AustLit

Robyn Davidson is best known for Tracks, an account of crossing west Australia by camel, which was later adapted for film by John Curran (director) and Marion Nelson (script-writer).

Davidson was born on a cattle station in Queensland, and educated at a girls' boarding school in Brisbane. In 1968, in her late teens, she moved to Sydney, where she was associated with members of the Sydney Push.

In 1977, she left Alice Springs for what would be a nine-month journey on camel back across the deserts of west Australia, accompanied by a dog and four camels. Originally, she published her experiences in a National Geographic article, and later as a full-length travelogue.

Davidson has continued exploring nomadic lifestyles (including in Australia, India, and Tibet), largely through personal experience. She has published on their experiences in works including Desert Places and No Fixed Address, her Quarterly Essay work.