biketrip

Day 37 - Burra to Wilcannia

Isaac O'Sullivan

Sep 2, 2023 • 4 min read

It's time to head home. I'm cutting across The Outback™ to skip all the coastline I've done on previous bike trips. Today is day one of the return via Broken Hill.

Quick Stats

6 hours on bike
556 km
13398 km total

I start late this morning as I've only got a few hours ride to get to Broken Hill for the evening.

I pack up my cottage, clean up the fireplace and wander down for a coffee while my socks... dry.

If your socks are still wet from washinf in the morning, try microwaving on medium for 5 minutes.

The clouds are gone, the wind is gone, it's still cold, but I think it is going to be a good day.

I leave Burra behind heading north through the fertile rolling hills I experienced two days ago.

There are windmills on literally every hill out here. South Australia generates 100% renewable energy into their grid, this is impressive as long as you ignore the part where they import more than half their power from coal and gas plants in Victoria.

It's not long, though, before these grassy knolls give way to drier grassland, and then shrubland and then I'm in the desert again. A couple hours further down and I'm crossing the border into New South Wales... kind of...

See I'm on the Barrier Highway heading towards Broken Hill, and for whatever reason, Broken Hill wants to be part of South Australia. While I've crossed the border, the timezone hasn't changed. I also couldn't help but notice how many Broken Hill businesses advertised on SA free to air last night.

Anyway, another hour down the road and I'm in Broken Hill. You may not know about Broken Hill, but you'll immediately know what industry they started in if I mention the BH in BHP (used to) stand for Broken Hill.

Welcome to the Silver City. The town and adjacent mine were founded by the Syndicate of Seven in 1885, who would form the Broken Hill Proprietary Company. The Big Mine would quickly grow to be 1.2 km long and 90 metres deep, producing something like half the world's silver production.

BHP made absolute bank from this and used it to grow into adjacent industries. The "broken hill" that the region was named after? Yeah they mined that away a hundred years ago.

The town is the longer operational mining town in Australia, although BHP packed up shop here many years ago. Because of this, the entire town is National Heritage Listed.

Oh speaking of being not NSW, they have a Foodland too, tagline "The Mighty South Aussies".

Grabbing lunch, I note it's only 2 PM and decide to do a couple more hours on bike rather than hang here, so I set off east.

Wilcannia sits along the Darling River, part of the longest river system in Australia. I once visited the source of the furthest tributary to the Darling River, a small spring on the western side of Mt Superbus, only a stones throw from Brisbane - I'll actually be loosely following the Darling most of the way home.

The river stands out like a green scar across outback New South Wales, carrying vital moisture for life through an extremely dry desert.

I've been warned Wilcannia's not a particularly safe place though, so I find Warrawong Station just out of town and take up a campsite along their large billabong.

There's that red dirt I haven't seem in a few weeks

This'll do for the night.