The Long Paddock

Heading north on the Cobb Highway, cross The Billabong Creek at Wanganella 42km north of Deniliquin. Flowing for about 320km before entering the Edward River at Moulemein, this is the longest creek in the world and a paradise for Murray Cod.

Admire flourishing birdlife around Black Swamp, between Booroorban and Wanganella. This area is also famous for the headless horseman, seen by drovers in 1860. Today you can see him rear in the Long Paddock ‘Headless Horseman’ sculpture, by Geoff Hocking.

Booroorban is a great place to stop and enjoy a refreshment. Shaded by peppercorn trees, the historic Royal Mail Hotel was an original staging post on the vital Cobb & Co stagecoach route, a surviving reminder of the many inns that once lined this route.

On the banks of the beautiful Murrumbidgee River, Hay is 51km north of Booroorban. This town will charm you with its fine heritage buildings, gorgeous gardens and parks, and fascinating agriculture and World War II history.

At Shear Outback, discover the story of Australian Shearers Hall of Fame and the story of sheep shearing, with live demonstrations held daily. There is a gift shop, cafe and maze at the museum, open seven days a week.

Visit the Hay Gaol Museum and Dunera Museum, in the heritage-listed Hay Railway Station, for the intriguing history of the World War II civilian internment camps and prisoner of war camps in Hay. The station is home to the POW and Internment Camp Interpretative Centre.

Booligal is 38km north of Hay. Stop on the Cobb Highway to see the remains of the One Tree Hotel. A popular staging post in its day, this changing station was made famous by Banjo Patterson's poem Hay and Hell and Booligal, and is today a fascinating reminder of a bygone era. Continue north past sprawling paddocks and station homesteads to Booligal.

At Booligal, enjoy refreshment at the Duke of Edinburgh hotel where you can meet friendly locals and enjoy a great pub lunch.

Discover the historic attractions of Ivanhoe, a historic town on the Cobb Highway, 133km north of Booligal. Explore the Ivanhoe Heritage Walk, following sign posted landmarks that tell the story of the local railway, as well as tales of the Hatfield bushrangers who targeted the town in the 1870s.

In Ivanhoe you can also see The Long Paddock mural ‘The Pioneers’, a fantastic work by Wayne Strickland that tells the story of the Ivanhoe area.  Grab a meal at the Ivanhoe Hotel, where you can relax in an ambient family environment and choose from a delicious menu featuring traditional roasts and pasta as well as kid’s meals.

Wilcannia is 163km from Ivanhoe. The road is unsealed, so before setting out check road conditions with the local Visitor Information Centre, local council, police or motoring authority. Rain may cause closure of these roads.

Wilcannia was once a thriving port for cargoes of wool, shipped along the Darling River by steamers, and today boasts plenty of historic treasures including well-preserved sandstone buildings and a National Trust-listed bridge.

Included in its heritage buildings is the 1880 post office and its attached residence, the Club Hotel which dates from 1879 and the Athenaeum Library, now the town's Pioneer Museum, where you can find the Wilcannia Historical Society Guide Book which provides detailed histories of all the town’s major buildings.

Located 60km from Wilcannia, Paroo–Darling National Park, is a major wetland system, part of the only unregulated flow in the Murray-Darling river system. This free-flowing river sustains its rich and diverse ecosystem that includes a large number of bird species in particular.

This is an area of profound historical and cultural significance for the Paakantji Aboriginal people. Peery Lake contains the most extensive bone midden deposits in the state, and the area also contains significant quarries and stone tool workshops.

From Wilcannia, you can connect up with The Darling River Run or the Great Central to Outback NSW Drive - either way there is plenty more to explore.