It’s official: Off the Main Road is now a magazine.
The Outback Edition is now on sale, in print and digital.

It's official: Off the Main Road is now a magazine. The Outback Edition launches mid-August, print and digital.

A 2010 camping trip with my dad into the outback: Mungo’s Walls of China, the Birdsville Track cut by a flooded Cooper Creek, the government punt, and Lake Eyre holding water. The trip that started everything.

Every expedition needs a curse, and ours began the moment we left Mount Isa chasing the Lost Cities. Plagues of bugs, biblical rain, a brutal road, and a mysterious rash.

A Victorian summer with family and friends behind us, a polar cold snap nudging us north, and rising fuel prices reshaping how we travel. Time to head out again and see what's up the road.

First visits feel longer because novelty stretches time. Returning compresses it. This reflection explores how attention shapes memory, and how slow travel allows familiar places to feel deeper rather than shorter.

Neil returned to Melbourne for a short city break, wandering the Yarra, visiting the State Library, eating well, and stocking up on freckles, while back at the motorhome Zoe gave Cameron a small health scare.

Travelling Australia with a dog means national parks require planning. Here’s how we responsibly visit parks while travelling full-time with Zoe, from splitting up visits to safe short stays and practical local dog-minding options.

Photography slowed our travel down. By staying longer, noticing light, and relying on simple techniques, we learnt to photograph with more intention. Sometimes the best images arrive quietly, once a place feels familiar.

Slow travel isn’t about distance or aesthetics. It’s about rhythm, familiarity, and staying long enough for places to reveal themselves. A reflective look at what slowing down actually feels like, from life on the road.

The Holden Museum in Echuca has since closed, but we’re glad we visited when it was still open. A quiet retrospective on everyday Australian cars, regional passion projects, and noticing things before they disappear.

2025 wasn’t about ticking boxes. It was about slowing down, paying attention, and letting the road lead. A reflective look back at the places and moments that shaped our year, in the order they unfolded.

After braving Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Mullumbimby was an exhale. A leafy hinterland town of markets, vintage shops, and slow mornings at the showgrounds. Proof that the best stops aren’t always planned.

Five hours of potholes, rattles, and questionable suspension from Charters Towers to Emerald reminded us that not every road is smooth.

We’ve gathered a few favourite posts that still stand out on our travels — from Snake Creek and Robin Falls to Lightning Ridge and the RFDS airstrips. Simple stories, still worth revisiting.

Whether you’re dreaming of hitting the road or already knee-deep in maps and overdue laundry, we hope these tips resonate. Here's to many more years of life off the main road.

From hot cuppas to shared sunsets, the best part of road life is the people. The travellers we've met have become our community… open, generous, and unforgettable, even if only for a night or two.

We camped among locusts and legends in Muttaburra, the Home of the Muttaburrasaurus. A tiny town with a big story. Dinosaurs, country hospitality, and that unmistakable Outback sense of humour.

Artesian bore water feels silky because of natural minerals like silica and magnesium. A mild sulphur smell is normal too, especially in hot water. It’s all part of the Outback hot spring experience.