Central to Outback NSW Road Trip Itinerary

Looking for the quintessential NSW road trip? Drive from Dubbo to Broken Hill on a meander from Central West to Outback through some satisfying stereotypes – but many surprises, too.

Red earth, vast skies, vast floodplains and bony, rugged landscapes meet in western NSW, best explored on a traditional outback road trip with dust behind your car and adventure up ahead. Wide-open spaces and national parks provide inspiring landscapes where kangaroos bounce, emus flee and seasonal lakes and rivers are loud with migrating waterbirds.The eye-squinting, soul-expanding horizons lure you on to adventure, whether you’re a Mad Max or Priscilla type of traveller. Meanwhile, heritage attractions range from ancient Aboriginal rock art to colonial-era history and modern-day mining towns. Settle into a pub and you can be sure a bearded miner, outback eccentric or traditional Aboriginal owner will have a tale to tell.

These are the happy, expected experiences on a Central-to-Outback road trip, but there are abundant surprises, too, not least increasingly sophisticated restaurants and regional museums, some avant-garde architecture and a thriving arts scene.

Begin in Dubbo: for the Indigenous culture

Buckle up for the 790-kilometre drive in Dubbo, where your first surprise might be that giraffes have blue tongues, and wombat poo is shaped like a cuboid. The kids will love all this and much more at Taronga Western Plains Zoo .

Get up close to the animals at Taronga Western Plains Zoo.

Cycle or drive its six-kilometre circuit for a leisurely encounter with 4000 creatures in a safari-like setting. For an extra thrill, stay at a luxury Zoofari Lodge, and take a behind-the-scenes tour with a zookeeper.

Visit Old Dubbo Gaol for an interactive history lesson. (Image: DNSW)

While the zoo is a must, Dubbo has other attractions, including a cellar door at Red Earth Estate and historic – and somewhat spooky – site Old Dubbo Gaol . For the region’s connections with Indigenous culture, take a First Lesson Cultural Tour with Wiradjuri elder Peter Peckham.

Take a First Lesson Cultural Tour with Wiradjuri elder Peter Peckham. (Image: DNSW)

Dubbo to Nyngan: for cathedral-quiet art walks

As you head west, Nyngan is the last agricultural town before sun-kissed wheat fields give way to red earth. The town’s bright-red, historic railway station houses a museum detailing Nyngan’s boom-and-bust heritage.

Connect with culture on an Aboriginal art walk at Mount Grenfell and discover the painted figures of animals, people and Dreamtime stories of the Ngiyampaa people. Active travellers will enjoy kayaking on Macquarie Marshes . As you journey onwards, watery reflections are soon left behind and flamboyantly arid landscapes take over.

Nyngan to Cobar: for rich mining history and colonial heritage

At Cobar you’re now deep in the outback. The town’s grand colonial churches, pubs and houses are a reminder of Cobar’s first flourishing during the 1870s gold rush, which you can learn more about at the Great Cobar Heritage Centre , set to reopen soon following renovations. Gold and copper are still being mined here; Fort Bourke Hill Lookout allows for a gobsmacking look into an open-cut mine.

You might stay in one of several motor inns or Cobar Caravan Park, but this driving adventure offers a great variety of accommodation, from a cottage on a working cattle station to rooms above an old-time pub. You might also opt for the charm of a B&B, heritage homestead or national-park campsite under the stars.

Visit the Great Cobar Heritage Centre and Cobar Miners Heritage Park. (Image: DNSW)

Cobar to Wilcannia: to delve deep into nearby national parks

Wilcannia , once one of the busiest inland ports in Australia thanks to the wool trade, is now slumped in the gum-scented heat of the outback. Sandstone colonial-era buildings – police station, post office, wool stores – attest to the settler history of this atmospheric town on the Darling River, which shimmers with sunsets and the silhouettes of paddling pelicans.

Make a detour north to Paroo-Darling National Park . It might be 1200 kilometres from the ocean, but you can spot pelicans among its teeming birdlife, which includes emerald-green mulga parrots, pink cockatoos and bustards, one of Australia’s largest flying birds.

Another worthy excursion takes you to Mutawintji National Park , close to the home of the rare yellow-footed rock wallabies. Rock pools in colourful gorges provide a reliable water supply that attracts corellas, zebra finches and wedge-tailed eagles. But the national park also features one of NSW’s best rock-art collections, best explored with an Indigenous guide from Mutawintji Heritage Tours.

Wilcannia to Broken Hill: the creative capital of the Outback

Head towards Broken Hill over scorched orange plains and silvery saltbush under a vast sky. The immensity of the landscape is both intimidating and exhilarating, but if you expect Broken Hill to be no more than a hard-core, isolated mining town, think again.

Broken Hill NSW — Sunrise over Broken Hill. (Image: DNSW)

You’ll want to linger for heritage buildings, museums and varied restaurants. Broken Hill has also been a vibrant creative centre since the 1960s, and boasts dozens of art galleries and studios and the largest regional public art gallery in NSW.

Don’t miss Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery. (Image: DNSW)

Also encouraging you to linger are great accommodation choices, from the restored miner’s home Hebbard Cottage to the stunning Broken Hill Outback Resort . And who could resist an evening (or two) at The Palace Hotel , the mural-clad pub made infamous in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Visit Mad Max Museum in the ghost mining town of Silverton. (Image: DNSW)

Drive out to ghost mining town Silverton and you might find yourself with another sense of déjà vu, especially if you have a beer at the legendary Silverton Hotel . Some 140 television commercials have been filmed here, as well as numerous iconic movies including Mad Max, Priscilla and Mission Impossible II.

Have a beer at the legendary Silverton Hotel. (Image: DNSW)

The landscape is cracked into fissures across the Mundi Mundi Plains , splintered like a smashed pane of glass. Sunsets here are magnificent, but are perhaps even better at Living Desert and Sculptures on a hillside outside Broken Hill. As the sun sets with orange outback flamboyance behind rocky ridges and purple hills, you couldn’t be in a more inspiring place.

Make sure you stay up to date with the road conditions before you set off with the latest travel alerts at Visit NSW.

Catch a sunset at Living Desert and Sculptures. (Image: DNSW)

Download our beautifully-illustrated map of NSW’s best road trips (pictured below) or find the giant wall map inside issue 90 of Australian Traveller magazine.

Map of the best road trips in NSW — Illustration: Mike Rossi

The heavens take centre stage at this Outback NSW glamping lodge.

Crane your neck. Look up. If it’s nighttime in a major Australian city, you might see a faint dusting of stars. Now imagine yourself out in the bush. Here, those stars aren’t just scattered dots – instead, they’re smudged across the sky in endless, glittering streaks. Welcome to Wilderluxe Lake Keepit , a new glamping lodge in one of the most picturesque corners of outback NSW.

Between its eight stargazing tents, Gilay Guest Lounge, and shared tales of the Dreamtime night sky, this retreat is designed to exist in harmony with the breathtaking lake and surrounding landscape. Intrigued? Here’s everything you need to know.

Bathed in warm light, a couple watches the sun dip beyond the horizon. — Watch the sky melt into magic at Wilderluxe.

Getting to Wilderluxe Lake Keepit

Wilderluxe Lake Keepit is in the NSW Northern Tablelands, bordered by the Great Dividing Range. The lake itself is hard to miss: this mammoth body of water is two-thirds the size of Sydney Harbour.

Just 40 minutes from Tamworth and close to Gunnedah, it’s on the inland route between Sydney and Byron Bay. Drive or take one of the daily flights to Tamworth’s airport.

Aerial view of Wilderluxe. — Let vast waters and towering ranges set the scene for your escape.

Wilderluxe Lake Keepit rooms

Don’t settle for a paltry room when you can sleep directly under the cosmos. Wilderluxe offers eight domed ‘Star Tents’ , all named after Aboriginal sky stories – like Djirri Djirri, the sacred messenger bird, Baiame, the Sky Father and great creator, and Dhinawan, the Emu in the Sky constellation.

On a clear night, use your tent’s retractable roof for gazing above or wander to the outdoor bathtub on your private deck to soak under the night sky. No need to go anywhere. You can stay put come evening with a kitchenette inside and a gas barbecue on the deck.

A couple gazes up at a sky ablaze with stars at Wilderluxe. — Sleep beneath the stars.

Style and character

When it comes to aesthetics, Wilderluxe Lake Keepit stays on trend. The encampment blends with its surroundings, building up layers of minimalist visuals that mirror the ever-changing curves of the water.

Earthy tones, natural materials and timber finishes also anchor the retreat in its bushland surrounds. It’s enough to deepen the sense of calm you’ll experience as you drive off-grid, and this is only heightened as you spot kangaroos grazing at dawn or hear the chatter of native birds by the lake.

The dreamy sunset at Wilderluxe. — Go off-grid in style at Wilderluxe Lake Keepit.

Wilderluxe Lake Keepit dining

‘Dinner and a show’ hits differently with the property’s Big Sky dinner experience . Hosted in the Gilay Lounge, enjoy complimentary drinks and a grazing table with the host, followed by a screening of Big Sky Dreaming, a film produced exclusively for Wilderluxe guests in which Kamilaroi storyteller Uncle Len Waters narrates tales of the Dreaming above.

Once your imagination has been fed, it’s time to take a seat fireside for a glass of Australian port and a serving of s’mores.

Keen to explore the wider area? Staff can provide barbecue and picnic hampers, stuffed with regional meats, cheeses and organic local fare.

Wilderluxe Lake Keepit facilities

While you could very well spend all your time in your tent, sometimes it’s time to hit pause on the celestial show. Instead, make your way up to the Gilay Guest Lounge, where you can relax on the deck overlooking the lake or the outdoor fire pits. It’s a great way to unwind and clink glasses with other stargazers.

The Gilay Lounge with the view of the lake. — Unwind by the fire and raise a glass at Gilay Lounge.

Wilderluxe Lake Keepit experiences

No need to turn nocturnal; when the sun rises, there are still plenty of ways to touch the sky.

Lake Keepit hosted the 2020 Women’s World Gliding Championships, and it’s one of the best places in Australia to stretch your wings. The local Soaring Club operates year-round, meaning you can book a gliding experience any day of the year – or opt for a scenic flight to take in the vast beauty from above.

Prefer to keep your feet on solid ground? There are plenty of walking and cycling trails in and around the area. Luckily, bikes are part of the Wilderluxe package. All you have to do is ask a staff member for their favourite route, throw a picnic onto the back and cycle off into the great beyond.

Alternatively, nab a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) or kayak and head out onto the lake. Or, if you’re feeling lucky, borrow a fishing rod and try your chances.

A person kayaking through serene waters. — Paddle into peace.

The details

A two-night minimum twin-share accommodation package includes Big Sky dinner and drinks experience, plus daily continental breakfast. As well as access to leisure equipment including mountain bikes, kayaks, SUPs and fishing gear.

The interiors of the glamping tent. — Let nature restore you, while luxury takes care of the rest.

Start planning your outback glamping adventure at wilderluxe.com.au.

The great road trips of NSW: Central to Outback itinerary