2020-03-01_Australian_Geographic

March. April 83

On the road
Among the best things about exploring the NSW outback are
the many unexpected sites – from isolated windmills to mirages
of vast inland seas caused by heat haze – that you encounter
while driving across the wide open plains.
On the road between White Cliffs and Wilcannia, while
steering clear of yet more feral goats (which seem, more so
than most large mammals, to thrive in the drought conditions),
we spot a conspicuous yellow Foxbat Kelpie ultralight landing
among a pall of dust in an unfenced paddock.
We drive over and hail down the pilot. It’s Randall Crozier,
formerly head stockman with beef producer S. Kidman & Co,
where for many years he managed Anna Creek, the biggest
working cattle station in the world. He’s up for a yarn, and
what’s more he’s able to shed some light on all the goats we’ve
been avoiding on the road for the last few days.
“Now that the sheep are gone due to the drought, it’s ba-
sically feral goats keeping the farmers afloat out here. I spot
them from the air and then these blokes round them up,”
Randall explains, pointing to a motley crew of three dirt
bikers speeding towards us.
According to Randall, the goats rounded up today will be
trucked off to Hungerford, about 400km way, where they are
processed and shipped all over the world.

AG

Back to Bindara

After four days exploring outback NSW, we’re drawn back to

Bindara, and back to Barb Arnold.

As we huddle around the campfire, Barb explains that just

before we arrived she’d tried to rescue an emu from one of the

last puddles on her stretch of river.

“I took an old eiderdown down and wrapped it around it

thinking it was going to kick and bite and carry on; but it was

all bones and feathers,” she says. “I gave it some food but it died.

I think it was the last one.”

There’s a long silence as the flickering flames cast shadows

like dancing spirits on the old river red gums.

Eventually Barb breaks the silence. “It will rain one day and

the waters will come again,” she says, her voice almost quivering.

“We just need a cyclone in Queensland to send some water this

way, before it’s too late.”

While its ancient landscape is both alluring and unforgiving,

it’s the braver y of characters such as Barb that keep the outback

spirit alive and make a visit to this often-bypassed corner of NSW

so inspiring, no matter if the mighty Barka is flowing, or not.

Just watch out for all those goats.

It’s the bravery of characters such as Barb that keep

the outback spirit alive and make a visit to this

often-bypassed corner of NSW so inspiring.

TO WATCH a video by Andrew Gregory of this outback

adventure visit: australiangeographic.com.au/155

Bindara Homestead is a welcome
oasis on the banks of the Darling River.
You can stay at this historic property
in shearers’ quarters or camp beside
the river.