Outback Spirit Corner Country Tour. 9th August 2026
Adelaide SA
Made our way by taxi from the West Beach Caravan Park to the Stamford Grand Hotel in Glenelg. After a coffee in the restaurant, we sat in the foyer, where we were joined by six or so other adventurers all waiting to be picked up by the coach. The plan was to pick up the rest of the crew from the airport, have lunch and then be given a bit of a cook's tour of Adelaide.
Lunch was at the cafe at Mount Lofty lookout and comprised a bread roll and a cup of coffee. This of course was quite OK, but it was odd: there are tables of four and four bread rolls appeared, one each, but all different! I was lucky to snag the only ham one, but I also had the haloumi one as no one else wanted it. Both were excellent. Judy ran straight into the same food problem as she had on the Murray Princess. Despite nominating multigrain bread only, there were none. Upon request they immediately gave here 'Nourish bowl'. I laughed just at the thought of it. Basically it was a shredded cauliflower steak on a bed of chia with some tomato relish and fresh spinach with aioli.
The cloud had rolled in the moment we got there but I managed a snap of the obelisk which was erected in 1902 to replace the original stone cairn. It was originally used for shipping navigation and as a trig point for Adelaide.
The 'tour' turned out to be a drive up and down the main boulevards culminating in a visit to the park commemorating Colonel Light. Light was the surveyor who sited and set out the town of Adelaide. The park is situated overlooking the city and used to have a great view of the town and the hills beyond until they built the sports arena right in front of it.
Col. Light. Surveyor of Adelaide. Adelaide SA August 2026
From there we made our way back to the Stamford Grand Hotel in Glenelg for our evening meal and accommodation.
Such a grand sounding name. It may well have been once but seems to lost some of its inherit charm and character. This is the best I could do to make it look 'flash'.
StamfordGrand Hotel. Glenelg SA. August 2026
-> Blanche Town SA
Early start today and most happy to be leaving the drizzle and cold for what we hoped would be warm sunny climes as we proceed north. Let the adventure begin.
First stop (of many many stops as it would transpire) was for morning tea at Blanche Town, where we had been just the week before on the PS Murray Princess cruise. We parked up next to the river just before the bridges and quite some way from the Lock 1 precinct and proceeded to 'leg stretch' and drink tea.
Blanche Town SA. August 2026
-> Renmark SA
Renmark is our lunch stop, which consisted of chicken wraps pre-ordered from the bakery, eaten in the park in the middle of the main street. Knowing that the river was perhaps 50 metres away I couldn't understand why we hadn't pulled up around the corner at the nice park on the banks of the Murray. Oh well, early days yet.
-> Paringa SA
Paringa is all of 3 km from the lunch stop, right across the other side of the river. We were given an opportunity to admire the silo art. You be the judge.
Silo art. Paring's SA. August 2026
Mildura Vic
Let's backtrack a minute. Before we arrived in Adelaide the news came through that the Maree portion of the tour was cancelled due to flooding and road closures. And while this is perfectly acceptable, I couldn't help but feel a bit deflated as Maree and he Birdsville Track were definitely on my bucket list of places I wanted to see. But now, as we trundled eastward, we are told that the Mungo Lake section is also closed. Not the same level of disappointment, mostly because we have already done a brilliant tour there a few years back, but just another of those little blows that start you wondering just how much of the whole tour we might get to see. The bigger problem was that we were supposed to stay at the Mungo Lake lodge, and so the Outback Spirit machinery had spun into action to find accomodation and meals for 28 people on short notice. I never thought for one second that it would be anywhere but the Grand Hotel in Mildura. Here's that grand appendage again. And while the Grand Hotel is very nice, it too has lost any old world charm it may have had through the many successive upgrades it has had over the years.
Because of the change of plan, we had arrived in Mildura a bit earlier than we would have if we had gone to Mungo Lake, so we had a quick tour of the river front: Chaffey's homestead, the lock and weir.
Lock 1. Mildura Vic. August 2026
-> Wentworth NSW
Early start in the morning with the obligatory 'T&P' stop at Wentworth to view the confluence of the Murray and the Darling Rivers. Lock 11 is here too but up a flooded dirt track and half a kilometre away. I didn't think there was time for me to take the longer walk around the road, and assumed the bus would at least do a drive-by. But no, soon enough we were out onto the highway and north-bound.
Murray and Darling collide. Wentworth NSW. August 2026
-> Pooncarie NSW
A surprise! Instead of going straight up the Silver City Highway to Broken Hill, we took a right-turn into a smaller road leading to Pooncarie, some town unknown to me north of Mungo Lake. Pooncarie is where we would have come out from Mungo Lake if we had stayed on the original tour plan. Second surprise, the road is fully sealed all the way. Third surprise, Pooncarie, or 'Port' as it was known in its heyday, was a very busy port on the Darling river for the paddleboat trade. There isn't much of a town to be seen, but we were taken to the site of the old wharf where there is a little cafe that was closed for a private function - us. Here's a snap of where the old wharf was, but not a trace of it or anything else to do with paddle wheelers to be seen. And the mighty Darling is tiny! Not much more than a stream really.
Site of the old wharf. Pooncarie NSW. August 2026
This old advertising sign on the side of the road into town for the local garage in 'Port' was a heap more interesting.
Peugeot 204. Poncarie NSW. August 2026
-> Menindee NSW
Menindee was next on my list of must-go-there-one-day towns. No real reason, but there must have been some long forgotten connection. Maybe something as simple as reading a slogan once that said, Men die in men-in-die. As it turns out there is nothing to see in Menindee. Its only claim to fame is the The Maidens Hotel, which is where Burke engaged William Wright, manager of nearby Kinchega Station to replace Wills, who had been promoted to second-in-command after Landells had a dummy spit and left in a huff. And Menindee is where Burke split the tour group and left Wright in charge to gather more supplies and then follow him and the rest of the party up to the next depot. Here's a snap of bustling downtown Menindee, Maidens Hotel on the right.
Menindee NSW. August 2026
-> Menindee Lakes NSW
Close behind Menindee-the-town on my list was Menindee Lakes. Last I had heard about them was a while back when we were in the middle of a drought and the smart people who run the country decided to drain the lakes. Our guide suggested it was so 'they' could build a new water supply pipeline for Broken Hill, to come all the way up from Wentworth instead of the then current one being fed by Menindee lakes.
The lakes (there were seven, now five, I'm told) are nothing to look at, at least not from our vantage point. Between us and the edge of this particular lake was the 'live' railway line from Broken Hill. We were warned about the dangers of crossing the apparently unused railway line of course and all care was duly taken. Sure enough, fifteen minutes after us leaving, we saw the Indian Pacific trundling through on its way to Sydney
One of the Menindee Lakes & a weir. August 2026
Broken Hill NSW
Line of Lode Memorial and still closed cafe. Broken Hill NSW. August 2026
We have been to Broken Hill a few times, well twice to be exact. Once in 2002 with Judy's mum and dad, and a few years back in 2015 on one of our caravan trips. We went to the usual places of interest: Silverton, Sulphide Street train museum, Line of Load Lookout and the Royal Flying Doctor Service out at the airport. There was also a mineral / rock / mining museum that was new to us.
The accomodation arrangements this trip were a bit weird: Rooms at the Royal Exchange Hotel, meals one city block away down the street and across the road at the Astra Hotel. The Royal Exchange is an old hotel, which has retained its original charm. Our stay was made even more enjoyable because the room had a bath, so one could soak oneself after a long day in the bus.
The meals at the Astra were fine as well. It looked very much like the only eatery open in town and seemed popular with the locals as well. We had been to the RFDS on both previous occasions and were expecting it to be a bit 'same old, same old', but they surprised us with it all being in a brand new bigger building and beautifully done, complete with some of the old restored RFDS planes, an introductory film and a chat by one of the volunteers. Well done RFDS volunteers!
de Havilland DH.50 single-engine biplane. RFDS. Broken Hill NSW, August 2026
Lump of almost pure silver. Broken Hill NSW, August 2026
The Comet. Broken Hill to Parkes express. Broken Hill NSW, August 2026
Inside the Line of Lode Miners' memorial. Each miner killed is listed (except 3??) with all the info they could find. People find it fascinating to see how young or old they were and how they died. Broken Hill NSW, August 2026
Those missing three? As you go up the hill your guide will tell you that all the miners are listed except 3. This is not true. They will also tell you that the three 'mullock' trucks you see represent those men, which is 2/3 true. Fact: all know miners killed at the mine during its operation are listed in the Memorial. Two of the three rusty trucks are placed as a memorial to mark the spot directly above the place in the mine, some 500 feet below, where a rock fall killed two men in 1902. These are the only two bodies never recovered from the mine. The third truck just happens to be there next to them.
Two rusty old mullock trucks stand as memorials for the two young men whose bodies are still buried underground. Broken Hill August 2026
-> Silverton NSW
Silverton is about 30km west of Broken Hill and is one of those places you just have to go to, and then wonder why you bothered. Well, that is in my opinion, of course. Basically there is a pub and a few scruffy shops and galleries. There is also a decent museum we didn't get to this time. The snap below shows the main street. The Pub is on the right and a few tourists hanging around for lunch. Mind you, when the Mindi Mindi Bash is on (next week), the place will literally be swarming with 10,000 people and this street will be jam-packed.
Silverton NSW. August 2026
We left Broken Hill early, destination Tibooburra, gateway to Camerons Corner. Our first surprise today was that the road is sealed, I had always thought it was all dirt, north from Broken Hill. The second surprise, although it really came as no great surprise given the weather conditions out to he north and west, was that the road out of Cameron's Corner and up to Innamincka was closed, and possibly for quite sometime due to extreme road damage. Oh well, time to settle down and watch the landscape slide by. One shouldn't complain, travelling by air-conditioned coach at 100kph is way more comfortable than the way Sturt (1844) or Burke (1860) and his mates had travelled.
-> Fowlers Gap
We stopped at a viewing spot on the side of the road called Fowlers Gap. We took a snap of a metal statue, an artwork, one of many in the area. The whole area is apparently owned by the University of NSW and is a research station.
Ghost of Pioneer, art work. Fowlers Gap NSW. August 2026
-> Packsaddle NSW
Packsaddle Roadhouse was our lunch stop. There is a story told that connects Sidney Kidman the 'Cattlle King', RM Williams the boot and saddle maker, and the Packsaddle Station. There is definitely a connection between the two men. RM Williams learnt the Adnyamathanha ('Rock People', from the Flinders Ranges) art of making leather goods from a single piece of leather and only basic manual tools. Williams then made himself a packsaddle and sold it (and subsequently hundreds more) to Kidman, thus ensuring his future. Kidman owned Packsaddle the Station at the time but I can find no further connection. Packsaddle the roadhouse is on land that once belonged to Packsaddle the Station before it was subdivided. Anyhow, interesting place with lots of old leather and sheep shearing artefacts and good tucker.
Packsaddle Roadhouse. Packsaddle NSW. August 2026
-> Milparinka NSW
Sometime after leaving Packsaddle we pulled into a tiny almost ghost town called Milparinka. the area was first visited by Europeans in 1841 when Sturt camped near the spring. Malparinka may well mean 'water nearby' in the language of the local Malyangapa people. The town itself came into being in the 1880s when gold was found in the hills nearby, and had its heyday in the 1890s until the gold ran out. Rediscovered as a ghost town in the late 1990s it has been partially restored, parts are heritage listed and it is now a great tourist attraction.
There are a few building that are either thoughtfully restored or at least stabilised, I quite like the courthouse and police station, complete with cells.
Rear of courthouse and police station. Milparinka NSW. August 2026
But wait. There's more. about 15 km to the west is Depot Glen, Sturt's home for six months during the drought of '85, and the final resting place of the only member of his party to die during the entire expedition into the interior.
Sturt's 1845 Depot Glen. Milparinka NSW. August 2026
Tibooburra NSW
Our overnight stop is in Tibooburra, half the group staying the Family Hotel, the others at the Granite Motel. I was a bit surprised at the smallness of Tibooburra, I somehow expected t to be much larger. As it is, it presents almost like a ghost town.
Tibooburra NSW. Family Hotel on right. August 2026
Cameleer and camel, made from wire mesh. Tibooburra NSW. August 2026
-> Warri Gate
Some 150km north of Tibooburra the road comes to a halt. There is a fence stretching out into the distance to the east and to the west. Our road is blocked by a closed, large, steel framed wire gate.
Welcome to Warri Gate. This is a gate in the Dingo or Dog fence. A structure so large it can be seen from space. It is the the largest single piece fence in the world stretching 5614 kilometres across three states. Built in the 1890 to keep the rabbit plague out of Northern Australia, which it failed completely to do, it was augmented in 1950 with a bigger, better fence specifically designed to keep the dingoes out of Southern Australia. The two fences are physically still there running side by side the entire distance. Apparently it was going to cost more to remove the old fence that it did to build the new one, so they just left it there. As an aside, the fence keeps the dingoes and wild dogs out alright, but as they are the apex hunter, it also allows to rabbits and kangaroos to breed prolifically alongside your sheep and cattle in your lovely green pastures
The gate is also the crossing between New South Wales and Queensland. It also signifies the end of the sealed road and the start of the dirt roads.
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| Dog-fence West, NSW. Warri Gate. August 2026 |
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| Dog-fence South, Qld. Warri Gate. August 2026 |
About 50 km or so north of Warri Gate we made a T&P stop, which was next to a lake that wasn't supposed to be out here in the gibber desert, but appeared after the heavy rains over the last few months.
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| Lake in gibberish desert. North of Warri Gate Qld. August 2026 |
-> Noccundra Qld
Finally after a long morning's ride we came into Noccundra, which is a Hotel on the Wilson River. There is a campground opposite on the banks the river. There is nothing else, except the vague notion that Burke and Co. made Camp 57 nearby on the Wilson River.
This always amuses me: you drive through a desert for hours and when you arrive at the one building for miles around, it is its own little green oasis.
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| Noccundra Hotel, Qld. August 2026 |
Innamincka SA
After a few more hours bumping along some dusty dirt roads, we crossed the Cooper Creek for the first time. I'm almost excited, we are now getting into the Dig Tree country.
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| Cooper River, on Adventure Way. Qld. August 2026 |
An hour or so later we flashed past a road sign pointing into the distance that said "Dig" tree. We're hot on their trail now, for sure.
But first, we need to complete the 60 or 70 km into Innamincka, where you are greeted by... well almost nothing except the Hotel.
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| Innamincka hotel. Innamincka SA. August 2026 |
The Dig tree is on my list of "must see" Australia icons. I'm very pleased to say that thanks to the Nappa Merrie Station, the tree, or should I say the trees, are very well looked after. Both trees look healthy, and even more importantly, complete, despite being something like 650 years old.
To just stand there looking at that tree, looking around it, and past it and up and down the Cooper Creek, brings all that history to life. It's brilliant, I could not have asked for more.
There are two significant trees with a 'Dig' emblazoned on them. The original one was blazed by Brahe when he left the camp to return to Menindee. He left the supplies he could spare buried in a case near the tree. The 'Dig' was a message intended for Burke and his party returning from their northern exploration.
This picture of a picture is much better than the one I could take as the tree is now mostly obscured by the protective walkway and the abundant signage.
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| Brahe's original Dig Tree. Their fort is behind it. Camp 65. Cooper Creek Qld. August 2026 |
The second 'Dig' tree was blazed by Howitt when he came to the rescue in 1862. He thought it a great idea to leave even more supplies buried for any future explores that might come this way.
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| Dig Tree. Camp 65. Cooper Creek Qld. August 2026 |
Moving on from Innamincka and Dig Trees, we turned north and headed toward... ...well no one was sure exactly, but our next overnight stop is Birdsville, so we just had to keep a look out for landmarks and check against the paper map and our telephones.
Eventually we turned left onto the Windorah - Birdsville Road, so we were certainly on the right track. Our first stop was at Deon's Lookout, which is at the top of a 'jump-up' and the view s spectacular. Sadly an image never captures it, but here's my attempt.
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| Deon's Lookout. Near Betoota Qld. August 2026 |
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| Betoota Hotel. Betoota Qld. August 2026 |
Further on, toward Birdsville, we stopped to look at a giant Dreaming Serpent that has been made from local rocks on the side of a rocky outcrop.
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| Dreaming Serpent. Betoota Qld. August 2026 |
Birdsville Qld
Birdsville is a bit of a surprise. It is bigger than I imagined, and more 'alive' than the other remote towns we have been through of late. We are in modern motel accomodation out the back of the Birdsville Hotel and they seem new and are quite comfortable.
Second only to Dig Trees in this part of the world is 'Big Red'. Big Red is a 40 metre sandhill 35 km out of town and is one of he hundreds that form the Simpson Dessert.
Our first stop is
