When conjuring up images of New South Wales’ Outback, think red hot earth, small dusty towns each with their own individual personality, white ghost gums, quirky pubs, shady billabongs, colourful characters of the bush, a deep colonial heritage and fascinating Aboriginal culture. It’s one of Australia’s most charming, interesting and rewarding destinations. Indeed, the Outback is populated with warm, welcoming and friendly people and local life is enlivened with country race meetings, festivals, pubs and music – and there’s no place like New South Wales to experience it!

Broken Hill is a quintessential Outback town with a strong identity, made famous in the Oscar-award winning movie Priscilla Queen of the Desert, now on the stage at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre as a musical. Nicknamed the Silver City thanks to its mining heritage, it’s full of art galleries and wide open streets with fine old pubs. One of Australia’s iconic artists, the painter Pro Hart, was born in 1928 in Broken Hill and raised on a nearby sheep station. His gallery is now one of the most popular attractions in this laid-back town.

You can learn more about life in the Outback with a visit to the world’s largest virtual classroom, the School of the Air, and the world famous Royal Flying Doctor Service, that provides medical care to the thousands of remote residents. For a unique journey, hitch a ride with The Bush Mail Run, which operates a 4WD tour from Broken Hill. It allows visitors to see how the mail and supplies are delivered in the bush to remote country homesteads as it has been done for the past 100 years (albeit no longer on horseback).  The tour includes visits to homesteads, lunch by the Darling River and wildlife spotting.

Broken Hill is the perfect launch pad for a visit to Mungo National Park, a World Heritage listed site at the centre of the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area. It gained a UNESCO World Heritage in 1981 and is most famous for being the location of the discovery of Mungo Man and Woman. The finding provided the oldest evidence of modern humans (homo sapiens) in the world and a record of Aboriginal life dating back to at least 40,000 years. It is also a place of huge environmental significance, with the “Walls of China” a striking, 33km long natural rock formation, a must-see attraction. Indeed, it is amazing to think that until 15,000 years ago, the rivers in this area ran high and the lakes were full, but climate changes now mean this is one of the driest places in Australia. Harry Nanya Tours run half-day, full day and overnight tours to Mungo National Park departing from Mildura. The qualified guides belong to the local Barkindji people, who have passed down the history and legends from generation to generation. www.harrynanyatours.com.au
Bourke is another Outback town brimming with character and lots of hidden secrets to uncover. Established in 1859 as a paddleboat town on the Darling River, it is a historic town with many reminders of a bygone era. Bourke is a fascinating town to wander through and heritage buildings include the post office, the maritime courthouse and the Carrier Arms Hotel where poet Henry Lawson is said to have penned some of his most famous work.
Meanwhile, White Cliffs is an opal mining settlement founded a century ago, today is world famous for its white opals and underground living. The town’s population of only 200 people is peppered with “dugout” or underground homes you can even stay at the Underground Motel to live like the locals do.

There’s so much to learn in New South Wales’ Outback. The Australian Shearers Hall of Fame at Hay explores the legendary status of outback shearers of NSW in a new interpretative centre. Visitors can meet with shearers and shed hands, and even attempt to beat Jackie Howe’s legendary blade-shears record!

For more information, visit www.visitnsw.com