Of course the image of the town is unfair and inaccurate. Sadly very few travellers get out of their cars, have a look around this historic town and talk to the local Aborigines, who are, almost without exception, very friendly and only too happy to talk about this delightful township on the banks of the Darling River. After all many of them are Barkindji people who have been living in this region for 40 000 years.

Wilcannia is located 965 km northwest of Sydney via the Great Western, Mitchell and Barrier Highways. In spite of the distance from the sea, it is only 78 m above sea-level. Situated on marginal land it experiences an average rainfall of 252 mm per annum.

The first European in the area was Major Thomas Mitchell who moved down the Darling from Bourke to what is now Menindee in 1835. Mitchell had a major confrontation with the local Aborigines near present-day Wilcannia during which time he killed at least two people.

The settlement of the area by Victorian pastoralists began in the 1850s and by 27 January 1859 a steamer, the Albury, had made its way up the river and reached the current site of Wilcannia which was known at the time as Mount Murchison Station. Mount Murchison had been named by Mitchell.

Wilcannia (the name reputedly meant ‘a gap in the bank where the flood waters escape’ in the language of the local Aborigines) was proclaimed in June 1866 and was incorporated as a municipality in 1881.

The township reached its height in the 1880s when it boasted 13 hotels, a population of 3000, and a local newspaper – the Wilcannia Times. In 1879 the Red Lion brewery (it is no longer standing) was built at the northern end of Reid Street. Its great claim to fame was that it was the first brewery which the famous beer baron Edmund Resch built in Australia.

At this time Wilcannia became the third-largest port on the Darling River. In 1887, for example, 222 steamers stopped there. Known as ‘Queen City of the West’ there was a time when most of the wool from northwestern NSW passed through the port. The town was also at the centre of a number of coach routes which traversed Western NSW. Some of the coaches were built here.

The discovery of gold at Mt Browne (see entries on Milparinka and Tibooburra) saw through-traffic and trade increase in the short term but the development of Silverton and Broken Hill saw the centre of trade shift. When the opal fields of White Cliffs were discovered in the 1890s trade increased again as Wilcannia became the central supply depot for the opal miners and the major recipient of their revenue. Eventually, as road and rail traffic killed the steamer trade the town’s importance declined.

In 1892 Wilcannia was hit with a rabbit plague so severe that a man was supposedly employed to remove the rabbits from the streets which had been killed by children on their way to school. By the 1920s, with the arrival of reliable road transport, the town began to decline.
Things to see:

Historic Wilcannia
Historic Wilcannia is a reminder that often first impressions are very wrong. It is possible to pass through the town and completely miss its fine repository of interesting and historical buildings, often built of locally-quarried sandstone. The visitors’ centre can furnish you with a pamphlet which will lead you around the town’s heritage trail: 18 sites with informative signposts that connect physical locations with their historic significance. A book is also for sale which provides a more comprehensive account of the sites. There are two other signposted locations in Tilpa, 124 km north-east of Wilcannia.

If you head south down Myers St to the river¹s edge you will get an excellent view of the old centre­lift bridge which was built in 1896 and is now classified by the National Trust. It replaced a punt which was capable of moving 4000 sheep a day across the river. The wharf, dating from the 1870s, can be seen from the bridge.

Turn south into Reid Street just near the bridge and you will notice the beautiful 1880 post office and its attached residence which continue to serve the local community. The Club Hotel on the other side of Reid St dates from 1879 and is built on the site of the town¹s first hotel which burnt down. On the other side of the highway is the Knox and Downs Store (1899) and, further east along Reid St, on the river-side of the road, is the Athenaeum Library (1883) now the town’s Pioneer Museum. It is well worth a visit if only to purchase the excellent Wilcannia Historical Society Guide Book which provides detailed histories of all the town¹s major buildings.

Continue east along Reid St over Byrne St and, to the right, is the London Bank building (1890) now used as the Central Darling Shire Offices.

Now head west along Reid St, back across Myers St. At the Cleaton St intersection is the Court House Hotel (1879) and, just beyond it, the old warehouse (1878) which backed onto the river. Across the road is the impressive courthouse (1880), which is next to the old maximum security prison, now the police station (1881), and the police residence (1880), all built of locally quarried sandstone and designed by James Barnet.

The Wilcannia courthouse (1880) was the scene of one of the most unusual literary arguments ever witnessed in Australia. On 25 April 1885 the court heard a case which involved cruelty to animals. One of the police magistrates was Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens, the son of Charles Dickens, and one of the prosecution witnesses was Frederick James Anthony Trollope, the son of the novelist Anthony Trollope. Edward had managed Mt Murchison Station from 1876 to 1881. He was later elected to the NSW parliament.

Head north along Cleaton St and at the corner with Hood St is one of the town’s oldest buildings, Wilcannia Central School which is a delightful example of the old (the original school building was completed in 1874) and the new with a great acknowledgement of the large part played by Aborigines in the life of the town. The murals on the side of the school (they can be seen from the main gate in Hood Street) have been designed to show Aboriginal students that the school is not some kind of white, alien environment.

Return along Cleaton St and turn left into Woore St. At the corner of Myers St and Woore St is St James Church of England (1883) and further east along Woore St is the Roman Catholic Convent (1894), now a private residence.

Remember, many of the local roads are gravel and can be hazardous or impassable after wet weather. Phone (08) 8091 5155 for an up-to-date report on their condition.

Wilcannia

Travel trends come and travel trends go but the swan-diving Aussie dollar, economic uncertainty and restless political climate means the latest travel craze, the “staycation”, is the best-value holiday around.

A “staycation” is all about spending your hard-earned holiday time, and cash, at home. Purist staycationers will argue that to do it properly, you need to stay home – your suburban home – and chill out in your backyard pool, daytrip to local parks and museums or check out local festivals, rather than swan off to exotic overseas locales. Trouble is, it’s all too tempting to just stay in and waste the day checking emails, fixing the fence or painting the ceiling, so we reckon we can stretch the concept of “our backyard” a bit and still call Australia home. After all, the Aussie dollar is still great value in Australia.

Camp it up, African-style

A highlight of any African safari has always been camping in style in a five-star safari tent. But why go to Africa when you can glam it up in a batch of new luxury safari tents that have popped up in national parks across the country. The latest to open its canvas doors is Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef, in the heart of the Cape Range National Park on Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef. It’s one of the few places where you can swim with massive whale sharks, the world’s largest fish.

Each of the five tents features a supremely comfortable bed dressed in 500 thread-count linen, a ceiling fan, solar-powered lights and an ensuite bathroom.

Less expensive and slightly closer to home are the new wilderness retreats at Wilsons Promontory and Cape Conran in eastern Victoria, which also feature raised wooden floors, canvas walls, big comfy beds, wildlife and windswept beaches on your doorstep.

Or, for a real safari experience, head to Western Plains Zoo near Dubbo for a stay in a zoofari tent in the heart of the savannah and fall asleep to the sound of a not-so-distant lion’s roar.

Salsalis.com.au; parkweb.vic.gov.au/4wilderness.cfm; zoofari.com.au.

Luxe lodges

Until recently, our trans-Tasman neighbour, New Zealand, had the monopoly on super-luxe lodges surrounded by awe-inspiring landscapes. Now, since Southern Ocean Lodge opened its beautifully designed doors on a remote headland overlooking Hanson Bay on Kangaroo Island, you no longer need to cross “the ditch” for a dose of six-star style.

Moulded in the traditions of New Zealand’s acclaimed Huka Lodge and the breathtaking Aman resorts of South-East Asia, Southern Ocean Lodge is South Australia’s first true-luxury lodge. Each of the 21 suites features spacious sleeping areas, stylish sunken lounges, dramatic glass-walled bathrooms and outdoor terraces, all with stunning views.

If you can tear yourself away from the views, the spa (which uses the excellent Dreamtime-inspired Li’tya range of treatment products and Aboriginal massage techniques) and the amazing food created by chef Tim Bourke and his team, there’s a range of guided island tours included in the nightly tariff, from sunrise encounters with sea lions to night-time star gazing in an unpolluted sky.

Of course, all this decadent lodging doesn’t come cheap but true luxury never does. And at least you won’t have to suffer any rugby jokes.

southernoceanlodge.com.au.

Cruise at home

Australia has plenty of great cruising destinations that are like nowhere else on Earth. Cruise the Kimberley for more sky-high waterfalls than you can count, including the famous horizontal waterfalls, mysterious Aboriginal rock art, crocodiles, boabs, red cliffs and gorges.

And why fly to the South Pacific or Mexico when you can spend a few days snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef at your leisure on a three-day Townsville to Cairns cruise?

If river cruising is more your style, forget the Mississippi. Paddle steam down the Murray on the PS Murray Princess instead, through some of the driest parts of the driest continent. Despite the drought, it’s still one of the world’s great rivers. According to Captain Ray Weedon, it’s even better than it used to be: “… as inland sources of water recede, animals and birds are migrating to the river environment in a concentration of animal life rarely seen on the river.”

If you’ve been dreaming of sailing the Greek Islands but the credit crunch has hit, think instead of chartering your own yacht – either bareboat, which means you do all the work or hire your own crew – and spend a few days sailing the beautiful Whitsundays in northern Queensland.

If you want a true “staycation”, spend the weekend cruising Sydney Harbour aboard the MV Captain Cook’s Explorer, where you’re guaranteed multimillion-dollar harbour views (plus all meals and two nights’ accommodation, tours and entertainment) for half the price of a suite in a luxury hotel.

kimberleycruises.com; www.coralprincess.com.au; www.captaincook.com.au; sunsail.com.au.

Spiritual retreat

You don’t need to battle the crush and chaos of India or scale Tibetan peaks to find enlightenment; Wollongong’s a much easier and cheaper option. Reconnect with your inner self at Nan Tien Buddhist Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere. Just two hours’ drive south of Sydney, the temple offers weekend retreats and classes on tai chi, meditation, calligraphy and the indispensable skill of lotus flower folding.

If you’ve never really tried meditation before, the Weekend Meditation Retreat is great for beginners and, because the accommodation is in the motel-style Pilgrim Lodge, you can always escape back to your room and turn on the TV if the silence gets a bit much.

The tai chi retreat combines meditation with classes and is great for releasing stress and tension. And the vegetarian meals are delicious.

nantien.org.au.

Taking the waters

The recent reopening of one of Australia’s oldest bathhouses means you no longer need to long- haul it to Europe to take the waters when you can get just as good on the outskirts of Melbourne.

Fresh from a two-year, $13-million renovation, the historic Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa now boasts a stunning contemporary architectural design with more than 30 wet and dry treatment rooms, making it one of the largest spas in the country. It also offers, in true European style, traditional communal bathing in mineral waters.

The undisputed lord of the springs, the Daylesford and Hepburn Springs area is home to Australia’s richest concentration of mineral springs. But these are no ordinary mineral springs. They are, if you believe the locals, so rich in therapeutic powers they can relieve just about any ill you like to imagine.

They say the sulphate purifies your liver; the calcium is good for your bones; the bicarbonate balances the pH in your bloodstream; the magnesium is good for your kidneys; the silica will help strengthen your bones; the sodium helps prevent stomach disorders; the iron will help carry oxygen to your brain and your mind and muscles will thank you for the potassium.

You can’t ask for much more than that.

hepburnbathhouse.com

German villages

You might just be an hour or two from Adelaide but it feels like Germany.

Take a week and explore two of the country’s best wine regions.

Start in the Adelaide Hills, a mixture of Australian bushland and European-style vineyards with historic villages and towns such as Hahndorf, settled by Prussian refugees in the 1830s. Then wind your way north to Tanunda and Angaston in the Barossa Valley.

The Lutheran settlers who came here 160 years ago have left not only a legacy of beautiful churches but a bounty of wonderful small meats, sausages, preserved fruits, cheese and delicious breads, all unique to the valley.

southaustralia.com.

Aboriginal culture

If Robert Louis Stevenson was right when he wrote, “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveller only who is foreign”, then embark on the ultimate “staycation” and take a fresh look at your homeland through Aboriginal eyes.

Take a trip to the Tiwi Islands, a beautiful 20-minute flight across the Timor Sea from Darwin, and immerse yourself in Tiwi art and culture, learning about the complex social rituals linked to the construction of Pukumani burial poles. Most tours include the chance to share morning tea with women elders; brush up on your AFL knowledge before you go and you will have an instant ice-breaker.

Take a tour of Kakadu with an Aboriginal guide and traditional owner to understand more about the Bininj and Mungguy relationship to the land. Look, listen, celebrate and learn at the annual Garma Festival near Nhulunbuy in north-east Arnhem Land, held each August.

Learn about bush tucker in central Australia or be inspired by the diversity of Aboriginal art in Alice Springs, the Kimberley and the Top End.

There are also experiences to be had closer to home. In Sydney, take a cruise aboard the Tribal Warrior for a pre-colonial perspective of the Harbour City.

aussieadventure.com.au (Tiwi tours); garma.telstra.com; travelnt.com; australiasnorthwest.com; tribalwarrior.org.

WHAT’S NEW FOR OLD FAVOURITES

· Gold Coast goes glam A holiday on the Gold Coast used to be all about the children but a raft of new day spas, some seriously good shopping, new five-star hotels and three-star restaurants means it’s now just as much fun for grown-ups. See verygoldcoast.com.au.

· Port Macquarie grows up Forget daggy caravan parks and fish and chips by the sea, think very good food and wine, high-end soft adventure and a bevy of just-opened beachfront hotels. See portmacquarieinfo.com.au.

· Big Banana gets slipperier It now claims to have the largest inflatable water slide, not just in Coffs Harbour but on the planet. See bigbanana.com.

· Flying high Wollongong’s curvy coastal touring route, Grand Pacific Drive, gets better and better and the Illawarra Fly, a treetop canopy walk with a 45-metre-high lookout tower, is just one of the new attractions on offer. See grandpacificdrive.com.au.

· Sydney Harbour opens up Slowly but surely the islands of Sydney Harbour are being opened up to visitors and you can get away from it all (in a middle-of-the-harbour type of way) camping on Cockatoo Island. See cockatooisland.gov.au. The old Quarantine Station at North Head now has stylish accommodation with views to die for. See qstation.com.au.

· Slice it up on the Central Coast The new Mantra Kooindah Waters Golf and Spa Resort has an 18-hole golf course, day spa and everything else that you’d expect to find in a resort that, until now, was a little short on the ground on this part of the coast. See kooindahwaters.com.au.

Australia’s best home-grown holidays