Outback Aussie Tours is a proud Eco Certified Nature Tourism Operator committed to best practice environmental sustainability, contributing to conserving the environment and helping local communities. As a Savannah Guides Operator, our drivers are all trained to Savannah Guides Standards; a highly professional network of tour guides and tour operators dedicated to helping guests and visitors understand the natural and cultural landscapes through interpretation and promotion of sustainable tourism principles.
We undertake a number of initiatives to promote and support ecologically sustainable tourism principles, in line with our mission to provide one-of-a-kind experiences showing respect for, and interpretation of, the natural and cultural landscapes, as well as building long-term, sustainable relationships with the communities we live and work in.
Below are the initiatives OAT has introduced in order to be environmentally, socially, economically and ethically responsible as a leading tourism operator:
Environmental:
Outback Aussie Tours has two Environmental Management Plans, and these are reviewed annually. These plans address water, energy and waste management. Some initiatives to support our sustainability are:
- The opening of a new wash down bay in our Outback Rail Adventure Siding to wash our vehicles and Rail Motors.
- Recycling of cans from Smithy’s Camp, Office and our Rail Motors
- Introducing reusable keep cups for the Great Darr River Run
- Introducing reusable water bottles on tour.
- Use of Australian made natural eucalyptus products for cleaning in our office, buses, boats and railmotors.
- Solar Panel array at Smithy’s Camp.
Social:
In order to support our small community, Outback Aussie Tours is committed to providing sponsorships (both financial and in-kind), as well as providing work opportunities to encourage our youth to stay in the community. Some of these include:
- Community event sponsorship for local events
- Purchase of Raffle Tickets to support local youth groups (Longreach Junior Soccer and Brolga Girl Guides).
- Participated in the Longreach State High School Year 10 Mock Interview Trials i
- Providing Work Experience to students from Longreach State High School
- OAT attended the Central West Careers Day in May 2024, with 7 team volunteering their time.
- Major Sponsor of the Longreach Historic Fire Brigade for 2024
- Donation of drinks to Longreach Brolga Girl Guides for their major fundraising event for 2024.
Economic:
Outback Aussie Tours operates across a large part of Outback Queensland. To operate in remote areas, we rely on the strong and sustainable relationships that we have built with our suppliers locally in Longreach as well as throughout Queensland. The success of our operation is heavily dependent on our valued suppliers of accommodation, experiences, attractions, and hospitality venues and industry partnerships such as Queensland Rail. At Outback Aussie Tours, we continue to support suppliers in each of the towns that we operate in and around, we provide economic support and sustainability throughout Queensland. Examples of initiatives we have undertaken to support local economies include:
- Buy local policy with to inject funds into the local economy.
- Employment – Outback Aussie Tours employ locals, with over 75 people employed throughout our tourism season.
- With the implementation of the Outback Rail Adventure we have created the equivalent of an additional 2 full time positions from July 2023.
- Marketing – we include Longreach, Queensland on all marketing and promotional collateral to promote our own product and the region.
Ethical:
Outback Aussie Tours is committed to strengthening our relationships with local Indigenous Elders, and promoting ethical practices across the organisation. Examples of this include:
- Introduction of Acknowledgement of Country on our River and Rail experiences and Guided Overland holidays.
- Working with Longreach Regional Council and Iningai First Nations Custodians to protect the cultural site of the Scar Trees
- Mentoring other tour and transport businesses to support their emergence in the industry.
- Royal Flying Doctor Service – Outback Aussie Tours has fundraised over $60’000 from 2006 – current.
