Husband, father and map-maker, Rob Boegheim, shares how he gets away from it all by 4 – Wheel Driving in the great Aussie Outback, inspiring us to release our stresses and get in touch with ourselves.

I’m not so good at doing two or more things at once - multi-tasking they call it. So every now and then I like to break free from the stresses of managing multiple projects and staff and retreat to the kind of places most have never heard of - Argardargada, Bing Bong, Gwenneth Lakes, Purnululu, Lois Rocks, Chambers Pillar, Cape Leveque and the Calvert Ranges just to name a few. Some are easier to say than others but they all live in a little hidey-hole in my heart that I can tap into at a moment’s notice to bring back the warm memories of once-in-a-lifetime sojourns into the wild blue yonder.

Somewhere between the glory of the open blue sky and the sharp harshness of the dusty desert terrain, you find yourself. You find yourself opening up and focussing on the things that ‘make you tick’ the things in life that really matter and the things that bind us together.

I have a large photo on my wall at home of my own boot-print cast into the red desert sand. It’s there not only to remind me of my many travels through red and barren deserts but more importantly to remind me of how fleeting life on this earth really is. My life, like my footprint will soon return to sand to be blown along with the wind and I only have one chance to make a difference for those people God brings across my path.

Some of you will have experienced our great outback first-hand and many more will have had idyllic dreams about what it would be like. The wonderful thing about our outback is that the experiences usually far exceed your wildest expectations.

The dream of climbing seemingly-endless sand dune after sand dune across the Simpson Desert becomes a triumphant reality as your vehicle bucks and drones to the crest of every one, and the downhill run has the thrill of boogie-boarding down a crashing wave – only you don’t get wet!

Or there’s the dream of simply ‘getting away from it all’. To escape from the rat-race, filling your lungs with un-polluted air and stopping long enough to hear your stomach grumble, not because you’re hungry but because it’s finally free to untangle itself from the stresses of work and the busyness of daily life.

Sure, many of Australia’s beautiful places are becoming more popular but who knows? You may be the first to discover a hidden gorge, lonely rock formation or quiet waterhole loaded with Barramundi. But come night time, if the sky is clear, you’ll feel like you’re the only one in the universe as the outback displays one of its greatest splendours – the Milky Way. You’ll dream dreams of new and better places, bigger and better sand dunes and more rugged hill climbs.

As a good friend of mine often says “the journey should always be as important as the destination”. Many outback travellers (like most of us in life) are often so focussed on the big, grand scene at the end of the track that they miss the point. They miss out on finding themselves and making many new friends along the way.

There’s something about the great Australian Outback that helps forge friendships. Just recently, one of my friendships was duly tested when my good mate John and I were hopelessly bogged for 24 hours on one of the loneliest tracks in Western Australia. So lonely, that it’s not even on a map despite the fact that it crosses 200km of virgin desert country. Just hours before, we had victoriously crossed over 500 metres of submerged floodplain, with triumphant shouts of joy. Let’s just say that our friendship has learned to ride the highs and lows of life.

As a map-maker my aim is to follow in the footsteps of some of the great explorers – both past and present (except for the bit where they perish in the desert) and to map what many before me have found, in order to share in their journeys, even if only for a short while. If a picture paints a thousand words, a map would fill a library. “A map is a window to adventure” (Sir Francis Chichester) and as such is designed to inspire, and designed to conceive dreams.

I love my job and I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve woken up in the morning and haven’t felt like going off to work. One of the main reasons I love my job is the wonderful opportunity it’s given me to not just see but experience first-hand, this incredibly beautiful and diverse country God has given us. Plus, I get to add my favourite spots on a map in the hope that others too may venture beyond their immediate horizons and allow a few bumpy roads to shake-loose their burdens and blow off their cobwebs.

See you out there …

Rob Boegheim

Hema Maps

Hot Tips!

• Take ‘time-out’ to ‘get away from it all’ and release yourself from life’s busyness and stresses.
• Embracing the natural wonders of God’s creation will inspire and energise you, give time to reflect on where you’re at and help give new focus on life’s priorities.
• Don’t focus so much on the destinations that you miss the journey and opportunities for growth along the way.
• Make relationships and friendships a priority in your life – what better way than to have an adventure with loved ones or a mate.
• Think now about how you’d like to ‘Shake Loose’ then start planning it!
• Remember that no one ever went to their grave wishing they had spent more time at the office!