Sturt National Park
The Sturt National Park is a protected National Park located in the arid far north-western Corner of NSW. Established in 1972, the park covers over 340,000 hectares of semi-desert country.
Park facilities include four camping grounds and picnic areas. Camping is only permitted in the designated areas and by permit from the NPWS. There are self-registration and payment bays at each camping ground. As timber is a rare and valuable habitat resource, wood fires are not allowed. Walking tracks are located throughout the Park and they provide you with the opportunity to view euros, red kangaroos, emus and depending on the season, an assortment of wild flowers. A must do drive are the three tourist drives: The Jump Up, the Gorge and the Middle Road which will take you through to Cameron Corner.
The NPWS Visitor Centre and restored courthouse with museum offer a fascinating introduction to Tibooburra and “The Corner Country”. Be sure to stop at the NPWS Visitor Centre here in Tibooburra where park staff would be happy to assist with any enquiries.
The Dingo Fence is a pest exclusion fence that was built during the 1880’s and finished in 1985 to keep dingo’s out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent and protect the sheep flocks of Southern QLD. It is the world’s longest fence originally stretching 5614km. It has been partly successful, though dingo’s can still be found in parts of the southern states.
The QLD Border Fence stretches 394KM westwards along the border with NSW, into the Strzelecki Desert. The fence passes the point where the three states of QLD, NSW and SA meet (Cameron Corner). At this point it connects with the SA Border Fence which runs for 257KM southwards along the border with NSW. It then joins a section north known as “The Dog Fence” in SA. Where the fence intersects major roads and highways a series of gates allow vehicles to pass through.
It seems that there are fewer kangaroos and emus on the north-western side of the fence where the dingo’s are suggesting that the dingo’s presence has an impact on the populations of those animals. Although the fence has helped reduce the loss of sheep to predators, the exclusion of dingo’s has allowed for increased pasture competition from rabbits, kangaroos and emus.
Sunset Hill Lookout
A 15km fantastic view of Tibooburra and it’s surrounds with a free to use telescope to enhance the scenery.
Just follow the Silver City Highway north through town and follow the signs. Only 2km from town turn right then walk to the top. Take a bottle of wine and glasses and enjoy the view – the sunsets, the stars, the absolute vastness and natural rugged beauty of the area. Enjoy what can easily be taken for granted.
Pioneer Park, Sturts Boat, Pools Grave and Depot Glen
Captain Charles Napier Sturt was a British explorer of Australia and part of the European exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent.
In 1845 Sturt and his expedition ventured into the region now known as the Corner Country. The region was in severe drought and the summer was unbearably hot. For several months the group camped beside a water hole in a rocky basalt glen, now known as Depot Glen.
Many of the men were suffering from scurvy. By the time the rains finally came in July. James Poole Sturt’s second in command was very ill. He died just a few days after the expedition broke camp to continue their search for an inland sea. Poole’s body was buried beneath a beefwood tree not far from their campsite at Depot Glen.
Depot Glen, Poole’s grave, and a cairn built by the men during their encampment from part of a privately owned sheep station known as Mt Poole. The sites are all accessible from the Hawker Gate Road, approximately 10 kilometres west of Milparinka. The sites are managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (Tibooburra Area).
Visit Pioneer Park at the northern end of Briscoe Street in Tibooburra and check out the community developed project featuring a replica of Charles Sturt’s boat and other memorabilia from early days in the region.
Corner Drive-in Theatre
Established in 1976 by local volunteers for the P&C Association, the Drive-in Theatre is on of the few remaining open air picture theatres in Australia. It is still in use for special occasions and the committee is prepared to allow its use for groups (large enough to warrant) if prior notice or arrangements are made.
Kathy’s Teapot Collection
Mrs Gilby has been collecting teapots for at least 20 years. Her interest or hobby started with one blue willow teapot and has grown so much with the help of family and friends that she now has nearly 500 in her collection. It is now developing into an international teapot collection. Kathy has recently had large glass windows installed in her house so that she can share her interest with locals and tourists alike. Her display is just opposite the Drive-in so feel free to call and have a look.
Feature Attractions/Events for the year
These are the two weekend sports events held by the Tibooburra Sports Club on the first weekend of October and New Years Eve of every year. The Gymkhana held in October features rodeo, horse sports, motor bike events including racing for all ages, free children’s activities (e.g. jumping castle), kiosk facilities, all day catering as well as evening entertainment including a live band and a licenced bar.
New Year’s Eve has all the above but also has a fireworks display which for a small community is second to none and a credit to the community especially the committee. There are actually two fireworks one at 9:00pm for the children and the major one at midnight for everyone to enjoy.
These two events are sponsored by The Granites Motel/Caravan Park and TJ’s Roadhouse as are many other of the charitable functions held in and around the Tibooburra district by organisations such as the P&C, Progress, CWA, Church of the Corner and Cameron Corner, Milparinka and Packsaddle Sporting Clubs. Work commitments make it too difficult to physically support these Committees but are compensated for by financial donations, discounted purchases, discounted freight and accommodation for Live Bands, Ambulance Staff, Rodeo Stock Staff and most importantly ICE to keep the drinks cold.
Miparinka Heritage Centre
The Milparinka Heritage Precinct is a complete surprise. It’s a beautiful place in the midst of a desert landscape where the spirit of the past merges with the present. Comprising a collection of colonial buildings lovingly restored, the Precinct has no rival in Outback New South Wales.
At the heart of the precinct is the Milparinka Visitor Information Centre. Formerly the building was used as a police station, but today is managed by a team of volunteers from all parts of eastern and southern Australia who come to Milparinka to provide a service to fellow travellers. Call in and say hello!
The adjacent courthouse houses local history and a substantial collection of family history research material, whilst the adjoining cells provide an insight into the region’s remarkable mining heritage.
The pastoral heritage and natural history of the area are also represented in displays and public gardens surrounding the precinct.
Tibooburra Granite Boulders
The Granite boulders that give Tibooburra its name and provided the gold that established the town are a distinctive feature of the townscape. Outcrops of boulders are found not only on the edges of town but on vacant blocks along the Main Street and give the town its unique character.
The granite tors or boulders around Tibooburra are the exposed remnants of an underground intrusion of a mass granite that is about 410 million years old. This hot rock cooked older sedimentary muds and sands and as the resulting slates folded, fluids containing gold in solution where pushed up the axis of the folds, precipitating quartz veins containing gold. These slates with their gold-bearing quartz veins were exposed to weathering and eroded during the Jurassic period 205 – 141 million years ago. Later during the Cretaceous period 141-35 million years ago sands built up over gravels eventually turning into sandstone.
The granite boulders form a remarkable contract to the sandstone used as the primary construction material for the major buildings in town, which comes from the quarries in the sandstone outcrop on the common.