1. The most important reason is that you enjoy travelling in the outback and go to see what life is like out there.
2. The best thing for us is meeting the resilient, laconic people who inhabit this harsh but beautiful landscape.
3. It is good for all of us to see where our food is produced and the difficulties farmers face in western areas.
4. It is wonderful to get away from the frenetic traffic on coastal highways for awhile. There are a few road trains and cattle trucks, but they are fine if you give way to them as you should.
5. Driving more slowly allows you to see more of the local fauna. We saw lots of wedge tailed eagles around Eromanga, but also brolgas, bustards, falcons, emus, Major Mitchell and black cockatoos and clouds of finches and budgies.
6. The lack of TV or mobile phone/WiFi reception in some places makes you more likely to light a fire and sit and chat to fellow travellers at night; a pleasure being denied to us in many coastal areas.
7. The dust makes for wonderful sunrises and sunsets and there are plenty of starry, starry nights.
8. The west is full of iconic heritage pubs. The meals are great value and the locals are always good for a chat. Sitting in the dining room of the Noccundra Pub, it is hard not to think of the Cobb and Co passengers who sat in the same room in years gone by.
9. Western towns are proud of their heritage and the museums have some excellent audio/visual presentations and displays. Storyboards around the towns make fascinating reading. The Lagenbaker House built in the 1880's at Ilfracombe has all of its original contents; what an insight into life 100 years ago. Do a tour with Cathy Hitson from the caravan park.
10. Putting ourselves a little outside our comfort zone is good for us, and we tend to do this less and less as we grow older. Besides, these trips provide us with lots of great stories to tell our friends when we arrive home with great memories and photos.