Welcome to Visit Outback Australia,

My name is Astrid, creator of Visit Outback Australia (VOBA). Originally from the Netherlands, I moved to Australia permanently in 1996 to be with my partner Murray and work alongside him and his family on Warroora Station (near Coral Bay in Western Australia). We were married in 1999 on the station, overlooking the magnificent Ningaloo Reef and now have a beautiful daughter (8) and son (3).

It was in August 2006, after a decade of living and working on the station (sheep and tourism),  that I started the company Visit Outback Australia Pty. Ltd.  which started more as a personal interest; to create a website and link station products and people together online. The idea merely sprung from a vision to improve the lives of not only members wihin our family, but also other pastoralists out there, who are facing a similar task of trying to adapt and incorporate past livelyhoods into todays lifestyle demands and are taking on the challenge of converting their traditional pastoral practices into more diversified contemporary enterprises.

Many pastoralists had or have since already succesfully embraced tourism or eco-based activities, others have converted to other types of livestock or specialty crops and some of us are still considering our options. Personally, I failed to triumph over all challenges living in isolation can throw at you and have since moved away from our pastoral hub to a more populated and modern country town.

But the core and purpose of Visit Outback Australia remains. To offer a networking opportunity between Outback operators (particularly tourism operators) and those of you who have an interest in what the Outback offers. This is a pretty wide concept, but I liken the philosophy behind this to the term Outback itself which knows no real boundaries.

VOBA members and their product represent what constitutes a typical Outback Experience, almost unidentifiable, but each distinctly unique and characteristically set in Australia's remote surroundings, with a raw and inspiring beauty as close to nature as you are ever likely to get, linked together by history and a somehow timeless relevance. This is where you'll find the heart of Australia

I hope you will find the tonic of a true Outback Experience as inspiring and personally satisfying as it was to create this website for you. If you want to become a member or support our website in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us directly on info@visitoutbackaustralia.com  or by tel/fax +61 (0)43858 7188..au

THANK YOU FOR VISITING US at www.visitoutbackaustralia.com !

ASTRID HORAK

(Images: Family Pictures, Warroora's Old Homestead, Shearing 06, Expecting 07, Outback Kids)