One of Australia’s most iconic road routes is about to get a major face lift that officials hope will make it much safer to drive on and bring in more tourists.
Australia offers the visitor a multitude of fascinating destinations and attractions, enough to keep you occupied for a life time.
Tourists can explore the delights and charms of bustling cosmopolitan cities such as Sydney or Melbourne or head to the sticks thousands of miles away from major urban centres.
One road trip in particular offers the visitor an opportunity to experience the solitude of nature and escape into the wilderness.
The Outback Way is one of Australia’s great four-wheel-drive odysseys, providing a never-to-be-forgotten adventure to those willing to take it on.
The epic drive is 2,800 km (1,740 miles), running from Laverton, Western Australia, to Winton, Queensland, via central Australia.
The track cuts through the middle of the country, crossing three different states: Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia.
The route leads the traveller through some of Australia’s most remote, interesting and picturesque desert areas, as well as passing through Aboriginal heartlands.
Currently around 1750 km (1,087 miles) of the route is along unsealed road, meaning travellers need to invest in a four wheel drive vehicle.
However all this is about to change, as authorities have green lighted a major project to modernise the route.
Last year Australia’s government confirmed it would provide A$678m (£352m) to seal it completely by June 2031.
Western Australia, Queensland, the Northern Territory and a local government will contribute a further A$260m (£135m).
The update to the route is expected to create huge opportunities for tourism, mining, transport and freight.
Patrick Hill, the Laverton Shire President who first initiated the push for a sealed Outback Way more than 25 years ago, hopes the upgrade will help local artists as more tourists pass through communities and buy paintings.
He spoke recently at the West Australian Regional Tourism Conference about the need to help prepare communities for extra tourists.
“We’re gradually working up to that climax it will have in five to six years’ time, once it’s sealed,” he said.