Features

Karen Shrosbery reporting from Central Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Since my arrival Down Under, I have tried and tested many dating techniques.

The only way to travel in the Outback!

During my time travelling the east coast and south east of Australia, I’ve done everything from frequenting beach and bush parties to accepting countless invitations to barbeques. But apparently I’ve been looking in the wrong place – in one part of the country there are twelve males to every female …  the outback! So I packed my backpack and headed to the ‘red centre’.

To my disappointment, the majority of men I met along the way tended to be either lone ‘roadies’ or miners (often working away from home and living a double life). Besides, if you’ve seen the film Wolf Creek you’ll understand why I took a more cautious approach when talking to strange old men in trucks!

So this three week epic road trip from Alice Springs to Darwin and then onto Perth wasn’t going to increase my chances of marriage – but it was to be the most memorable part of my trip so far.

The never ending road from Broome to Perth!

The only males that I got ‘up close and personal’ with at night were the Dingos next to our camp at Uluru! In fact, encounters of the human kind seemed very tame compared to swimming with snakes in Kakadu and licking a green ant’s bottom (an aboriginal delicacy with a very strong citrus flavour!)

It was in the outback that I discovered you haven’t travelled Australia until you’ve got yourself a camper van, driven some three thousand kilometres past baron but beautiful land and learnt the art of dodging ‘roos’, cattle and emus.

You also haven’t travelled Australia until you’ve swum with the largest fish in the sea – a whale shark. Snorkelling with this creature in the middle of the ocean is truly breathtaking, and since they are a threatened species, the experience could soon be of an even rarer nature.

Being so close to nature, sleeping under the stars in swags, and taking in views one can only dream of, reminded me why I came to Australia in the first place – the husband was actually the added extra!

Karen cools off in the Northern Territory

So I’ve certainly made the most of this dream destination – but have I met the man of my dreams?

Well I’m still single - but at no point have I felt alone in this incredible country. Aussie men are great fun to be with, have a fantastic sense of adventure and know how to show a girl a good time … the boys back home have a lot to live up to!