Destinations > The Wool Run

Issue: February 2009

Words by Vic Widman

Starting this month, regular contributor Vic Widman is going to share with us some of his extensive off road travel experience.

G'Day, Vic Widman here, in this series of outback tracks, we call 'Cooper Tyre Tracks', I'm going to bring to you some of the amazing outback locations I have discovered over my many years of 4WD travel. This series is the real essence of what Overlander magazine is all about. It will bring to you detailed history, track conditions, campsites and must see spots on the places that you will be visiting one day in your 4WD, places you may only be dreaming of or places you have simply just driven straight past previously. The series will be relevant to everyone, no matter where you live, with locations in every state. This month I have chosen a location virtually on the back doormat of most east coasters, the Hema map series call it Outback New South Wales but I prefer to call it The Wool Run!
Isn't it amazing how we are always in a hurry to get somewhere? I could not count the number of times I've headed west from Sydney along the Mitchell Hwy in an endeavour to get out west as quick as possible. In fact, I've been driving right past some the best 4WD touring routes you can find anywhere. So this month, let's ease into our trip out west and pick a meandering route that will showcase the history and the outback that is on our doorstep.
No matter where you go, if you live in a major city or town, there is always a certain degree of sealed road to travel before your Cooper tyres will kick up the dust. The Mid Western Hwy stretches from Bathurst to Hay in western New South Wales and passes through some lovely country towns with quite an amazing history to them. Do a little research before your trip and compile some notes on the towns you pass by, this will add to the enjoyment of your trip and an understanding of the country through which you travel.
For example, Cowra has an incredible history to it. Known worldwide for its Japanese Gardens, these are in fact a memorial to the famous Cowra Breakout. It was early morning on 5 August, 1944 and over 1000 Japanese Prisoners of War (POW) were packed into their cramped sleeping quarters on the outskirts of Cowra. Fed up with the atrocious conditions and the humiliation of being a POW, an escape bid was launched. Some POW's, dressed in heavy overalls, sacrificed themselves by throwing their bodies over the tangle of barbed wire that blocked their escape to freedom, allowing the escapees to use their bodies as a running board over the barbed wire.
During the melee that followed, just three army privates lost their lives, along with one Lieutenant . This was the largest mass POW escape in British history with 378 eventually escaping the confines of the camp. Within days, 334 escapees had been recaptured, but there was a total of 231 deaths amongst the POW's, many committing suicide rather than be returned to the POW camp, under Japanese lore, it was seen as a disgrace to have been captured by the enemy and many of the young soldiers took their own lives rather than live with such shame.
Once you get past Cowra and West Wylaong the country becomes more arid, with explorer John Oxley declaring in 1817 "these desolate areas would never again be visited by civilised man". Thank goodness no one listened to him! Reaching the quaint town of Rankin Springs you get the opportunity to leave the highway behind. Study the map and you see a thin red line leading North West through Monia Gap to Hillston. Along here you raise the dust for the first time as you pass fields of Canola and wheat. Monia Gap is a rocky outcrop that the road barely notices as it swings between two low ridges. Hillston is your last opportunity to refuel and stock up the fridge. A beautiful town with lots of well laid out street gardens. The green of the area is due to the fact that the town is perched on NSW's highest producing and best quality artesian bore - what a difference water makes.
From Hillston take the Mossgiel road and suddenly you see why water is so kind to Hillston. You are barely out of the town and the road surface turns that incredible red hue of a typical dry outback location. The other overwhelming experience is the billiard table landscape. You cannot believe that the country can be so flat. It stays like this for 40 kilometres where you see the Willandra National Park sign pointing to the north into a scene that could easily be taken from a disaster movie the day after you know what. Dead flat, treeless country stretches to the horizon. The monotony is only broken by the occasional big red or eastern grey kangaroo kicking up dust as they reach up to 40 km/h using just two hind legs.
In the mid 1850s, Willandra Station stretched from Hillston for over 100km to Mossgiel in the west. Today about one fifth of Old Willandra Station is now under the supervision of the National Parks Service. The remainder of the station still runs sheep, so be aware that you will pass yards and station tracks on your way to the Park, most intersections have the direction to the Park well signposted.
Twenty kilometres from the Mossgiel Road you come to a gate (leave it as found, usually closed) on your right is the large Willandra woolshed and out houses. But if you continue straight ahead towards the trees you come to the actual homestead, now a National Park office (only manned during business hours). Here there is self registration for the camping spots if the Ranger is not in.
There are some great camping spots here - hard to believe after hours of flat featureless terrain, but the shaded campsites amongst the trees are level and firewood is provided, which is a real bonus. There are group campsites just west of the Homestead or you can drive on into the tree line for another 200 metres and find single campsites spread in a circle served by a FLUSHING toilet! With facilities like this the small camping fee of $3 per adult per night is easy to part with. Whilst there is an old weir within walking distance of the campsites, don't expect to find water out here, as the place is generally very dry. The great news is, even if you are not into camping, you can visit Willandra National Park as it also provides bunk bed style accommodation in the overseers cottage with all facilities including showers and a kitchen. This needs to be booked in advance, but out of the busy times such as school holidays you are very likely to have the whole place to yourself.

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Whilst at Willandra make sure you visit the various buildings scattered in the area. National Parks have done a good job of preserving and restoring them and provide excellent interpretive signs. You will soon realise that it was better to be a Ram than a Ewe, the Rams being provided with a shaded hut to keep them happy and in prime condition for their mating tasks, what a job!
From Willandra it's back onto the dusty road. Study the Hema map and you will see that you can either head north through Trida and then west to Ivanhoe or backtrack to the Mossgiel road and head west to the Cobb Hwy. If the weather turns nasty, you won't be going anywhere as these roads are all closed after just a few millimetres of rain.
Ivanhoe gives the appearance of a town in decline, often the hottest place in Australia, this is not a trip for the summer months. Just north of Ivanhoe you turn left onto the Menindee road. It is 200km of fairly good unsealed road, and you can easily travel at 80km/h. You are in fact following the main east west railway line, and rail crews are often seen along the edge of the road in, what otherwise appears, to be a very isolated part of NSW.
The town of Menindee is steeped in history. Major Thomas Mitchell was first European to pass this way in 1835, followed by Charles Sturt on his famous search for the inland sea in 1844. A fellow by the name of Tom Pain established the Menindee Hotel in 1853 and this hotel has gone on to become the second oldest hotel in continuous operation until it burnt down in 1999. Even Burke and Wills made Menindee their first staging camp in their ill-fated exploration to the Gulf country in 1860. Just past Menindee is the huge chain of lakes, said to be 3.5-times larger than Sydney Harbour, but not always with water in them. These lakes are fed by the Darling River, and to see it today with its sunken bed, dying red gums and dust bowl flood plain, it's hard to imagine that paddle steamers regularly ran up its length all the way to Bourke.
Kinchega National Park lies just to the south west of Menindee and provided you don't visit here in the hotter months between October and April, you could easily spend quite a few days here. The turn off to the park is just 1km west of Menindee, as you head south you come to a side road where there is a self registration booth. Camping costs $3 per person per night with a $7 park entry fee. If you turn left at this junction it follows the banks of the Darling River with numerous numbered campsites scattered along its path. The track is spread out over several kilometres so there is no need to camp on top of other visitors. The campsites are on level ground under the spreading branches of the red gums and overlook the diminishing waters of the Darling. This is quite an idyllic location and it would be easy to spend a few days here relaxing. There is no firewood collection in the park although open fires are permitted in season, so collect your wood before you reach the Park (Here is a handy hint, if coming from Ivanhoe as described here, collect you firewood at least 20km east of Menindee, as there isn't much after this point).
In 1881 Kinchega Station covered over a million acres and had 143,000 sheep on it. The historic Kinchega woolshed is worth a visit and easily found with the map of the Park you will collect when you self register. It is said that during it operation over the course of 100 years, 6-million sheep were shorn in the Kinchega woolshed. The woolshed had stands for up to 65 blade shearers in its heyday and you can walk through the historic woolshed and observe firsthand the equipment used in this bygone era. You will wonder at the difficult backbreaking work, the stench of the sheep, the heat and dust that would prevail in the woolshed and the constant noise of the machinery, sheep and the swearing shearers. There is a lot to see in our own backyard - you can make this a trip in itself spending several days in each park or simply using the campsites mentioned as an alternative to the usual grind along the Mitchell and Barrier highway as you head west.

Getting There/Maps
For Willandra travel via the Mid Western Hwy from Sydney/Bathurst/West Wyalong and for Kinchega follow the sealed road from Broken Hill or the unsealed road north from Mildura past Pooncarrie. Use the Hema Outback New South Wales map. The best time to visit is April to September, as it is too hot at other times.

Road Conditions
The roads around Willandra and Kinchega are well graded and very dusty but apart from dropping your tyre pressure to under 40psi to avoid punctures, your main concern will be wet weather. All unsealed roads will be closed when wet. This outback trek is suitable for 4WD and AWD vehicles and off road trailers fitted with good all terrain style tyres.

Staying there
The camping is fantastic in both parks with level shaded areas. In Kinchega you overlook the silt grey waters of the Darling River. Firewood is provided in Willandra, but you need to bring your own from outside the park at Kinchega. Both parks provide bunk style accommodation in shearers' quarters, which should be booked in advance.
Willandra Station
Entry Fee $7
Camping Fee $3 per night per adult, $2 per child.
Alternatively, stay in the Cottage for $50 per night (up to 4 people)
Kinchega National Park
Entry Fees $7
Camping Fees $3 per night per adult $2 per child
Shearers' Quarters $16.50 per adult per night, bring your own linen.

Contact numbers
Willandra Station NPWS 02 6967 8159
Kinchega National Park 08 8080 3200

Fuel Requirements
Fuel is available at Hillston, Ivanhoe and Menindee, the longest distances between fuel is Hillston to Ivanhoe at 190km and Ivanhoe to Menindee at 205km.

Driving tips
Drop tyre pressures to around 35psi on unsealed roads, Cooper ST tyres or similar are recommended. Slow down when approaching oncoming vehicles to avoid windscreen damage, move to the side of the road and stop to allow road trains pass rather than risk driving in dusty, non-visibility conditions. Be wary of kangaroos around dusk, they are prolific in Willandra National Park. Drive slowly on the river road in Kinchega National Park as it is narrow, twisty and very dusty.

 

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