Out at the Back of Bourke

Where the mulga paddocks are wild and wide
That's where the pick of the stockmen ride
Out at the back of Bourke!
Thus wrote Will Ogilvie, one of the lesser bush poets, in 1890, presumably giving rise to the now famous expression meaning a long way from anywhere. And it is. Even now.

I consulted Professor Google to see if Will is a relation but it appears he is not. He was born in Scotland and came to Australia in the late 1800s. Henry Lawson also spent time in Bourke as well as Albany so we now have that in common. I canoed the Darling the 7kms or so from Kidman's Camp in North Bourke where we stayed, down to the Bourke Wharf. As a West Australian I find it hard to get my head round a river that must be a thousand kilometres or more from the coast and is fresh, deep and has a discernible flow. Apart from the numerous Pelicans (again thousands of kms from the sea) and Major Mitchell cockies, I had it to myself. It would make a great trip to follow it down to the ocean but not this time.

At th bottom of the Bourke Wharf, which gives you some idea of how much higher the water can get.

From Bourke we headed down to Brewarrina, another of NSW's sad towns with little to recommend it apart from the ancient Aboriginal fish traps. It didn't look like it had ever amounted to much.

Walgett too is not much chop. The fact that its tourist literature makes much of the fact that it is Australia's chick pea capital is some indication of what it offers as a tourist destination, Sadly its in drought at the moment so not even the chick peas are providing much solace to the residents. We camped overnight at the Telleraga Rest Stop just west of Moree.

The Brewarrina Fish Traps. The Pelicans seem to think they were constructed for their benefit.

Moree is a place that deserves more recognition. All I knew about it was that it was infamous for having its swimming pool busted open for black kids by the Freedom Riders in 1965. Trish spotted an ad in the local paper for their Reconciliation Week Awards & Dinner and as we usually attend Albanys, we bought tickets. (When we travel we often try and attend community functions, quiz nights etc, because its a great way to get a feel for the community.) It was a great night. They've come a long way in 50 years

One of Moree's amazing Art Deco buildings. 

Moree is an attractive town. After a major fire in the 1920s, most of the central town was rebuilt with some amazing Art Deco and Arts & Crafts buildings. As a result the town equals Napier in NZ which is known worldwide for its Art Deco. I googled "art deco towns australia" but it didn't get a mention. Then I tried "Moree" and got an article from the Sydney Morning Herald describing it as the "crime capital of NSW" but you don't get that feeling from the town. It has none of the bars and shutters that a lot of the other towns do. Maybe that journo grew up here and has an axe to grind?Moree's friendly lady Mayor was at the Reconciliation Dinner and I told her how impressed we are.

Something else I didn't know about Moree is that it has artesian spa pools. There was one in the Mehi River Caravan Park which we took advantage of. The Park was on the river so I also went for a canoe there. Its a very pretty river with weeping willows, honeysuckle, some of the biggest castor oil plants I've seen and other deciduous trees turning red and orange, lining the banks. Ok so they're all weeds but it was purty. The overstory is still river gums with Sulphur Crested Cockatoos which means it still has a bush feel.

Moree's Imperial Hotel which appears to give Cobar's Great Western a run for its money in the iron lace stakes.

The Mehi River appears to be an anabranch of the larger Gwydir, which as far as I can see flows into the Barwon, which flows into the Darling, which of course eventually flows into the Murray. I can't believe how big this river system is!

Canoeing the Mehi River. Note pretty weeds - none of them blackberries!

I understand now too why a lot of eastern states visitors to Albany comment on how windy it is. Living in Albany I only think its windy if its blowing a gale but there is always some background wind. I've noticed on my canoe jaunts here that often there is a complete absence of wind. Incredibly peaceful.