There have been many attempts to bring Robyn Davidson's adventure memoir to the big screen. Over the years both Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman have been attached to the lead role. Development on the movie adaptation began before lead actress Mia Wasikowska was even born.
Despite sharing most of her scenes with the camels, Mia Wasikowska was only given three days in a "camel boot camp". One of the instructors was Robyn Davidson herself.
It took 6 months and 12 days for Robyn Davidson to travel from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean. She left Alice Springs on April 8th, 1977 and arrived at the shore of the Indian Ocean on October 19th, 1977, her 195th day. She camped at the beach for an additional week and then departed on October 27th, 1977.
Seven snakes were brought to set. Among them, Mia Wasikowska had to hand-pick which one she would prefer to share scenes with.
The actual clothes, such as skirts, blouses, and flannel shirts that Robyn Davidson wore during her original trek during the 1970s were recreated in fine detail for the film. This involved the production looking at the original photographs taken during that time.