Vicki Jones

Red Dirt Tours

The steady pull of the outback over many years finally saw Vicki Jones start her own touring company, Red Dirt Tours, in Outback Queensland. Vicki amassed skills and experience across all facets of a tourism business after working in various roles throughout Australia. The in-depth knowledge gave Vicki the confidence to realise her lifetime goal of owning a tour business and the capability to run the business single-handedly.

Lift the heart

Vicki’s love for the outback and wealth of knowledge for all things Winton and surrounds comes through in her engagement with guests. Red Dirt Tours offers a range of tours of the local attractions including sites not accessible to the public. Core to her interpretation is passing on an appreciation of natural environment and history in a way her guests understand and get excited about. Vicki uses layman’s terms to discuss the science of the environment and makes the content personable and relevant. Guests might come on a tour to see dinosaur tracks, but they come away with a greater understanding and appreciation of the amazing landscapes and the environment around them.

“I like to help people understand what they’re looking at – what they see in the sky, in the ground and the history. If you express it simply and make it sound logical, it resonates with the audience.”

Feed the mind

Vicki draws on her previous experience as a Savannah Guide, the ‘Protectors and Interpreters of the Outback’ in her role as tour guide. Through her crafted interpretation, Vicky shares her knowledge and gives her guests an understanding of the outback landscape and the importance of the protection and conservation of the natural and cultural resources.

Grow community

Vicki considers the local community and other tourism operators as her valued internal customers and is committed to treating them with respect and achieving win-win outcomes.

Red Dirt Tours buys lunches from a local pub, uses local accommodation providers and incorporates local attractions within her tours.

Adapting to their requirements and changes in their offerings as they grow has been critical to Vicki’s success.

“As a local tourism operator and member of a small community, strong relationships are really important to ensure respect and a positive experience for all.”

Care for the environment

Red Dirt Tour’s general philosophy that Vicki shares with her guests is to leave only footprints, take only photographs. The operation minimises waste through reusable products and the natural environment is an element of the interpretation within all of Vicki’s tours. She introduces her guests to the region’s geology and how it has changed over time, the rich bird life and outback flora and the land management of the grazing lands.