The Everything Fleet team carried out an epic road trip (1572 kilometres) in May, to provide vehicles to the new Mad Max Film Production in Broken Hill.
After spending way too much time at home during the pandemic, it was wonderful to see the beauty of Australia and feel the freedom of the open road. Even though you may not personally wish to undertake such a mammoth drive, it’s certainly worth heading off on an outback road trip from Central to Outback NSW or drive from Sydney, stopping for scones and vintage shopping in the Blue Mountains town of Leura, before getting to Dubbo (5 hour drive).
Here is a brief rundown of the six highlights of our Teams’ trip!
Dubbo
Settled in 1829 as a grazing plot and roadside inn, today Dubbo is a vibrant regional city offering the award-wining Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Indigenous sites and local vineyards. In the city centre you will find the heritage-listed Old Dubbo Gaol, (which has Australia’s largest collection of hangman’s knots), the magnificent Western Plains Cultural Centre and the Dubbo Heritage Walk (a great way to admire ornate architecture and explore the stories of pioneers and bushrangers).
Nyngan
As you head west, Nyngan is the last agricultural town before wheat fields give way to red earth, vast skies and floodplains. This inspiring landscape provides plenty of opportunities to see kangaroos, emus, goats, cattle and migrating waterbirds in abundance.
The town’s bright-red, historic railway station houses a museum detailing Nyngan’s boom-and-bust heritage. You can also take an Aboriginal art walk at Mount Grenfell and discover the painted figures of animals, people and Dreamtime stories of the Ngiyampaa people.
Cobar
Once you have arrived in Cobar, there is no questions at all your deep in the Outback. The town’s grand colonial churches, pubs and houses are a reminder of the 1870s gold rush, which you can learn more about at the Great Cobar Heritage Centre. Gold and copper are still being mined here and Fort Bourke Hill Lookout allows for a gobsmacking look into an open-cut mine.
Wilcannia
Wilcannia was once a thriving river port on the edge of the Outback, transporting wheat and wool by paddle-steamer along the Darling in the 19th century. Today, its dusty streets are still lined with a remarkable collection of heritage buildings and there’s an emerging movement of local artists.
Broken Hill
Your last stop delivers you to Broken Hill. The best way to describe this town is you have to see it for yourself. It is the heartland of Australian mining, with plenty of industrial artefacts dotting the city as proof. It’s also a Mecca for the LGBT community thanks to the town’s star-making role as the backdrop to 1994 hit film ‘Priscilla Queen of The Desert’. And then, as if thrown in just to confuse everyone, it’s also home to 140 television commercials as well as numerous iconic movies including Mad Max and Mission Impossible II.
Other attractions in this area range from ancient Aboriginal rock art to listening to the tales of a bearded miner, an outback eccentric or a traditional Aboriginal owner at the local pub.
