Thread: Wilcannia & Beyond

Last Time we were in Wilcania (2002) it looked pretty rough. everything of worth was either boarded up or surrounded by security mesh. Even the bowsers where we filled up were "in gaol" as one of our kids put it. filling up was all we did before moving on. It's been a very prosperous town in days now long gone. Unless someone has better news of recent times, I wouldn't linger, especially with little kids, and I'd be sure to be in and out in the daylight. Don

Yeah dodge Wilcania, drove through there sept last year and was scary looked like south central LA. White cliffs, mungo, broken hill, mutiwinji NP ect are all great and well worthwhile

Yes mate by 3 for the other two posts.It is a shame to say but give it a miss I.E. drive straight through.If you need fuel there is a servo on the western side on the main drag..was a Shell last time I went.If you get a chance go to Broken Hill it is a terrific place lots to see.....don't miss the painting that took 14 years to do of the surrounding countryside..it is mind boggling.I think it is well over 50 metres in length.Great country out there but if the martians landed they could be forgiven if they thought no one lived on this planet LOL
Cheers

We drove through wilcannia in the daytime a year and a half ago. The locals on the street all seemed friendly and waved to us. but we were in a hurry and had plenty of fuel so didn't stop. Millions of feral goats around that area.

Wilcannia is one of those places that looks rough although don't be too put off. I would guess you are more likely to run into trouble in Sydney than Wilcannia. My cousin used to live there and still travels back there frequently and a work colleague goes there each month to work in a clinic and they don't mind the place.

Go with an open mind and you might be surprised by what you find . I will be there in September and will be stopping to have a look around.

cobars nice broke down their and had a ball caught the bus back to adalaide and we stoped to pick up people in Wilcannia kids playing in the street at night bars on all the windows and the care taker/owner of the hotel hussling people on with a shot gun in his had pointing at the locals its a scary place at night looks like a movie sceen

Wilcannia is no worse than many other outback towns. I probably wouldnt stay the night there but I wouldnt avoid it either. Have a look at the old wharf and the cemetary is a fascinating way to spend half an hour. You would be far more likely to encounter real danger in south west Sydney than in Wilcannia. Like most things in life assess the situation and act accordingly. Those who drive through at 100Ks fearing for their lives are missing a part of Australia that should be visited and adding to the problems of the local residents by not contributing to the economy of the town.
If you are too scared to fill up in Willcannia then you are going to be in the **** when you get to Tennant Creek
/end rant

Tote

Wilcannia has some wonderful old buildings and is well worth taking half an hour to slowly drive around, get out and take photographs etc. I was there just over a year ago and had no toruble, though one local asked my friend which tribe he was from. We all had a good laugh when my friend replied 'I'm Tongan, Aboriginals don't come in extra extra extra large, cuz'. Most of my group was asian or european so we didn't fit in very well

Silverton is great, I spent a week there, met some other aboriginals and went drinking with them in the riverbed each night, hilarious. One of them would drink his VB till he'd fall backwards off the log with his legs still over it and sleep like that till the morning.
Make sure you visit the museum in Silverton, and if you stay the night drive back about 500m towards Broken Hill, turn right where there is a gap in the railway line and follow the tracks up to the hill, turning right a little before you reach the mine fence. You might need to lock your centre diff it gets a bit scrabbly but a 4runner did it. Great spot to watch the stars lying on the rock face.

Wilcannia: