Outback New South Wales

Outback New South Wales is the western part of New South Wales, part of the large Outback. The area is large and the population small: much of the area is desert, far from civilization. The southern part of Outback New South Wales – the Willandra Lakes region – has been inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Central West region is also sometimes considered to be part of the Outback. However, as the conditions and the environment in the Central West largely differ from the rest of the Outback, it is covered separately.

Regions

Outback New South Wales regions - Color-coded map

Lower Darling The most livable and accessible part of the NSW Outback, strongly influenced by the verge of the Murray and Darling Rivers. This region is popular as a weekend-trip amongst Victorians, often to see Mungo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to the oldest modern human bodies found outside of Africa.

Northwestern New South Wales Although not exactly northwestern in the literal sense, general consensus cites this region as northwestern New South Wales. With a strong rural Queensland-like culture, many towns sit on the Great Artesian Basin, a large underground sea – and the main reason why these towns even exist in the first place.

Far West Often dubbed as the Wild West, many only consider this part of Outback NSW to be the true Outback. The Far West contains Outback New South Wales' regional centre, Broken Hill, which is one of not just NSW's, but one of Australia's oldest cities. The region mainly thrives due to its large mining industry, but a booming tourism industry is slowly taking over. If you're a fan of Mad Max, much of it was filmed in this region of New South Wales, particularly around the Silverton area.

Cities and towns

Broken Hill is the only settlement large enough to be considered a "city" – all other settlements are either rural towns or townships.

• 1 Balranald – contains well-preserved homesteads, bordering the Riverina
• 2 Bourke – not really a tourist town but it's the only town for kilometres on end
• 3 Brewarrina – claims to have the world's oldest structure
• 4 Broken Hill (including Silverton) – the region's only "city"
• 5 Cobar – a mining town in the centre of the NSW Outback
• 6 Lightning Ridge – the opal capital of New South Wales
• 7 Menindee – a good base for exploring the Menindee Lakes and the nearby Kinchega National Park
• 8 Wentworth – where the Murray and Darling Rivers meet

Other destinations

The Walls of China in the world-heritage Mungo National Park

• 1 White Cliffs - Small outback village
• 2 Gundabooka National Park – most notable for its petroglyph rock art
• 3 Kinchega National Park – home to the Menindee Lakes
• 4 Mutawintji National Park
• 5 Mungo National Park – a UNESCO world heritage site to some of the world's oldest modern human bodies outside Africa
• 6 Narriearra Caryapundy Swamp National Park
• 7 Sturt National Park – northwestern most point of New South Wales, near the Cameron Corner Survey Marker
• 8 Toorale National Park

Understand

Cities and towns in Outback NSW

Summers are blazing hot and dry, and if the sun doesn't get you, the flies will! If you want to avoid the heat, then the autumn and spring months may be the best time to visit. Winters can be surprisingly cold. Even a small amount of rain can close many unsealed back roads. Even minor flooding can close roads with low-level bridges or creek crossings that rely.

Distances are huge. Even on main roads, towns and villages can be 300 km apart. On the back roads, you can drive all day and not see another vehicle. This is a great experience of itself, but it comes with the risk that a breakdown will strand you for some hours, at least, and it should come as no surprise that you won't be able to use your mobile (cellular) phone to call for help. It is always important to have filled up your car so that it has at least 350 km worth of fuel in it and you should always carry plenty of water.

The towns are also generally very small, and have limited facilities. If you're very lucky, there may be some live music at the local club, but generally, life in these remote areas tends to be very quiet. On the other hand, the scenery is exceedingly beautiful, and there's plenty of it.

If you head west along the Barrier Highway, the red dirt starts at around the mining town of Cobar, out past Nyngan. North, the Kidman Way takes you up to Bourke (of "back of Bourke" fame), in cotton-growing country near the Queensland border. West, the next town is Wilcannia, once a major port on the Darling River. Beyond Wilcannia is Broken Hill, population 21,000, a mining town with a long and colourful history.

South of Cobar is the vast, mostly empty middle of New South Wales. Crossed by the Kidman Way and the Cobb Highway, it's just scrub and a few tiny towns all the way to the south border of the state. In the middle of that is ancient Lake Mungo, site of the oldest known human cremation, and Menindee, a system of lakes in the desert, which only fill after months of rainfall in southern Queensland.

To the north-east and north-west of Cobar are the isolated opal fields of Lightning Ridge and White Cliffs, both places where people live "rough", and often underground (in White Cliffs). Tours of some underground places can be arranged.

Finally, in the far north-west of the State, there are the strange rock engravings at Mutawintji, and the isolated town of Tibooburra.

Get in

If you are going to fully explore the Outback, you'll need a car or camper to get in.

You can fly in to Broken Hill (BHQ ^IATA) for a taste - at a price. Expect to pay around 3 times what you would pay for an inter-capital flight.

Great Southern Railways run the Indian Pacific from Sydney and Adelaide, with a whistlestop tour in Broken Hill. NSW Trainlink run a weekly train to Broken Hill, and a bus network (mainly connecting to Dubbo) to cover much of the rest.

Get around

The public transport out here is still oriented towards taking passengers towards the capital cities, and to get between towns that aren't on the same capital city route can be a real challenge without your own transport. Even out at Broken Hill the only coach or train services you will see are either towards Adelaide or towards Sydney. There are a few trains that run into the Outback, but they usually only stop at major towns, such as Broken Hill. Larger towns are serviced by infrequent buses, and smaller towns are not serviced by public transport at all.

All these factors can make getting around difficult without a car. There are also a lot of things to see and do that aren't in the town centres, so a car is almost essential to see them.

Car rental in the Outback always has distance limits before a surcharge applies, and one-way fees if you don't drop back at the starting point. Almost invariably it is at a higher cost than a capital city hire. Consider hiring from a capital or major city (e.g. Adelaide, Dubbo, Mildura) to avoid these costs.

It gets very hot in the summer, so air conditioning is essential if you're travelling at that time of year. Make sure the vehicle has good tyres, adequate fuel and has been properly serviced. There's plenty of traffic on the main roads, so you won't have major problems with a breakdown, but the back roads are a different matter, so always carry water for a day or two, and stay with the vehicle.

• Regional Express provides limited, and fairly expensive, air services between some major towns.
• Rail and bus services are provided by NSW Trainlink , Greyhound.

See

• 1 Willandra Lakes Region. A UNESCO World Heritage site. (updated Dec 2019)

The Outback is known for its rural-like activities, which most can not do in big cities like Sydney or Adelaide. Also popular for the significant Aboriginal culture, rock engravings, and also home to silver mines, hence Broken Hill's nickname; The Silver City.

Do

Trekking in the Outback can always be different. While trekking in the summer will be boiling, while in the winter it'll be freezing. Better do it in Autumn or Spring, but still it's hot then.

Eat

Country food in Australia is simple and generally consists of steaks, lamb chops, beef and other basics. However, it can be difficult for a vegetarian to find a decent meal in many outback towns because many rural Australians just do not get this "urban affliction". It is always wise to pinpoint the supermarket and stock up on fruit, vegetables and other vegetarian staples. Be aware, however, that prices for fresh food are likely to be higher as the food has had to travel quite a way and fuel costs are factored into the food.

"Pub grub" is a fairly easy and quick meal for travellers. If it includes a smorgasbord, there should be enough to satisfy all dietary types. Chips, hamburgers and basic fried items are fairly staple pub grub but you will also find some pubs are more innovative and carry local cuisine.

Breakfast establishments are not as common as the diners found in North America but there is often a cafe or a "mixed business" (corner store) that will be open early and always keep an eye out for bakeries, where hard-working bakers will have been baking hours before you rise.

If you haven't a clue where to find a restaurant, always head for the main street. Most New South Wales country towns will have a congregation of eating places on the main strip.

Drink

Most outback towns have at least two places to get a drink: a pub and a club. Many towns have more than one pub. Some quite tiny towns have three or four, which speaks more to better times in the past than unusual alcohol consumption today.

Clubs are generally either lawn bowling clubs, or clubs for returned servicemen, none of which really matters these days, as anyone can use their facilities by signing in at the door. Clubs are often the main social centres of small towns; not only do they have sporting facilities, they also usually have a restaurant, poker machines and a bar.

In many cases, pubs also sell food (usually referred to as counter meals, because you eat them at the bar), and many also provide accommodation. Incidentally, pubs in Australia are often referred to as 'hotels'. This confusing practice dates from the nineteenth century, when it was decided that alcohol should only be served by places that also provided accommodation to travellers. That requirement was later removed, but the name persisted.

As a general rule, the locals drink beer and the usual post-mix soft drinks. Wine will also be available, but don't expect a wide selection. In very isolated areas, choices may be more limited than that. For example, the pub at White Cliffs only serves Victoria Bitter (generally known as 'VB'). If you pick the beer that isn't VB or Tooheys New, it may have been sitting in the lines for a few weeks. Best to go with the flow or pick a bottle from the fridge or not drink at all.

Stay safe

The Cobb Highway is one of the last two remaining state highways that have unsealed sections (with the other being the Silver City Highway)

The crime rate in Outback New South Wales is considerably higher than the rest of the state, and many locals will advise you to completely avoid certain towns such as Menindee or Wilcannia, often linked to alcohol and drug abuse. Although crime is mainly targeted towards locals, vandalism of personal assets, including cars, is prevalent – avoid parking your car in dodgy areas, and avoid walking alone on downtown streets late at night. This inadvertently has resulted in many residents of Outback New South Wales to have a lower life expectancy, wealth, education, and health. While safety has considerably improved since the turn of the 20th century, these issues are noticeable on sight.

Another issue that should be kept in mind is that Outback New South Wales is massive; many travellers underestimate the size of it, including the New South Welsh. It makes up about a third of the state, or about the size of Germany. Never underestimate the distances, and always make sure you have enough fuel before embarking onto your destination.

Like other parts of the Outback, animal collisions are very common and you might see dozens upon dozens of dead kangaroos lying on the road. While it's generally safe to drive 110 km/h (68 mph) (most roads in Outback NSW have a 110-km/h speed limit), be extra vigilant during dawn and dusk – this is when most collisions occur.

Go next

• Outback (South Australia) if you want to head west, or Central West (New South Wales) if you're heading east. Getting to Outback Queensland is a little more difficult although there are paved roads.