Northwestern New South Wales

Northwestern New South Wales (Northwest NSW) is the region wedged between the Far West and New England, with a mix of New England's agricultural and the Far West's "true outback" feel.

The region has strongly been influenced by the Great Artesian Basin, which led to this area being settled. Today, you can find bore baths at most of the region's towns.

Cities

• 1 Bourke – not really a tourist town but it's the only town for kilometres on end
• 2 Brewarrina – claims to have the world's oldest structure
• 3 Burren Junction – once a railway encampment that thrived as a tourist town but now in shatters.
• 4 Cobar – a mining town in the centre of the NSW Outback
• 5 Collarenebri – an ordinary small town
• 6 Lightning Ridge – the opal capital of New South Wales
• 7 Nyngan – home of the "Big Bogan"
• 8 Walgett – a regional centre of northwest New South Wales

Other destinations

• 1 Gundabooka National Park – known for its petroglyphs
• 2 Toorale National Park – contains one of the oldest homesteads in the state

Get in

The main way to enter northwestern New South Wales is via car, via the various highways that enter the region. From:

• Western New England:
  • Gwydir Highway (B76)
  • Kamilaroi Highway (B51)
• Central West
  • Castlereagh Highway (B55)
  • Mitchell Highway (A32)
  • Oxley Highway (B56)
• Riverina
  • Kidman Way (B87)
• Far West
  • Barrier Highway (A32)
• Outback Queensland (in QLD)
  • Castlereagh Highway (A55)
  • Mitchell Highway (A71)

Get around

The train network in the region is abysmal and is not a practical means of getting around – you're best bet is to use a car in one of the state's most car-centric regions.

See

Petroglyphs in Gundabooka NP

Lightning Ridge is basically the opal capital of New South Wales (and the East Coast, for that matter) and if you're into mining, then it's a great destination to check out. Cobar is also known for its rich mining history, but is much larger than Lightning Ridge.

For those interested in Indigenous history, Gundabooka National Park has some of the state's most well-preserved petroglyphs. Although the petroglyphs are fairly simple compared to others, it's still an impressive site that's well worth a visit.

Like other places in Outback NSW, there are many homesteads dating from the era of agriculture. The Toorale Homestead is one of the state's largest, and once a part of the world's largest sheep station.

Eat and drink

Most restaurants look alike with limited variety and you'll struggle to find a place without meat pies or sausage rolls – see Outback New South Wales#Eat for specific information, which practically applies to every region of Outback New South Wales, including northwestern New South Wales.

Likewise, every town will have a pub or two, which is really the only place that gets lively after dark.

Stay safe

Tap water is not safe to drink in Walgett and some towns surrounding it as most water in the area is bore water from the Great Artesian Basin. Consider bringing in bottled water before visiting these towns as it can get quite expensive at times.

Go next

West to the Far West, north to Outback Queensland, east towards Western New England/the Central West or south towards the Riverina.