Lowdown, your assumptions regarding how Designated Remote Areas came about are a bit off the mark. They were in fact very remote, largely unihabited and inhospitable parts of this country. Survival was known to be 'difficult' in these areas. Not only the obvious bits of SA, NT, QLD and WA were on the list but the Eastern Victorian Great Divide and just about half of Tassy.
Comming down in any of these areas was something one considered and planned for (but hoped like hell the planning was unneccessary). Mind you if you had either an ELT or HF then you had a bit freer hand in your track planning, although there was (and I'm sure still is) some most uninviting real estate around Oz. This was of course all before GPS became all the rage and real men navigated using a pencil, a compass, a watch and a map.
Designated Remote Areas are exactly that, remote areas and they deserve your respect.
Disco Stu