After leaving Bourke I stopped a night at Byrock about halfway between Bourke and Nyngan. Nothing to the town apart from The Mulga Creek Hotel and adjoining Caravan Park.
Next town heading south is Nyngan. Nyngan grabbed national attention in 1990 when the town flooded and its population of 2,500 people were evacuated en masse to Dubbo. Despite the flooding it has some lovely old buildings and an excellent museum in the old Railway Station and adjoining buildings. The Museum is one of the best I have been to and has a comprehensive account of the floods. There is a 15 minute video you can watch about the floods as you sit in the seats that were rescued from the local theatre. The local shire is Bogan Shire and they have capitalised on the vernacular use of the word “bogan” with a huge statue in town and the road south is called “The Bogan Way”.
I next headed down The Bogan Way to Tottenham (see Bucket Lust #50) for an overnight stop and then the next day through Tullamore to Condobolin.
Condobolin was a bit of a gem. A very historical town and another very good museum. The volunteer on duty was very passionate about preserving the towns history and we had a lovely long conversation about lots of subjects. She gave me lots of information. There was a bush race meeting that afternoon, their first since Covid. Under other circumstances I probably would have gone but I tend to shy away from large crowds now. I went and saw Utes in the Paddock (see Bucket List #51) and also took a drive out to Gum Bend Lake. What a fantastic recreational and camping area! The manmade lake has been extended and is now useable for skiing and other water activities. You can camp for up to 14 days free. It was quite popular and I imagine more so in holiday times. They are adding facilities gradually and a walking path around the full lake is in the planning. Condobolin is a place I would like to go back to in the future and spend a bit more time there.
rayaroundoz 