Saddle up: ‘Cowboy core’ travel is on the rise in Australia
Think cattle stations that double as some of the country’s most coveted stays.
Our culture has an enduring fascination with cowboys, from classic Clint Eastwood films to Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album that took over the airwaves last year.
And it’s not just an American thing – Australia has its distinct Akubra-wearing stockman archetype that has been canonised in films such as The Man from Snowy River.
But our fascination isn’t just shaping how we dress, it’s translating to the ways we travel, too.
Skyscanner named “cowboy core” as a defining travel trend of 2025, reporting that 29 per cent of Aussie travellers are fans of this style of travel, with this figure rising to 44 per cent among 18-24-year-olds. The same report showed an 18 per cent increase in hotel bookings offering horse riding in the past year, signalling a growing appetite for cowboy-style escapes. So what exactly is this trend, and how can you experience it in Australia?
What is ‘cowboy core’ in travel?
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In simple terms, a “core” is something that captures a mood or theme, mostly through visual elements. While it mostly applies to aesthetics and clothing, it can also refer to places and experiences.
In this sense, “cowboy core” is anywhere you can don a wide-brimmed hat and not look out of place: Around a campfire, atop a horse, staying on a cattle station (or a “ranch” as Americans would call it). Ultimately, it’s about experiencing a slice of life and stepping into someone else’s shoes for a moment (or cowboy boots, so to speak). With the built-in romance of rugged terrain, pastoral bliss and inspiring landscapes, it’s no wonder travellers are keen to immerse themselves in stockman life.
Being a real drover might mean roughing it, but it doesn’t mean travellers have to. “Bush luxury” is a category of accommodation unique to Australia that blends five-star comforts with immersive outback experiences. Think cattle stations that double as some of the country’s most coveted stays.
“There’s nothing like it, you know. [The nature] is just that vast nature that just grabs you up like a big hug, and the stars will just blow your socks off,” says Edwina Shallcross, who owns and runs Bullara Station near Exmouth, Western Australia, alongside her husband Tim.
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Bullara Station lets travellers stay on a working cattle property, with everything from unpowered campsites to glamping tents and design-forward lodges that exemplify bush luxury, as well as an outback bar and restaurant in a repurposed wool shed. Shallcross said the uptick in people arriving at the property surged after Covid, sparked by a renewed interest in domestic travel.
“Covid really shook everyone up in terms of them thinking ‘life is short, we need to get out on the open road’,” she said.
“I felt like we could offer was this really solid, reliable landscape that people were just so fascinated with. And people just wanted to immerse themselves in the authenticity of nature.”
This, coupled with a renewed focus in pop culture, has given rise to an embrace of all things cowboy in everything from blue jeans to travel choices.
“I don’t know if it was Beyonce’s This Ain’t Texas, but I see the outfits of all these people coming in on a Friday night, and the girls have got the boots and they’re rocking the denim, just looking so country. We’ve had TV shows like Yellowstone and Territory that have a rural theme, so I think pop culture has kind of brought it back.”How to experience cowboy core vacations in Australia
The outback is home to some iconic station stays, and nothing says “cowboy” like a night spent out on the ranch.
In addition to Bullara Station, the ultra-luxe Bullo River Station in the Northern Territory is an iconic stay, located where the Top End meets the vivid red and blues of the Kimberley. But it’s far from the only accommodation of its kind, we’ve rounded up some of the best station stays around the country, too.
If you’re craving adventure, Australia has its own calendar of rodeo events, with the Ord Valley Muster in the Kimberley being one of the biggest of its kind. Or enjoy the solitude on a horse riding holiday, including on a multiday adventure through the Snowy Mountains with Snowy River Horseback Adventures that will make you feel like you’re a bona fide Banjo Patterson.
But, truth be told, you don’t have to book a five-star luxury outback stay to experience cowboy core.
It can be as simple as road-tripping in a ute or heading out camping under the stars and gathering friends around a campfire (cowboy hat and harmonica optional). After all, it’s the simplicity of being in nature that makes it magical.
This article first appeared in Australian Traveller. Read the original here
