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4 days Itinerary

Itinerary: Outback discovery

Overview

This unforgettable Australian journey features humbling outback landscapes, one of the state’s most impressive Aboriginal rock art collections and lots of historic homesteads. Base yourself in the classic outback town of Broken Hill, more than a 1,000km west of Sydney.

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From here, you can discover ancient cultural wonders amidst rust-red gorges and see an inland lake change colours with the setting sun. Spot emus and wallabies on the walking trails and rich birdlife on the waterways and floodplains. Learn about the area’s cultural heritage with an Aboriginal Discovery ranger and explore pastoral history at old shearers’ quarters and sprawling homesteads.

Getting there:

  • Base yourself in Broken Hill
  • Broken Hill is a 13 hour drive from Sydney, 6 hours from Adelaide and 9 hours from Melbourne.
  • There are regular flights from Sydney and Adelaide
  • There are buses from Adelaide and Mildura, visit Buses R Us for timetables and bookings.
  • There is also train access. Please visit NSW TrainLink for timetables, fares and online bookings.
  • For weather forecasts in the area, please visit the Bureau of Meteorology website.

Day 1: Ancient art galleries

Drive from Broken Hill to Mutawintji National Park, where you can join an Aboriginal Discovery tour or hike the Homestead Gorge trail to the incredible rock art of Mutawintji Historic Site. See rock engravings and ochre stencils, and on the flat plains, the remains of fireplaces, stone flakes and grinding stones. Watch the sun set over the deep red Bynguano Ranges and camp beneath a star-filled desert sky at the Homestead Creek campground.

Mutawintji Historic Site. Photo: John Spencer

Mutawintji Historic Site

Book a tour to see Aboriginal rock art, hear Dreamtime stories, and learn about Aboriginal culture at Mutawintji Historic Site. This ancient landscape is located near Broken Hill in outback NSW.

Fees

Free park entry

Where
Outback NSW
Homestead Creek Campground, Mutawintji Historic Site. Photo: Dinitee Haskard, OEH

Homestead Creek campground

Head to Homestead Creek campground on your outback NSW tour. Featuring caravan and motorhome campsites, this well-equipped campground is a great base to explore the park.

Price
Budget. Free park entry.
Sites
50
Suitable for
Tent, Camper trailer site, Caravan site, Camping beside my vehicle
Where
Mutawintji National Park in Outback NSW

Day 2: Discover past and present heritage

It’s just over 100km from Broken Hill to Kinchega National Park, which protects the shimmering, gum-lined Menindee lake system, and a rich Aboriginal and pastoral history. Learn about the area’s cultural heritage over a billy tea with a Barkindtji Aboriginal elder and pay a visit to historic Kinchega Woolshed and Old Kinchega Homestead. Spend the night at Emu Lake campground, pitch your tent on the banks of the Darling River or stay in the Kinchega Shearers’ Quarters.

Campers at Emu Lake campground. Photo: John Spencer/DPIE

Kinchega National Park

Camp beside the Darling River among the majestic river red gums of Kinchega National Park. Explore Aboriginal and pastoral history on a school excursion and marvel at the range of birdlife.

Fees

Park entry fees apply.

Things to do
13
Places to stay
4
Where
Outback NSW
Campers stargazing by the fire at Emu Lake campground in Kinchega National Park. Photo: John Spencer/DPIE

Emu Lake campground

For a true bush adventure, visit Emu Lake campground near Broken Hill. Spot emus and birdlife, visit the historic Kinchega Woolshed and enjoy beautiful evening sunsets.

Price
Budget. Park entry fees apply.
Sites
7
Suitable for
Tent, Camper trailer site, Caravan site, Camping beside my vehicle
Where
Kinchega National Park in Outback NSW

Days 3 and 4: The sands of time

It’s around 350km from Broken Hill to Paroo-Darling National Park, where the red sand hills and the Darling River floodplains once sustained the Ngiyeempaa and Paakantyi Aboriginal people. Begin your journey at Paroo-Darling Visitor Centre, where you can join an Aboriginal Discovery tour. Hear about how our Aboriginal ancestors made tools, see stone tool scatters, hearth sites and scar trees they marked thousands of years ago. After fishing and birdwatching around Peery Lake, set up camp in the tranquil Coach and Horse campground.

Length
4 days
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