Wednesday, Apr 16, 2003 at 15:15
I lived in
Broken Hill & still have a house there. I have had the pleasure (I don't think) of being at
Wilcannia on pay day & a few other days when as they say "The natives are restless". The place has very little to offer & other than a fuelling & ice -cream point we rarely stop. There is a reasonable
rest area west of
Cobar on the left, about 110 km out from
Wilcannia (McCullochs Range), we stop there a lot as it is large, open & has a
toilet & kids playground and you normally have company. There is another
rest area at Springs Creek, about 80 km west of
Wilcannia, it is not bad, it has a
toilet & a kids playground also.
I have never, ever, heard of any travellers having a bad time in that area, and at one time it was my job to be really interested in such goings on.
There are two caravan parks in
Broken Hill, I suggest the one on the
Adelaide Road (Rakow Street) next to the cemetary, and there is another at
Silverton (
Penrose Park), but is a bit basic, but cheap & within walking distance of the pub.
The road from
Broken Hill to
Tibooburra is good & is
well maintained, though the RTA will close it if there is rain. This road is fenced & camping is not encouraged for a good bit of its length. I understand that fuel is still available at
Packsaddle about halfway.
Milparinka has a number of
places you can
camp, just go to the pub, they'll tell you where you can go.
There is not a great deal at Cameron's Corner, except the
dog fence & the store, which is in Qld, but not by much. If you want a place to
camp drive one or two klicks down the track by the
dog fence, don't worry about the
sign that says it's a private road cause it ain't, or you can go a bit further on to Bollards Lagoon Station you can stay there for a small fee.
You are going into a good part of the world, but expect the "freight component" to be added to everything & the water (even in
Broken Hill) can be a bit "jungley", suggest you take your own or try & get some rainwater. The
Darling River is afain running so the lakes at
Menindee should be getting some water by this, there is good camping there, either on the river or near the lakes & there is
Kinchega National Park which also has camping. I suggest you go to the
Tourist Information Centre in
Broken Hill and get everything they have to offer about the area.
Oh yes, observe the fruit fly quarantine signs as the Dept of Ag has a roadblock just east of
Broken Hill & they staff it quite often. Tomatoes are "fruit", not vegetables, which they'll allow in. I lost that round.
Anyway enjoy the best part of Oz
Dick Holland
AnswerID:
17781