We've often travelled to Back O' Bourke so thought we should check out Bourke on this journey northwards. Bourke bills itself as the Gateway to the Real Outback. It's in the Western District of New South Wales on the Darling River. We booked into Kidman's Camp which had been recommended as a great place to stay - a grassy green oasis with lovely gardens.
There's plenty to keep us busy here and we'll have to come back to see more of the sights. Bourke was once a major riverboat port with many bales of wool sent along the Darling and Murray Rivers to Morgan in South Australia en route to Adelaide. The Crossley Engine is still in working condition and is started and run on a regular basis.
The Back O' Bourke Exhibition at the Information Centre provides plenty of information about the Bourke town and surrounding areas. There are many audio visual presentations in the associated buildings. We listened to stories told by the war correspondent Charles Bean. Poet Henry Lawson lived in the area for a period and some of his best works were inspired by the Bourke district. As we walked along the paths we saw several granite sculptures.
Professor Fred Hollows, the ophthalmologist who pioneered sight saving and restoring surgery to the outback, is buried in the Bourke Cemetery. His grave is ringed by stones and is symbolic of an eye.
We had planned to travel on the P.V.Jandra on the Darling River but we were thwarted by the weather so we'll have to come back for that experience.
Several times a week in the cooler months, Kidman Camp is host to "Poetry on a Plate" and we had an evening of bush stories and poetry while we enjoyed a delicious meal accompanied by a glass of wine. We were grateful for the campfire as the cooler autumn weather has arrived.
Tomorrow we're heading into Queensland.
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