With a background in painting, British-born Anna Dakin had never planned for a career move into tour guiding through Central Australia.
Now, the Brit in the bush has been crowned the Northern Territory's top tour guide for 2022, and is finding ways to combine her passion for art and the outdoors in one of the country's most rugged landscapes.
Ms Dakin moved to Alice Springs five years ago and has become well-acclimatised with the 230-kilometre Larapinta Trail.
She said her first exposure to the Red Centre's premier trek left her worse for wear, but ultimately planted the seed for her future career.
"During my painting degree back in the UK, I travelled out to Central Australia and spent a bit of time outdoors painting in the landscape, and eventually convinced myself to hike the Larapinta Trail," she said.
"I hiked the Larapinta with a backpack full of paints. I was woefully underprepared, wearing a pair of Doc Martens, but somehow managed to complete the trail and get a few nice paintings out of the experience."
A longing to return to the Red Centre
Despite the challenges, Ms Dakin's experience helped her develop a deep appreciation for the Australian outback.
"When I went back to London, it was the experience of being in the remote landscape and spending time looking that really was the most profound thing for me," she said.
"Probably one of the biggest differences between Central Australia and the UK is that almost every inch of the UK has been farmed or is managed by somebody.
"You get out into these landscapes in Central Australia, and it's rugged, it's raw, it's one of the last remaining wilderness environments in the world."
After completing her studies at the Royal College of Art in London, Ms Dakin returned to the Red Centre, where she now runs tours with World Expeditions.
She is also currently developing her own business, which brings together art and the wilderness with remote art tours.
Learning 'unanticipated' skills
Ms Dakin said having a good sense of humour was essential to being a good tour guide, but there were several other "unanticipated" skills she had developed over the years, such as cutting firewood and reversing trailers.
She said it was a fantastic time to be hiking the Larapinta Trail, as the tourism industry recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We had the bushfires back in 2019, which did devastate a lot of the trail. Those bushfires were much bigger than what you'd traditionally see out here," she said.
"And then in the last couple of years, we've had a really great amount of rain, and that has sparked the most incredible flowers blooming out there in the bush.
"I reckon right now the Larapinta Trail is looking potentially the best I've ever seen it."
Ms Dakin was selected for the coveted award by Tourism NT from a pool of applicants. Next month, she will represent the NT at the upcoming 2022 Australian Top Tourism Awards, held at Parliament House in Canberra.
