22 Feb, 2024

Explore the best of outback NSW: Walgett and surrounds

by Ian Bellert

Cover the Walgett region to showcase its attractions? You beauty! Caravan World has been through the area on many trips. Given the chance to dive deeper into its charms, we’ve unearthed beautiful places to unhitch, days full of things to do and a couple of events which you must put on your bucket list.

Walgett, located in New South Wales' upper northwest, is 640km from Sydney, 694km from Brisbane or a lazy 1099km from Melbourne. The small town sits on the Namoi River with the Barwon River joining the Namoi very close to town.

The Walgett Shire covers a vast area of 22,336sq km and includes the townships of Walgett, Lightning Ridge, Collarenebri, Pokataroo, Rowena, Burren Junction, Cryon, Cumborah, Glengarry and Carinda.

The region holds significant Indigenous ties with the Aboriginal people of Walgett, mostly from the Gamilaraay, Yuwaalaraay and Ngayimbaa nations and there is a significant cultural heritage and an active artists community.

The first European explorer to the Walgett area was Captain Charles Sturt in February 1829, as he explored the Castlereagh River.

For the traveller

Walgett holds all that the weary (and not so weary) travellers could want to restock and refresh for a few days while exploring the region.

Starting with options to unhitch your caravan or camper. Alex Trevallion Park is 1.5km south from Walgett on the Castlereagh Highway. The park is RV friendly with a dump point, flat sites and offers a clean amenities block, fresh water and shady camp sites. The site has a limit of 48 hours for each stay. Part of the park has a lovely picnic area with tables and shade and overlooks a picturesque bore-fed lake.

Another option to unhitch is the Walgett Showgrounds, which offers powered, flat sites with amenities such as hot showers and toilets. The area is bitumen and very spacious. If there’s a race meeting or gymkhana on, the area is closed to campers, so check the Race Club’s website to see availability.

For those looking for a farmstay option, Muddy Waters is about 5km from town and offers sites right next to Barwon River. You can book via Hipcamp and Luke, your friendly and welcoming host, is currently constructing an amenities block. He sells local produce including fresh farm eggs and other seasonal produce. There are powered sites available as well as lovely, secluded spots along the billabong. For the young at heart there’s a swing rope to splash into the Barwon and the ‘bar-fence’ overlooking the river is a top spot to take in one of western NSW’s brilliant sunsets.

The Walgett Tourist Information Centre is in the middle of town, and the friendly staff can assist you with any travel requirements, maps, books and free colouring-in pages for the kids. There’s beautiful artwork on display and for sale. The floor of the centre is also adorned with colourful paintings that reflect the local Indigenous culture.

The main street has a supermarket, tyre and fuel centre, a pharmacy, a couple of pubs, a bottle shop, an RSL Club and there’s a couple of cafes and takeaway food shops. We tried the coffee and lunch at Stonesthrow Cafe and can attest to great fresh food and a coffee to please the most ardent coffee lover.

There’s a heritage trail around town with the local history highlighted. The Walgett Historical Society building is housed in the beautiful old council chambers building built in 1913. Check out what's happening via the society’s Facebook page.

The Walgett Artesian Bore Bath and swimming pool precinct is a short walk north and well worth a dip. There’s a lovely playground and grassed park area in the Apex Park and there’s nothing like a soak in an artesian bore, with its 38-degree water temp. It's a refreshing treat no matter the day's temperature.

You will see some beautiful murals painted by local artists Frank Wright and John Murray adorning Wongs Fish n Chip shop on Fox Street. Both sides of the building have stunning murals with incredible detail and a blend of old and new cultures represented. Another artistic highlight for anyone visiting Walgett is the towering water tower art featuring local musician and legend, Jimmy Little, which was completed in 2020 by artists Jenny McCracken and Frank Wright.

If you are looking for a travel break, then Grays Park on Euroka Street is a lovely respite. With covered picnic tables, free barbecues and clean toilets, it's a lovely, grassed area to stop over at. Towering above the park is a mobile tower providing 4G coverage for Telstra, Vodafone and Optus. A handy chance to contact people and catch up on your social media.

If you’re keen to put a boat in, the boat ramp sign is across the river to the north and leads to an easily negotiated boat ramp.

Collarenebri: Cod country

An easy 75km drive northwest of Walgett is Collarenebri (or Colly as it is locally known). Sitting on a beautiful stretch of the Barwon River, this is undisputed cod country with the annual Colly Cod Classic and Carp Muster a must for anglers who love catching and releasing Murray cod, yellow belly and the removal of European carp (also known as the common carp) from the waterway. This year's event, held in early September, saw 321 anglers register with the winning cod a whopping 50cm in length and more than 2000 carp extracted from the river. For more information check out the Collarenebri Watersports and Fishing Club’s Facebook page.

The hub of the event — and a favourite among much of the townsfolk — is the mighty Tattersalls Hotel. A new management team took over last year and one year in, the place is a very inviting stop. The bar is adorned with some monster cod pulled from the Barwon and the staff are as welcoming as the locals propping up a bar stool. The bistro serves great food, and the outside dining area is spacious with an air-conditioned dining room if you need to escape the heat. Cold beer (including a boutique brew — The Colly Cod — very tasty too!), great food (try a ‘Harry’s Special' from the bistro. It’s a crumbed parmy steak with the lot including Bolognese sauce) and friendly locals, it's your typical great nsw outback pub. And as a sticker on the bar declared “It’s un-Australian to drive past an outback pub”.

Staying at Collarenebri unearthed an absolute gem on the Barwon. A mere 800 metres from the pub is council run RV friendly free campground. The park has hot showers, toilets and provides numerous flat, tree-lined sites. If you venture along a little further, a very short dirt track leads you to sites along the river. This part of the river is teaming with fish and abundant bird life and is tailor-made for those wanting to soak in some western NSW ambience. We awoke to a spectacular sunrise reflecting on the Barwon and a bird-song chorus. Colly has Telstra service and 24/7 fuel and we’ll be heading back to enjoy its delights again.

Taking the road less travelled

Our next stop exploring the Walgett Shire was a run down to Come By Chance Racecourse and then across to Carinda for the Let’s Dance festival. The Come By Chance Racecourse was a 140km journey from Colly, and was a spectacular trip through many different properties. If you venture it yourself, be respectful of the land, stay on the track, slow down for stock and always leave gates as you found them. Our trip was in the dry and there’s nothing more Australian than being held up on the track while 350 sheep are mustered around you.

Come By Chance is a locality and a famous one at that. The annual Come By Chance Picnic Races was held a week prior to our visit, and is a massive day with the locals coming out in droves and there’s ample space to stop over and enjoy the day. Check out the race’s Facebook page for details for next year’s event. It’s been running for 55 years and given the atmosphere, will be around for another 55 years easily.

Our last stop in the Walgett Shire was the Let’s Dance festival at Carinda. In 1983, David Bowie filmed part of his video for the worldwide hit song Let’s Dance at the Carinda Hotel. In acknowledgement, the town has embraced its fame and this year the festival returned with a bang after a COVID-19 hiatus. The showground was the epicentre of the weekend-long festival, and all campsites and glamping tents were snapped up quickly. The day was hot, and the local organising committee team was buzzing around getting the preparations in place. The local pool was a welcome respite from the heat. With numerous food trucks, retail stalls and a merchandise tent selling items hand over fist, the weekend was not only a celebration of David Bowie’s visit but of a town bouncing back from COVID-19 and putting on a brilliant weekend for visitors.

Of course, Mr Bowie was everywhere — happy tourers were snapping pics of where he filmed the video and the David Bowie tribute band ‘Ashes to Ashes’ played late into the evening and the dancing never stopped. In a lovely touch, Suzie from the Carinda Hotel painted small rocks and spread them around the festival for people to find and keep as a memento of the weekend. The Let’s Dance festival is a testament to the town’s energy and resilience and should be on the top of your bucket list if you like country charm and a good old-fashioned dance!

For the traveller, Carinda has 24/7 card operated fuel, the Far West Store for a coffee and bite to eat and the famous Carinda Hotel. Telstra mobile reception is available in Carinda.

Keep an eye out for the rest of my NSW adventures, including a Darling River Run.

Travel planner

Walgett

Caravanning options: RV Friendly at Alex Trevallion Park and Walgett Showgrounds.

Both with amenities — shower, toilets and mobile coverage.

Walgett has everything you need, including tyre and mechanical services, pharmacy, supermarket, 24/7 fuel, RSL and pub with a bottle shop. The boat ramp is north of the river and the Artesian Bore Baths are a welcome respite.

Walgett Visitor Information Centre
88 Fox Street
Walgett NSW 2832
P: 02 6828 6139

Collarenebri

Located 75km northwest of Walgett, the Collarenebri RV Friendly free campground is council run and has great amenities. The spots on the river are more than ideal.

Colly has 24/7 fuel, Tattersalls Hotel (which has cold beer and a great bistro), Telstra coverage, boat ramp access to the river and great fishing. The annual Colly Cod Classic is open to all anglers.

Come By Chance Picnic Races

Held for 55 years, the Come By Chance Picnic Races is an iconic event in the area.

Located on a private property, the race club puts on a sterling event every year. If you want the full outback country race meeting memory, this is the event for you.

Carinda

Carinda is situated 70km south of Walgett and has an RV friendly showground, 24/7 fuel, coffee shop and the famous Carinda Hotel for a meal and cold beer. The town hosts the Let’s Dance festival each year.