Out the Back O'Bourke

After bidding farewell to the feral goats that we shared our lovely free camp with in the village of Louth, we hit the road early and given it was just a short 100km to Bourke, we arrived before most folks had checked out!  They are pretty laid-back folks out in the bush so they had no problem with just letting us find a site that we liked and to come back and let them know which one we had set up on.

As luck would have it, we were there on an evening that a local bush poet puts on his ‘Poetry on a Plate’ show so we booked ourselves in for dinner and a show that evening and then set out on our touristing way.

Bourke has a lot of history due to it being the hub of outback NSW farming, mainly sheep and wool, from the mid 1800’s through to about WW1.  The Darling River was the lifeblood and transportation link to the rest of the country and Bourke was the major port at the head of the river.  The wool and meat from sheep was sent down river to markets on barges towed by paddle steamers.  The paddle steamers would stop in at all of the big stations along the length of the Darling but for the rest of the runs (or stations) that did not have river frontage or were further out the ‘Back O’Bourke’, they typically had to haul their production into Bourke using bullock trains.  The bullock trains have since been replaced by Road Trains (giant semi-trailer trucks) and the paddle steamers and barges were put out of business by droughts and the arrival of the railway.
 

Former working Paddle Steamer 'Jandra' now does tourist cruises

All of the history of the region and stories specific to strong and unique characters that helped build, define, describe or find infamy out here are well described at the ‘Back O’Bourke’ Exhibition Centre.

Entrance to the Back O'Bourke Exhibition Centre

It is a tough life out here with the heat, dust, isolation and frequent droughts that can send a farmer to ruin.  This was particularly the case during the late 1800’s when the place was being built from nothing.  A famous journalist and poet of the time, Henry Lawson, was sent out here from Sydney by his editor to ‘dry out’.  The experience certainly left its mark on him as much of his best known and regarded work relates to his time spent in the Bourke area and surrounds.  He is famous for having said, “If you know Bourke, then you know Australia”.  The folks that live around here are quite proud of that.

 

After a couple of days here, Heather and I think we now know a little bit more about Bourke.  By Henry’s definition, we should also know a little more about Australia – and I think he is right.

Next time somebody asks you WTF? – Where are The Farrows?, you can tell them we are ‘Out the Back O’Bourke'!

PS: The expression ‘Out the Back O’Bourke’, is Australian for ‘way out in the sticks’, or ‘a long way from everywhere’ or 'on the doorstep to nowhere'.

PPS: ‘Poetry on a Plate’ was a great night of entertainment around a fire and the camp oven food was excellent!  You can Google it if you want more information - I have run out of room.