The Outback Way, cheekily nicknamed "Australia's longest shortcut", is a 2750km journey through the heart of Australia from Perth to Cairns. It's essentially a marketing concept that links a number of 'highways', including the Great Central Road from Laverton, WA, to Uluru, NT, and the Plenty Highway from the Stuart Highway north of Alice Springs, NT, to Boulia, Qld.
At present about 1750km of the Outback Way is unsealed, but councils along the way are constatnly upgrading and realigning the road in order to create an all-weather, all-purpose national route.
Hema's A4-size, 144-page, spiral-bound book not only has detailed maps for the route itself (including town maps and GPS readings) but also advice on trip preparation, descriptions of must-see attractions, checklists, accommodation options, suggested itineraries and 4WD tracks, background reading and a spotter's guide for the area's flora and fauna, and even a section on camp-oven cuisine.
It retails for $29.95 from all good bookshops and mapping outlets. Fore more information, visit www.hemamaps.com.au