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Destinations > Bourke to Alice Springs
Bourke to Alice Springs
Issue: June 2002
Words by John Denman Photos by John Denman and Mathieu Raudonikis
In Australian folklore, short as it is, there are two main centres that loom large in the mind when you speak of the Outback - Bourke and Alice Springs. The former has, for many years been the gateway to the real Outback, the place where the mythical 'Black Stump' could be found, and the Top Town on the mighty Darling River. The other is basically the capital city of Central Australia, the place where most aspiring Outback travellers head for, and use as a base to explore the country further out.
We did the run from Bourke to the Alice as part of our 10,000km Outback trip and tried to stay off the bitumen as much as possible. It's getting harder to do this as roads are being 'improved' at a constant rate. This is not 4WD country in the strictest sense, but you might be surprised at how few conventional vehicles you find out there. There are places where stretches of bitumen are unavoidable, but you can treat these as transport stages if you wish, and greet them as a welcome break from the gravel.
Heading northwest out of Bourke it didn't take long for the Overlander Td5 Discovery to hang a long plume of dust out behind it. The Queensland border was the first stop and the little village of Hungerford. Opening the dingo fence, the first thing you come across is the Royal Mail Hotel. The pub is one of those treasures of Outback travel that seem to have an air of elegant dilapidation about them. This one is fairly bursting with character. Behind the bar is a supply of Blu-Tack, which you are encouraged to use for the purpose of sticking money to the ceiling. This is later collected as donations to the Flying Doctor Service. The pub has seen a wide variety of patrons over the years including a few 'Bashes'. Usually these people are only too happy to make their contribution to the ceiling decoration.
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There have been some riotous times in the old pub, but none more notable than the time one of the local stockmen fell through the floor. Past licensee Ken Manktellow told me the bloke was dancing about the place and the old boards gave way. No one was hurt, so they nailed a sheet of iron over the hole and kept on with the party.
From there it was up past Currawinya NP and across the Walters Range into Thargomindah. Thargo's a good town to top up any supplies you might have forgotten in Bourke and fuel up again. Camp that night was to be on the banks of the Wilson River at Noccundra. The little pub at Noccundra has seen its share of riotous living too, especially when the blokes from the nearby stations gather there for a drink or three. Our reasons for camping were a little less rowdy - just a couple of quiet beers and a good camp among the Coolibah's by the Wilson River. This is a good place to pull up for a short break, there's a bit of fishing possible on the Wilson, and the campsites are easy to get at. The pub is just a short distance away, and you can get fuel and a shower. All in all, not a bad thing.
Heading further northwest we travelled through Eromanga to Windorah. North of there along a track with plenty of bulldust patches is Kyabra Waterhole. Kyabra is a significant place both in terms of our pioneering days, and Aboriginal times. One of the first cattle stations around here was Thylungra, originally selected by the pioneering Durack family. Kyabra Waterhole was an essential part of their plans for the area, because it's the only reliable water for many kilometres around in dry times. The Durack's and their equally famous partners the Costello's knew this, and made sure that Kyabra was always going to be a part of their plans. Today the waterhole still draws travellers to camp and fish along its banks.
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Words by John Denman Photos by John Denman and Mathieu Raudonikis
In Australian folklore, short as it is, there are two main centres that loom large in the mind when you speak of the Outback - Bourke and Alice Springs. The former has, for many years been the gateway to the real Outback, the place where the mythical 'Black Stump' could be found, and the Top Town on the mighty Darling River. The other is basically the capital city of Central Australia, the place where most aspiring Outback travellers head for, and use as a base to explore the country further out.
We did the run from Bourke to the Alice as part of our 10,000km Outback trip and tried to stay off the bitumen as much as possible. It's getting harder to do this as roads are being 'improved' at a constant rate. This is not 4WD country in the strictest sense, but you might be surprised at how few conventional vehicles you find out there. There are places where stretches of bitumen are unavoidable, but you can treat these as transport stages if you wish, and greet them as a welcome break from the gravel.
Heading northwest out of Bourke it didn't take long for the Overlander Td5 Discovery to hang a long plume of dust out behind it. The Queensland border was the first stop and the little village of Hungerford. Opening the dingo fence, the first thing you come across is the Royal Mail Hotel. The pub is one of those treasures of Outback travel that seem to have an air of elegant dilapidation about them. This one is fairly bursting with character. Behind the bar is a supply of Blu-Tack, which you are encouraged to use for the purpose of sticking money to the ceiling. This is later collected as donations to the Flying Doctor Service. The pub has seen a wide variety of patrons over the years including a few 'Bashes'. Usually these people are only too happy to make their contribution to the ceiling decoration.
read on below advertisement
There have been some riotous times in the old pub, but none more notable than the time one of the local stockmen fell through the floor. Past licensee Ken Manktellow told me the bloke was dancing about the place and the old boards gave way. No one was hurt, so they nailed a sheet of iron over the hole and kept on with the party.
From there it was up past Currawinya NP and across the Walters Range into Thargomindah. Thargo's a good town to top up any supplies you might have forgotten in Bourke and fuel up again. Camp that night was to be on the banks of the Wilson River at Noccundra. The little pub at Noccundra has seen its share of riotous living too, especially when the blokes from the nearby stations gather there for a drink or three. Our reasons for camping were a little less rowdy - just a couple of quiet beers and a good camp among the Coolibah's by the Wilson River. This is a good place to pull up for a short break, there's a bit of fishing possible on the Wilson, and the campsites are easy to get at. The pub is just a short distance away, and you can get fuel and a shower. All in all, not a bad thing.
Heading further northwest we travelled through Eromanga to Windorah. North of there along a track with plenty of bulldust patches is Kyabra Waterhole. Kyabra is a significant place both in terms of our pioneering days, and Aboriginal times. One of the first cattle stations around here was Thylungra, originally selected by the pioneering Durack family. Kyabra Waterhole was an essential part of their plans for the area, because it's the only reliable water for many kilometres around in dry times. The Durack's and their equally famous partners the Costello's knew this, and made sure that Kyabra was always going to be a part of their plans. Today the waterhole still draws travellers to camp and fish along its banks.
next page »
