There are only so many roads in and out of Bourke and I reckon we have travelled just about all of them - goes without saying only those we can take our rig! A week ago on our long, slow homeward journey, we are travelling one more - The Dowling Track linking Quilpie and Bourke through the ‘Plains of Promise’. We started the track from Yowah so we joined the historic track part way at Hungerford on the NSW-Qld border - another gate to open and close along the dog fence!
The track was named after explorer and pastoralist, Vincent Dowling who, with other early pioneers, explored this area looking for a new life and new opportunities. Incidentally in 1859 Dowling established a station at Fort Bourke (now known as Bourke) on the Darling River. It is pretty dry country at the moment, but back in the mid 1800s they saw opportunities and a number of stations were established. Any promises the area might hold depends critically on when you are there!
This seemingly harsh arid area attracted others such as author Henry Lawson who walked from Bourke to Hungerford and back in the sizzling summer heat looking for work in the 1890s. Lawson, who seemed to be an ‘unhappy’ harried wanderer, lived in Bourke for a time and subsequently wrote, “if you know Bourke, you know Australia.” Interesting observation, but indeed he could be right. Perseverance sort of sums it up! There’s a river ‘running’ through it so the area is productive - some of the time.
Hungerford on the border between Qld and NSW is a mice neat little place. Like most outback places it has airport - or runway or at the very least a part of the road is marked as a landing strip. Population at Hungerford is 20-odd.
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All these red roads might look the same, but they're not! The vegetation varies as does the colour of the dirt
- and some are less rough than others!! |
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| The border gate between Qld and NSW at Hungerford |
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| You hold your breath as you approach ’river’ crossings hoping that there will be water .... |
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| Fords Bridge Pub. Population less than 10, some days 4. It depends on where you draw the city limits! |
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| Fords Bridge is on the Warrego River |
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| Brindingabba Creek had no water and was rather a sad sight |
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| Great! some water...... |
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| ... but only in occasional puddles |
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