The BATTOURS story

In 1996 BATTOURS founder Matt created Surfing Safaris that operated learn to Surf tours to Phillip Island and Inverloch. As this adventure & recreation couldn't last all year due to the weather it was a natural progression to align with other operators such as Bunyip Steve and High Country Marty and started up a Travel Agency in St Kilda, Melbourne.

In 1997 Backpacker Adventure Tours was formed and ran a variety of tours around Victoria. Over a period of time Steve and Marty choose different directions within the industry to pursue other avenues.

In 2003 Bruce Goulding joined Battours bringing with him 12 years of tour operation experience from UK Exodus tours U.K. Bruce is a highly skilled mechanic and is the Battours Operations Manager at our Adelaide base.

Brucie Goulding

Bruce has had an adventurous traveling career from being a roadie in Europe to a cowboy in America, he gained much valuable travel experience through twelve years with Exodus Expeditions. As a leader he led trips through Africa, Asia, S.E. Asia, South America and Europe. He then later became training manager recruiting and training staff in leadership and mechanical skills.

Bruce joined the BATTOURS team in February 2003 and now plays a pivotal role with Matt, focusing on operations and 4WD vehicle maintenance. He is married to Sally and they have three gorgeous girls, Brigette, Harriette and Sophie who all strongly support and assist in the day to day operations at our Adelaide base. Bruce's favourite part of the Adelaide to Alice Springs trip is, "Iga warta Bush Tucker Walk." "Inspiring as well as knowledgable"

Captain Matt Crofts

Matt grew up in country Victoria in the Gippslands dairy town of Leongatha, proud home of the biggest milk factory in the southern hemisphere. Yippee. As a kid he played Australian Rules football with the Leongatha Parrots and still on a Saturday afternoon Matt can be found running around the footy field playing for the Clayton Magpies in Melbourne.

90-93 Matt completed a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation at Victoria University, in Melbourne studying the finer arts of recreation. In 1994 Matt traveled to the US where he was waterfront director at Camp Abnaki in Vermont for three months. After travelling around the states it was off to Europe & the Middle East till June 1996 working a variety of jobs.

I love the tour that has been created over the last 5 years. It isn't about where we go on the map, although we do 'DO' all the big tourist sights, but I love the people we visits who share their experience of living in the rugged outback. It's the magical people who we call family along the way who welcome us in to their, homes, paddocks & campsites like we are family. What's mine is yours. "Nappergy, Nappergy" You scratch my back I scratch yours.

To be welcomed on Aboriginal land and for these great people in the outback to share their lives, thoughts, stories, philosophy & humour with us and all our crew, (the passengers) is fantastic. I feel so privileged to be able to rub shoulders with these amazing people. Over the years good friendships have formed as we all grow together.

All our passengers who choose to do our 10 day backpacker tours, are not only exposing themselves to the outback, but to life in general. To see the personal growth and people emerge from their inner selves is amazing. Everyone is out of their comfort zone in remote areas and foreign lifestyle, getting back to the basics of living. You have a doctor from Ireland sitting talking to the labourer from Germany, an arts student from Holland chatting to the advertising executive from Canada. A lawyer from Scotland talking to an exotic dancer from Montreal. It is fantastic. Everybody steps on the truck as equals and leaves equals. There is no status out here my friends. An Armani suit will not get you far out here it won't help you find water or cook you dinner. We travel on outback time. Sun comes up we get up, eat when we are hungry, sleep when we are tired. In the western materialistic world time and numbers dictate our lives, so we take off your watches and travel with day time, night time and now time.

I love getting the emails back from passengers three or four years later with friends they have met on the backpacker tours. Telling me that they felt part of something special. Smiles, friendships, laughter, hardships, tears, unbearable heat, freezing cold, flies galore and mozzies, red dirt every where, dust, sweating, flat tyres, busted trailers but everyone shares the experience together. Hey, it is not a holiday it is a challenge. Adventure in every sense of the word.

The guides at Battours tours are fantastic, they are an extension of my own family and I love 'em to death. They are incredibly talented and committed to the cause of having a great party time, promoting Aboriginal culture, sharing our beautiful country with you and making our passengers feel special and good about themselves. They are great bush mechanics, DJ's, guitarists, poets, counsellors, entertainers, cooks and people with an enthusiasm for life and the outback. All in all they make each tour, a unique experience with memories that last a lifetime.

To all the first Australians, the Aboriginal people of Australia, RESPECT. Thanks for the opportunity to venture

into your amazing land and share such a special culture. We are getting there. We are changing attitudes through cultural tourism. Let's end the racism, the ignorance & misunderstandings of white & black culture and imagine a limitless future as we build towards Reconciliation. SHARE, CARE, RESPECT,