Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback

Tracks is a travel memoir by Robyn Davidson. Originally published by Pantheon in 1980, Tracks traces Davidson’s 1,700-mile solo walking venture through the Australian outback with her dog and four camels. Desperate to free herself from bourgeois culture and complacency, Davidson adopted and trained wild camels that she led into the Australian desert. For almost a year, Davidson walked through this remote terrain, developing a deeper connection with the land and a heightened understanding of herself. The text tests the traditional bounds of the memoir genre, in that it also functions as a work of feminist literature and a piece of nature writing. Davidson’s sociopolitical commentaries and environmental meditations lend the memoir a timeless malleability. Written from Davidson’s first-person point of view, Tracks explores themes including the Interplay Between Solitude and Self-Discovery, the Relationship Between Humans and Nature, Finding Empowerment Via Independence and Courage, and the Transformative Effects of Intimate Relationships.

This guide references the 2014 Vintage Departures paperback edition of the memoir.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide include depictions of verbal and emotional abuse, animal cruelty, physical violence, suicidal ideation, racism, and discussions of gender discrimination, racial discrimination, depression, anxiety, substance use, animal illness, and animal death.

Summary

Two years after Davidson finished her trek through the Australian outback she set out to write the story of her adventure. In Tracks, she records her account in the past tense from her first-person perspective. She admits that there’s much she forgets about her experience, but she strives to render the trip in as much detail and with as much accuracy as possible. Throughout the memoir, she incorporates retrospective commentary on her past self. Her experiences also elicit sociopolitical assertions and explorations of Aboriginal culture, gender stereotypes, and environmental devastation.

In 1977, Davidson set out to Alice Springs to complete the first part of her plan. She wanted to walk across the Australian interior but first needed to acquire a few camels. In Alice, she talked to various camel-men, eager to learn about the animals so she could bring them on her trip. She eventually joined camel-man Kurt Posel on his farm. Kurt knew a lot about camels but was cruel, abrasive, and difficult to work with. Davidson tolerated his abuse, believing he was her only route to realizing her dream. Over time, she learned to stand up for herself. She briefly left Kurt’s farm to work for another camel-man named Sallay Mahomet. He helped Davidson hone her understanding of camels and camel training.

Davidson spent almost two years in Alice before she was ready to set out into the desert. She met a National Geographic photographer named Rick who suggested that Davidson write to his magazine about sponsoring her trip. She soon secured the magazine’s funding and felt initially elated, but soon regretted the arrangement. She didn’t want to write an article about her trip and she wasn’t interested in having Rick accompany her. She had no interest in being photographed or publicizing what she hoped would be a privately transformative experience. Despite her trepidations, she stuck with the arrangement because she needed money.

Davidson was irritated with Rick throughout their first leg of the journey together. He photographed her too often, moped a lot, and was disrespectful toward the Aborigines they met along the way. Davidson tried to stand up to him but found it difficult to communicate. Over the following weeks, Rick came and went. When he was gone, Davidson felt relieved to be on her own. When they reunited, she was delighted to have his company. Over time, they established a more tenable dynamic and became friends.

When Davidson was alone, she encountered many physical, emotional, and mental challenges. Sometimes she got lost and struggled to find her way. Sometimes she was overcome by heat, thirst, or exhaustion. Other times, her camels wandered off or she encountered wild camels. Most often, her solitude weighed on her psyche. At times, Davidson reveled in being on her own, but she also realized that her isolation divorced her from time and space, making her feel depressed and anxious.

Davidson became more at peace with her environs and new reality when she spent a few weeks traveling with Eddie, an Aboriginal tribal leader. Davidson and Eddie didn’t speak the same language, but they quickly learned to communicate in a unique, nonverbal way. Further, Eddie was calm, quiet, patient, and assured. These traits rubbed off on Davidson and encouraged her to let go. She stopped obsessing about schedules and order. She started to appreciate the land in new ways. She learned to be present.

After Eddie left, Davidson had a new understanding of herself and her surroundings. She knew her trip was drawing to a close, but felt proud of herself. Then one night, Davidson’s beloved dog Diggity ate something poisonous and grew ill. Davidson tried her best to save Diggity but quickly realized there was nothing she could do. She shot Diggity to end her pain. Instead of burying the dog, Davidson said a few words and moved on.

Davidson was overcome by despair over the loss of her dog. She struggled to care for herself and couldn’t stop walking for fear that her grief would overcome her. Then one day, she danced with abandon on a series of flat rocks. She felt relieved of her sorrow and realized she needed to care for herself.

Rick rejoined Davidson and they ventured the last few hundred miles to the coast. Upon approaching the Indian Ocean, Davidson couldn’t believe the trip was over. She spent a week with the camels on the beach before they were adopted by a kindly couple. Afterward, she ventured to New York to meet with National Geographic. On the flight, she cried while reflecting on her trip.

In the postscript, Davidson reflects on her trip 30 years after reaching the Indian Ocean. She holds that she isn’t the person who made the venture all those years ago. However, she still believes that the trip liberated her and can encourage other women to find their freedom, too.