prepare much better for travel with spare gas, etc. - but then you'll have fewer crowds when you get to your outdoor destination. (IE: Alice Springs is nearly 1000 miles from Darwin or Adelaide, and its another five hours to Uluru!) Grand Canyon, Death Valley, and Zion NPs on the other hand are no more than hours from Las Vegas each.

3. The Australian sun is stronger - more risk of sunburn and skin cancer.

4. Both regions have a higher percentage of indigenous communities than the more populated regions of the country but it seems Native Americans are more entrepreneurial than Australian Aborigines.


Overall though, they are similar enough, where one can pass for the other if a movie was made, set in either on location.
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Old 11-10-2020, 12:32 AM
 
1,174 posts, read 687,100 times
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If you can find a download of this Aussie Western ( Robbery Under Arms ) it was filmed ( 1957 ) in the South Australian Flinders Ranges. ( it's on Youtube )
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050904/?ref_=tt_mv_close
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Old 11-10-2020, 12:56 AM
 
1,174 posts, read 687,100 times
Reputation: 1293
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex?Il? View Post
I would say that yes - overall they are certainly similar enough to suggest that if one loves the American Southwest, then one would probably love the Australian Outback:

1. Vast, wide open spaces with a frontier vibe, with a cowboy/drover culture.
2. Arid and semarid climate, with the wetter areas, still being very seasonal and erratic and therefore bush/wildifire prone.
3. National Parks (and similar protected public lands) famous for their rock formations (especially sandstone).
4. Unusual local fauna and flora adapted to harsh conditions.
5. Endless outdoor recreation opportunities: hiking, off-roading, horse back riding, camping, etc.


Here are the differences:

1. The American Southwest can have much greater diversity of natural environments (climate and ecosystems) within very short geographic distances - due to major elevation changes (Case in point drive from Flagstaff to Sedona and down to Phoenix and go from ponderosa pine forest to high desert and sandstone buttes to saguaro cactus and Sonora desert). The Australian Outback also has a lot of diversity of environments but it occurs more slowly over much larger geographic distances.

2. The Australian Outback has much larger stretches of lonely highways with fewer service in between. One has to really prepare much better for travel with spare gas, etc. - but then you'll have fewer crowds when you get to your outdoor destination. (IE: Alice Springs is nearly 1000 miles from Darwin or Adelaide, and its another five hours to Uluru!) Grand Canyon, Death Valley, and Zion NPs on the other hand are no more than hours from Las Vegas each.

3. The Australian sun is stronger - more risk of sunburn and skin cancer.

4. Both regions have a higher percentage of indigenous communities than the more populated regions of the country but it seems Native Americans are more entrepreneurial than Australian Aborigines.


Overall though, they are similar enough, where one can pass for the other if a movie was made, set in either on location.
Well....I'm hard pressed to disagree with any of the above summation.
I have travelled vast regions in Outback Australia, and yes you can drive a whole day or more without seeing another vehicle,
A popular destination is the crossing of the Simpson Desert from William Creek to Birdsville..... several days on barely defined roads....in fact the Desert Parks authorities wont issue permits for travel in the summer months..... simply too dangerous and risky. Mishaps and breakdowns in the isolated deserts quickly become lethal, and also puts rescuers in danger.
And the most famous isolated trek is the Canning Stock Route between Halls Creek in the North and Wiluna in the South. Approx 2000klm ( 1250 miles ) that requires a minimum of 2 weeks to achieve ( often 3 weeks ! ) One has to be fully self sufficient re food, fuel, mechanical repairs, communications etc.
This is real Outback !
https://rac.com.au/travel-touring/in...ng-stock-route
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