Back in New South Wales

Wyandra to Bourke

22nd May 2025

Distance: 363 Km

Fuel: 54 L

I was up early and had my shower just before the sun came up – I have trouble sleeping after 6am anyway.

Breakfast this morning was one of my remaining porridge servings plus the inevitable coffee before getting ready to leave.

Have to stop in Cunnamulla for fuel, it would possible to get to Bourke without refuelling but it is over 240km with no fuel stops so I feel safer with a full tank.

It wasn’t long before I crossed into NSW. Stopped a couple of times to stretch my legs at rest areas.

One thing that was immediately noticeable was the number of feral goats at the side of the road, so many goats.

Arrived about 1pm at the caravan park, I have stayed here recently on my way back from Mitchell – co incidentally the park is called Mitchell Caravan Park.

Bourke to Dubbo

23rd May 2025

Distance: 384 Km

Fuel: 42 L

Similar to yesterday I was up early and after breakfast was on my way. Set up my wet weather protection in the camper (plastic protecting the bedding) as the weather forecast indicated a slight chance of rain. In the event it was sunny all day.

Stopped briefly in Nyngan.

Then only stopped a couple of times, quite keen to get home now.

As well as plenty of feral goats, the harvest must have been good this year because there were hundreds of cotton bails along the road

Have never stayed at this park before and had great difficulty finding it, the sat nav had it completely wrong, Google didn’t know even though it is marked on Google maps. Eventually got there after much hunting back and forth – have it marked in my sat nav for future reference..

Bourke

19th September 2024

Distance: 364 Km

Fuel: 68 L

Was up at 6am this morning, it was cool but not too bad – that Antarctic blast seems to be behind us now, once the sun is up the day warms up rapidly.

Am basically on the way home following a route I have travelled many times before – most recently in May.

Set off just after 8am for an uneventful drive to Cunnamulla where I filled up with fuel. Just as I was entering the town an Emu with her chicks strolled across the road.

Some time after 10am stopped at a rest area where I got my stove out to make a cup of tea.

I wondered why there were so many birds flying about in an agitated state. It was only when I looked up and realised the shelters were their home, the roof full of mud nests.

It was a pretty straightforward journey, I arrived in Bourke about 1pm and soon found the Mitchel Caravan Park.

Decided not to venture out of the park except for fuel.

26th May 2019–Back to Bourke

Distance: 25km
Fuel: 30L

I was late getting up however it was still before 6.45am but I was lucky to find a free shower – there are only two, so you need to get there very early or very late.

Had breakfast and lazed about until 9am when I set off for the tourist information office, as usual the girl was very helpful and marked all the points of interest on a town map for me.

The tourist information office is part of the Back O’Bourke complex – anyway I paid my $21 (concession) to see the complex. It is right up there with the Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Waltzing Matilda Centre as one of those places you definitely don’t need to visit twice.

After an hour wandering round the Back O’Bourke I headed for North Bourke to look at the first Lift Bridge in NSW. Now no longer used – it has been bypassed by modern bridges and it took a bit of off-roading to get to it.

As you can see it was a ‘pick a plank’ bridge.

Next I tried to find the paddle steamer wreck on the bank of the Darling River, didn’t find it at all but I didn’t really know what I was looking for even though with the river very low it should have been visible. Anyway after wandering up and down the river bank I gave up and drove to Bourke wharf and the ‘historic’ Crossley diesel engine.

The wharf is a relic from the days of good water and the paddle steamers plying their trade up and down the Murray Darling river system. Today the area is on level five water restrictions and deep in drought with the Darling River very low and little or no flow.

After this I went to Bourke cemetery to visit the grave of Fred Hollows the eye surgeon – he was actually a Kiwi but loved Bourke and its people.

Finally I found the Western Herald building the newspaper that author/poet Henry Lawson worked on when the editor at The Bulletin sent him to Bourke to sober up.

Finally I drove around Bourke looking at some of the interesting buildings, visiting the supermarket and filling up with fuel ready for tomorrow’s departure.

The horse and carriage came round the caravan park in the late afternoon offering a tour of Bourke I would have gone but it was fully booked by the time it got to my site!

Not a bad day, the weather on this whole trip has been perfect, warm and sunny most days, not a drop of rain but tomorrow I am venturing into central NSW where it will be colder, probably not wet but cold at night. I should be home on Tuesday.

25th May 2019–Bourke

Distance: 262km

BTW yesterday I maligned the town of Cunnamulla by saying it was shut, in fact it was a Queensland public holiday so it had every right to be (though that is no excuse for shutting the tourist information office).

Definitely no need to rush today, only travelling 260km down the road to Bourke so everything was very leisurely and I didn’t leave the caravan park until nearly 10am (kicking out time).

Nothing very exciting to report on the drive south except crossing back into NSW and stopping briefly in the tiny town of Enngonia for a short break. My only complaint about these back roads is that they are very short on rest stops.

Found a nice caravan park close to town and was given a very wide grassy site so decided, because the weather forecast is good and it is the weekend, to set up my gazebo and stay for two nights. Didn’t go anywhere after setting up, read my book and had a thoroughly lazy day. Will get fuel and look around Bourke tomorrow but today is a rest day.