Bourke – Darling River – NSW

Add to favorites

Sadly this is no longer a camp. I’m leaving the post here with alterations as you can still use this area in the daytime to break up your journey. The nearest free camp is May’s Bend.

You will pass North Bourke if you’re heading to or from the QLD/NSW border (border closures permitting).

We decided to grab some lunch from the local servo and have a picnic by the river.

Rest Area

When we first passed here we noticed quite a few vans lined up for the night (when you could camp) just the long sealed area you see from the road. At first glance it looked basic, but after having a drive down to the river, pass the toilet, we came to river, old bridge and picnic area

Once you arrive, you will see a large sandy/soil area, big enough for any size rig. Adjacent to the river there are lots of picnic benches as well as small wooden BBQ’s. In addition, a couple of bins are in this area as is the boat ramp for you to pop your boat in.

Attractions

While having lunch here, we were lucky enough to see the Jandra paddleboat pass by. Not only can you have a relaxing cruise down the Darling River but the captain tells you about the history of the riverboats in this area. Additionally they tell you about the flora and fauna in the area.

You can book a trip on the paddleboat at the near by Bourke Information Centre. In fact the Information centre is also worth checking out if you would like to know the history of Bourke or need to use the dump point.

Besides spotting the Paddleboat, Australia’s oldest movable span bridge is located here. Opening in 1883, the bridge is now closed. However it’s interesting to take a look at think about it’s history.

Bourke Alternative Camps

As you can no longer free camp here the nearest caravan park is Kidmans Camp. This might be an option for those wanting to connect to power and water. In contrast there is another Free Camp, great for the self contained at May’s Bend river camp.

Last year we came through Bourke, stopping at Kidmans Camp. It was a great place to stop This is our write up on Kidmans Camp.

More Information

• Location : Bourke
• Click for Google map location
• State: NSW
• Pets: Yes
• Rest area only now
• Price : $0
• Water ? : No
• Power ? : No
• Will suit: All sized vehicles
• Is it on Wikicamps ?: Yes
• Drive time to nearby shops: 1 minute
• Amenities : Toilet nearby
• Other : Wood BBQ’s, picnic benches, River views, Bins, Pets OK
• WIFI & Phone Reception – Tested with Boost Mobile: Yes

We use Boost as it has 3G & 4G coverage on the Telstra Mobile network. You can see where we have Boost phone and internet coverage at the bottom of each of our posts.