Back Roads: Feb 25

Back Roads detours to a “Best of” episode this week around the theme of Conquering Isolation.

No doubt it was difficult to make a travel show when border restrictions have been so inhibiting.

This time, presenter Heather Ewart takes a wild ride through the outback, from South Australia’s legendary Oodnadatta Track to the sweeping open plains of western Queensland and the Northern Territory’s harsh Tanami desert.

In this remote country people can live hundreds of kilometres away from a supermarket, even a roadhouse. To make isolation work you need resilience, a sense of humour and, as Heather discovered, you’ve got to be a bit creative too.

In this special episode, Heather brings together the inspiring characters she’s had the privilege to meet on the back roads and shares their latest news.

One of the highlights is a road trip a few years back with a much-loved hero of the Queensland bush, old- fashioned greengrocer Fari Rameshfar. For 30 years, Fari had steered his trusty truck through floods, droughts and cyclones to bring fresh food and supplies to far flung communities. Heather joined him on his run to the Lynd Junction roadhouse, 400 kms inland from Cairns.

8pm Thursday on ABC.