Travelling and working in drought-ravaged western NSW in the 1870s, with little more to his name than a one-eyed horse and five shillings in his pocket, young Sidney Kidman dreamt of building an all-weather beef road. This ‘road’ would be a chain of cattle stations stretching from the flood plains of western Queensland and South Australia to the rich cattle markets of Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne. This chain of stations would allow Kidman to move stock from one property to another during drought, and so ensure that his cattle survived the dry times and got to market fat and rested. Sixty-odd years later, Sir Sidney Kidman, the Cattle King, was Australia’s greatest land owner, and his longed for chain of more than 100 stations stretched as far north as the Gulf of Carpentaria and covered an area of more than 125,000 square miles — more than the total land area of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
In 1999 the final section of the road linking Jerilderie in the south and Bourke in the north was sealed — giving the people, properties and small rural centres of outback NSW an all-weather beef road at last. This road is called The Kidman Way, in honour of the man who once had a similar vision and dream, and who helped pioneer much of the Australian Outback.
The Kidman Way runs almost 800km through outback New South Wales, and is a great introduction to the wide open expanse of western New South Wales, particularly for those who prefer to stay on the bitumen. Along the way you can visit the scene of some of bushranger Ned Kelly’s more notorious raids, enjoy the wineries and restaurants of cosmopolitan Griffith and the surrounding Riverina region, learn about the true story behind the legend of the ‘black stump’, discover a rich local history at the copper mining town of Cobar and explore the town that has become synonymous with the bush and the outback — Bourke.
The Kidman Way officially starts just outside Jerilderie, which is 35km north of Finley on the Newell Highway. A pretty, sleepy town on the banks of Billabong Creek, Jerilderie’s claim to fame is a raid by Ned Kelly and his gang. In February 1879, Ned, his brother Dan, Steve Hart and Joe Byrne rode into town, burst into the police residence and locked the sergeant and constable in their own cells. Two days later, Ned Kelly and his gang held up the Royal Mail Hotel, which also housed the Bank of NSW and stole 2,140 pounds. After the raid, the outlaws cut the telegraph wires at the post office, where Ned penned his now famous Jerilderie letter — an account of his bushranging activities and his mistreatment at the hands of the law — before escaping with the rest of the gang.
Just behind the post office is a pretty man-made lake — a great spot for a picnic or rest stop — and ‘old steel wings’, an enormous windmill dating from 1910 which was transported from a nearby station when the lake was built in 1979. On the opposite side of the Billabong Creek a miniature steam railway operates on the afternoons of the second and fifth Sunday of the month.
From Jerilderie, The Kidman Way heads north through the lush Riverina area towards Griffith, passing through the small towns of Coleambally and Darlington Point, where there are some pleasant picnic areas beside the Murrumbidgee River.
Griffith is a large regional centre, in the heart of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA). Surrounded by vineyards, orchards and ricefields, it is a veritable oasis in the otherwise dry landscape. Take a short drive up to Scenic Hill for a good view of the surrounding country. A short scramble down a rocky path from the lookout will lead you to Hermit’s Caves, where local recluse Valerio Recitti carved a chapel and garden terraces into the hillside. These caves were his home for many years between the two world wars. Also on Scenic Hill is the very good Pioneer Park Museum. Plan to spend a couple of hours at this huge outdoor museum. There are more than 40 heritage buildings here, most relocated from surrounding villages and properties. Exhibits range from old pubs, shops, chemists and post offices, to homesteads, schoolrooms, miners’ shanties and hospitals. Most of the shops are stocked with artefacts from the day and many of the houses are furnished with period furniture. Engine buffs will love the extensive transport and machinery exhibits. The museum is open daily.
The main attraction of Griffith is, however, its wineries. Seventy per cent of NSW’s wine is produced in this area. Semillon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are the main varieties, although the most famous are the botrytis affected styles. There are 11 wineries open to the public for tastings and cellar door sales. Griffith has a large Italian population which lends the town a cosmopolitan air and provides quite a few very good Italian restaurants. Drop into the information centre for a restaurant and winery guide.
Other attractions around Griffith include many fine, stately gardens, many of which are open during the annual Festival of Gardens in October. The Regional Theatre in Neville Place has a collection of historic photographs, although the main drawcard is the sculptured curtain depicting Griffith and the surrounding countryside.
For an insight into the importance of beef, and sheep, to the economy of outback NSW, and to relive the excitement that Kidman must have felt when his cattle were successfully brought to market, visit the saleyards on The Kidman Way, just north of the city. Cattle sales are on Wednesdays, sheep on Thursdays.
From Griffith, The Kidman Way heads north 366km through the vast, open western plains to Cobar. This is where the outback begins, where kangaroos and emus are plentiful and giant tumbleweeds roll across the roads. The first 100 or so kilometres are still fairly green as you edge out of the MIA, passing through towns such as Goolgowi and Merriwagga. Once past Merriwagga, you have the right to claim that you have officially travelled beyond the black stump, for this is the place where the well-known Australian expression was born. According to local legend, the wife of a local bullocky was burnt to death while cooking a meal around a campfire oven. The expression came about from the husband’s remark: “when I returned, my wife was dead, she looked just like a black stump.” Her remains are buried in Old Gunbar Cemetery.
Merriwagga’s other, less macabre claim to fame is the tallest bar in the west. Unfortunately, the Black Stump Hotel was closed when we passed through town early in the morning, so we were unable to verify the claim.
Hillston is the next town along The Kidman Way, and is a good place to stop and refuel and have a break. There are some good picnic and rest area on the banks of the Lachlan River, and the main street, with its historic shopfronts and overhanging verandahs make for a pleasant stroll.
The stretch between Hillston and Cobar is long, straight and unbroken except for the pub-and-service station-town of Mount Hope. It’s about an hour from Hillston, two more to Cobar, so call into the hotel for a soft drink and a rest stop. If there are locals in the bar, they’ll be happy to chat, as is the publican.
The Kidman Way continues 160km through mallee and semi-arid woodlands on to Cobar, once famous for copper. Sidney Kidman had one of his first business ventures here when he set up a butchers shop to supply meat to the hungry miners in the first heady days of the Cobar copper strike in the 1870s. The copper rush lasted until the 1920s, when the two biggest mines closed down. One, the CSA mine, was reopened in the 1960s, and more recently operations have started mining gold, zinc, lead and silver.
The Great Cobar Outback Heritage Museum, which also houses the information centre, is on the Barrier Highway on the eastern side of town. The rather grand Edwardian building was once the administration office of the Great Cobar Copper Mine, and is perched on the edge of the open-cut mine. Inside there are 13 themed exhibitions that relate the local history — Aboriginal heritage, mining, pastoralism and social history. Outside are machinery and blacksmith’s exhibits as well as one of the mobile Far West Children’s Hospital train carriages that used to travel the outback as a mobile clinic.
Early morning walking tours are available if you book at the Heritage Centre, and take in the many historic buildings in town, the mining sites and colourful local stories. You can also look down on the old headframes and mining operations at the Fort Bourke Lookout on the edge of town. Eight kilometres further south is the Peak Gold Mine, where you can view the mine in action from an observation platform.
Cobar is a good base for day trips into the outback, best amongst them Mt Grenfell Aboriginal Art site and Mt Gundabooka National Park. Both have magnificent examples of Aboriginal rock art. Camping is permitted only at Gundabooka. Access to both sites is dry weather only. Mt Grenfell is 40km west on the Barrier Highway, then north 32km on a gravel road past Mt Grenfell homestead. Limited drinking water is available, so it is better to take your own.
Mount Gundabooka National Park is about 10km off The Kidman Way, approximately 110km from Cobar, 50km south of Bourke. Gundabooka is one of the state’s newest national parks and features the Gundabooka Range as well as good galleries of Aboriginal rock art. If you are planning to visit the park, you should contact the Bourke National Parks and Wildlife Service beforehand for directions. Tel: (02) 6872 2744.
This part of the drive, between Cobar and Bourke, has the closest association with Kidman. Before he started his Cobar butcher’s shop, Kidman freighted supplies by bullock wagon from the river port of Bourke to Cobar, and in turn, returned to Bourke with copper ingots to be transported down the Darling River.
Bourke has symbolised the edge of the outback since the days of Henry Lawson, and has entered into the Australian vernacular with the phrase ‘back o’Bourke’. It is this remoteness that has shaped the frontier spirit of the town, and today draws visitors to Bourke, and beyond.
Although Sturt passed through the area in 1829, when he discovered the Darling River and Mt Oxley, Surveyor Major Mitchell was the first to ‘settle’ at Bourke, when he erected Fort Bourke Stockade in 1835. You can tour the stockade site where there is a replica and a commemorative cairn. Directions are detailed on the free Back o’Bourke Mud Map Tours brochure, available from the Visitors Information Centre in the old railway building in Bourke.
Bourke’s halcyon days were in the 1880s when more than 200 paddle-steamers stopped at Bourke, taking wool down the Darling headed for Adelaide and Melbourne. There are still plenty of traces of the port’s former glory reflected in the many fine, historic buildings such as the London Charted bank, built in 1888, the Lands Office and courthouse. There is a reconstructed three-tiered wharf at the northern end of Sturt Street and the lift-span North Bourke Bridge, built in 1883, once lifted to let paddlesteamers pass below. It is one of the few such bridges in the state. The concrete weir built in the 1940s has now made the river unnavigable to boats.
From Bourke, The Kidman Way continues 130 km to Barringun and the Queensland border, where the road becomes the Matilda Highway, cutting through western Queensland to reach Normanton on the Gulf of Carpentaria — passing through more Kidman country and uncovering more outback legends.
When visiting Griffith Catania Farm is a must. It is one of the oldest farms in the area with a mud brick home, built in the 1920's. There are daily tours of the ‘fruit salad’ farm at 1.30pm and you can see how sugar plums are dried, taste the sun ripened peaches, apricots, oranges and grapes when in season, or share a wine made by Joe, in the traditional Italian way. Catania is on Cox Road Hanwood. From the tourist information centre follow The Kidman Way to Hanwood. After the village turn left onto Hanwood Avenue and follow the street signs to Catania Farms.
The Darling River at Bourke is a great place to do some inland fishing. The best spots are on the other side of the riverbank to the town and under the North Bourke Bridge. Fish to catch are yellowbelly, catfish, black bream, European carp and Murray cod. There’s good yabbies when the Paroo and Warrego Rivers run. A fishing weekend starts each Easter Friday with the weigh-in on Sunday.
Gundabooka National Park is worth a visit if you’re driving The Kidman Way. It features rugged cliffs, gorges and hills, formed from rust-coloured rocks more than 385 million years old. The main feature is the Gunderbooka Range.
There’s a small camping and picnic area at Dry Tank, with a short walking track leading through mulga woodlands to nearby Little Mountain, where you can see views to the northern escarpment of the Gunderbooka Range. The camping area is accessible by car, and is large enough for a caravan. A new day-use area is being developed at Bennetts Tank which will ultimately be a stepping-off point for a trek to the top of Mt Gundabooka.
4WD
