Living Outback, Australia

Read More Tibooburra, Australia

Surrounded by granite crags, the old gold-mining settlement of Tibooburra (pop. under 200) is one of the loneliest places in New South Wales and in summer one of the hottest.

This little township has preserved a number of buildings of the gold-digging period, notably the courthouse, the Family Hotel and the Tibooburra Hotel. The tourist office and the offices of the National Park and Wildlife Service are now housed in the courthouse.


	Red dirt road in the Sturt Desert.

Address: Broken Hill Visitor Information Centre, Corner Blende and Bromide Streets, Box 448, Broken Hill, NSW 2880, Australia

Sturt National Park

(Living Outback)

310,600ha.

Sturt National Park, at Cameron Corner in northwestern New South Wales (where New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia meet), is the remotest nature reserve in the state. It was established in 1972 after the National Park and Wildlife Service had bought the old sheep stations in the area. It is named after Charles Sturt, who camped here in 1845, during a period of intense drought and heat, while looking for the large lake there was believed to be in the center of Australia.

This is the most arid area in New South Wales, with semi-desertic vegetation. It is the home of red kangaroos, emus and lizards, a region of red sand dunes, great stony plains and tabular hills, the 'jump-up country'. All the roads in this area, including the Silver City Highway, are unsurfaced and may become impassable after sudden showers of rain. The road from Bourke via Wannaring to Tibooburra, however, is negotiable by ordinary cars. After rain the semi-desert becomes a sea of flowers. With its remains of former grazings and the relics of gold mining round Tibooburra, this is an ideal area for experiencing the real Australian outback.

Address: Tibooburra Area Visitor Centre, Tibooburra, NSW 2880, Australia

Tips: Access from Tibooburra. Best time to visit is between April and September, during the Australian winter. Water and food supplies must be taken. Admission cost is per vehicle per day. Adult and child fees are for camping only and apply per night.

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