Wasikowska of Oz

Tracks tells the true story of Robyn Davidson, a young woman who, in 1977, undertook a perilous solo trek across 1,700 miles of stunning Australian outback, with a few camels and her loyal dog Diggity. But it wasn’t only the chance to film on homeland that enticed her, it was also the fact that her photographer parents wouldn’t have let her live it down if she hadn’t accepted the role.

“When I first mentioned to my parents that I’d been given the script for this film called Tracks, they were like, ’Oh my God, you have to do it, it’s such an important story for Australia’,” explains the actress, who trained as a ballerina in her youth.

“They had read the book when it came out in the 1970s and Robyn is a really well-known character in Australia. She’s a brilliant, brilliant lady.”

Tracks meant spending even or eight weeks Down Under, and Wasikowska took full advantage of the relative proximity to her family, inviting her brother on set so they could take in the majesty of sand formation Ayers Rock together.

“It’s very out of their world,” she says of her “great, supportive” relatives. “No one in my family is in films, so it’s kind of an exotic thing to do. I like to share it with them when I can, so if they can come on set and be with me for a little while, that’s the nicest thing.”

Another bonus of filming Tracks was being surrounded by several sweet-natured animals, the camels and the loyal Labrador, who accompany Robyn on her travels.

Like Robyn, Wasikowska was awed by her furry friends, especially as her childhood dream was to have a pooch.

“I always wanted a dog so much, but we weren’t allowed one,” says the actress, who relaxes by drinking endless cups of tea and reading.

“We had almost every (other animal) for short periods of time. We’d get a fish and then the fish would die, then a rabbit and the rabbit would die, but we never really had that great experience of having a best friend who was a dog. But now I’ve had that.”

The animals may have been dream companions, but one of the more unsettling aspects of the film and book is the relationship between photography and privacy.

To fund the trip, Robyn had to sell her story to National Geographic magazine, which sent along its photographer Rick Smolan, played by Girls’ star Adam Driver. At times, their relationship was fraught, with Robyn desperate to escape the glare of publicity.

“It was interesting, because there’s a certain type of photography which is very invasive and I think for Robyn, Rick’s presence represented that the thing that enables you to do something, also takes something away from the experience,” says Wasikowska, who rates the work of screenwriter and director Jane Campion and actresses Juliette Binoche and Helen Hunt.

“I completely understand that. Every now and then I’d be like, ‘Bah – if only the cameras weren’t here’, which is similar, I think, to how she felt, being documented during her journey.”

The middle of three children, Wasikowska grew up in Canberra and landed her first role in TV series All Saints when she was in her teens. Her small screen breakthrough came courtesy of her portrayal of suicidal gymnast Sophie in HBO drama In Treatment, three years later in 2008.

This was followed by further acclaim on the big screen, in The Kids Are Alright alongside Julianne Moore, and Tim Burton’s fantasy adventure Alice In Wonderland.

This means she’s been jetting around the globe for the past six years, which is a “fun” but “nomadic lifestyle”, but the rising star has come to appreciate her creature comforts.

“I’m probably happiest when I’m at home,” she says, smiling, though admitting she would love to travel to India and Africa.

“I live in Sydney and I love it there. I have my own place, as of about a year ago, and it’s lovely,” Wasikowska reveals.

“I haven’t spent much time there yet, but I love having it and knowing it’s there, and having that sense of it being there for me to return to at any time.”

• Tracks is released in selected cinemas tomorrow