The Australian outback is often stark and arid with its saltbush dotted plains, gibber deserts and gently undulating spinnefix covered sand dunes. It's well-known for its distance, isolation, low rainfall and heat, and when all combine it is often an extraordinarily tough place for anyone or anything to survive. Then again, if and when good rains are followed by fine weather, the difference can be striking. Arid deserts can literally bloom with colour and renewed life overnight.