Avoid the heat
Summer temperatures can be extreme in outback Australia – it is recommended to avoid travelling in northern Australia in the hottest (and near the coast, wet) months of November to March.
Call ahead when visiting a community
It is advisable to call ahead when visiting an Art Centre to ensure it will be open. If you are relying on purchasing fuel or supplies from the local shop, also check that supplies are available. You can get the contact details of each Art Centre from its web-site. Note that Art Centres are not open 7 days/week, and sometimes not even 5 days/week.
Taking photos
It is not polite to take photos of people in communities without asking. Also, there may be areas on country where you are not permitted to take photos. If in doubt, ask – this will be appreciated.
Phone reception
There are 3 suppliers of mobile infrastructure in Australia – Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. In remote areas, Telstra generally has the best coverage. Where phone reception is marked as available in a community, it will often ONLY be for phones with a Telstra SIM. Determine which underlying infrastructure your mobile service provider uses. You might wish to purchase a Telstra pre-paid SIM for your phone if you will be doing a lot of outback travel. An alternative is to hire a satellite phone.
Sorry business
When a member of the community passes away, the whole community gets together and shares that sorrow. Ceremonies and mourning periods last days, weeks and even months depending upon the beliefs of the language group and the social status of the deceased person. (www.creativespirits.info) Non-essential services will close during this time.
Entry permits
For a small number of communities, you are required to obtain a permit before visiting. There are about 5 different permit systems. Please follow the link supplied for a community if this is listed as a requirement.
Dry communities
Many of the Indigenous communities are ‘dry’, that is alcohol-free. Where this is the case, you must not take alcohol into the community.