Walgett likes to describe itself as ‘The Gateway to the Opal Fields’ because it is an ideal place to stay before heading off to the famous opal mining settlement of Lightning Ridge (76 km away) and the smaller opal fields at Grawin, Glengarry and the Sheepyard, all of which are located north-west of Walgett. More
Brewarrina is ‘must-see’ destination and should be included in any journey through Outback NSW as it provides the visitor with a great insight into the indigenous connection to the land and the river in that it has always been one of the major inter-tribal meeting places within the Murray-Darling Basin. More
“if you know Bourke, you know Australia” so wrote the famous Australian poet Henry Lawson in 1882. Bourke is not merely a town but a region that is the figurative demarcation between Outback Australia and the east. Anything to the west is colloquially referred to as the ‘Back o Bourke’; a term etched deeply in the Australian psyche meaning to be a long way away from anything. On the contrary, Bourke may be a distance from ‘civilisation’ but the further out you go the closer you get to the essence of this land. Maybe that is what Lawson was alluding. More
‘a place that loved a drink, a party and a punt..‘ So wrote Henry Lawson about Louth. Louth is a small service town (Pub, fuel and general store) on the Darling River about 100km downstream from Bourke and 100km upstream from Tilpa. Normally a quiet and sleepy settlement, once a year it is the scene for an classic annual country race meeting in August each Year and attracts travellers from far and wide to the 7 race event. More
“Tis said the land out west is grand!, do not care who says it“, Henry Lawson: ‘The Paroo River’ 1893. Located on the western banks of the Darling River, the very welcoming town of Tilpa is a must for a stopover, whether you have a few hours or a few days for camping and fishing on the Darling River. More
If there is one great, and largely undisturbed, port on the mighty Darling River it is Wilcannia. Cross the bridge driving from Sydney to Broken Hill and turn either to your right or left when you enter the town and you will be amazed at the richness of the architecture. For here are the remnants of a once-important inland port and it is is to imagine how busy thus town once was. More
“There was Harrison, who made his pile when Pardon won the cup….” so penned Banjo Paterson in the immortal poem ‘The Man from Snowy River’. The ‘Cup’ actually refers to the Presidents Cup at Menindee and not the Melbourne Cup as many people have assumed. Menindee is a town steeped in legend and history for Indigenous and European culture. The area was known to the Barkindji people as ‘Minandichee’ and it is believed this is how the name originated. More
Originally gazetted as Pooncaira’ in 1863, the area was first ‘established’ by Europeans in the 1840’s as settlers took up illegal livestock runs on crown land. By the 1860’s the federal government, in an attempt to gain control of the area, formalised these illegal (and unfenced) claims. More
‘Magnificent trees droop like willows to the waters edge with evening’s mildest radiance in their foliage, throwing a soft haze over the distance…’ Charles Sturt, 1844. Wentworth is located at the junction of Australia’s two great rivers – the Murray and the Darling. Originally named Hawdon’s Ford, it was surveyed in 1858 and named Wentworth in 1859 after the Australian explorer, journalist and politician William Charles Wentworth. More
