Tucked into rolling countryside near the junction of the Namoi and Barwon Rivers, the drive to Walgett delivers a rewarding pit-stop of thermal springs and country charm. The gateway to the Darling River Run - and the Great Outdoors - this former paddle-steamer port is a great place to begin your adventure.

Refresh the senses as you slip into one of Walgett’s thermal Artesian Bore Baths, a natural source of warm springs that stream from the Great Artesian Basin. The deepest and largest artesian basin in the world, stretching from NSW to the Northern Territory, the therapeutic waters are two million years old.

Before you continue your drive, take some time to browse the antiques and gifts at the town’s famous Stone’s Throw store. You’ll find also find locally made sweets and beautiful coffee, which you can enjoy while soaking up some sunshine at an outdoor table.

Tucked into the gum-lined banks of the Barwon River, Brewarrina has been an indigenous meeting point for thousands of years, and evidence of this important history is still visible today. Situated on shared traditional lands, the great meeting point was at a site archeologists estimate to be the oldest man-made structure on earth - the Brewarinna Fish Traps (Ngunnhu).

Constructed from a network of stone weirs and rock enclosures, today these 40,000 year old Fish Traps offer an inspiring story of proud tradition and cultural renewal. Book a guided tour at the Visitor Information Centre and learn more about the traps’ history and Dreamtime legend, as well as how the traditional methods of fish catching are still used today in this bountiful river region. Don't miss the Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum, set inside a traditional gunyah building, and also offering tour bookings.

Proudly standing on the edge of the Outback and on the banks of the Darling River, Bourke brings together this drive’s many charms, from rich colonial and indigenous heritage to spectacular natural surroundings of striking landmarks and ancient indigenous rock art.

Take a break from the road to explore the pleasures of historic river travel, on the majestic Jandra paddle-boat. These daily cruises along the beautiful Darling River will transport you to a time when Bourke was a thriving inland port, with colourful captain’s commentary.

Deepen your knowledge of the area by walking along the banks of the Darling River with Bourke Cultural Walks, and hear stories behind the sites that enrich this area. Take some extra time to explore the extraordinary Gundabooka National Park, home to colonial heritage and the Mulgowan (Yappa) Aboriginal Art Site walking track.

Once a bustling river port, Louth is now a tranquil hamlet on the banks of the Darling River that continues to warmly welcome travellers with open arms. Louth’s origins wind back to 1862, when an enterprising Irishman built a pub to service the passing river trade and named the tiny settlement after his hometown in Ireland.

You’ll find the perfect combination of great food and cold beer at Shindy’s Inn, a little pub packed with memorabilia, photos and artefacts, with plentiful shade outside from the heat and self-contained cabins on the riverbank.

Visit the vast 320,000 acre Trilby Station for a taste of life on an Outback sheep station. Enjoy walking trails along the billabong and river and don’t miss the open air museum of early settler’s farm machinery and homestead. Spend some more time here by staying in one of the comfortable stockman’s cottages.

A former paddle-steamer port that continues to lure travellers looking for classic country comfort, Tilpa is a great place to park your travels for the night. You’ll also find some intriguing Darling River Run attractions in this little riverside.

At the heart of Tilpa is the historic Tilpa Hotel, considered one of the last true bush pubs in Australia. Established in 1894 on the back of the flourishing river trade, this classic outback watering hole has been welcoming visitors for over 100 years. Add your name or a message to the inscribed walls for a small fee, which is donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Take a wander around this little town and you’ll also find a Boer War memorial commemorating the famous Harry ‘Breaker’ Morant, who once worked in the region. The legendary bushranger Captain Starlight is also made a visit in 1868, while on bushranger business.

If your car could time-hop to 1880, you’d find a Wilcannia bustling with paddle-steamers, bale-carrying camels, travelling gold prospectors and a jostling river port trade carrying wool to Sydney. Once Australia’s third largest inland port, the town is now quieter but the memories live on.

Take a walk past the impressive colonial architecture that fronts the town, and you’ll find stately reminders of those bygone moments - including the Athenaeum Library. A callback to river port days, the town’s Athenaeum committee once also included Charles Dickens' son.

The Darling River runs along the edge of town. Enjoy the bustle of birdlife where paddle-steamers once churned. An hour’s drive north you'll find quiet space by the waterways of the Murray-Darling in Paroo-Darling National Park, where you can to explore, kayak and picnic.

Menindee is where you'll cross paths with some intriguing Australian history, from the wreck of the riverboat PS Providence in Kinchega National Park to the legendary tale of Burke and Wills, who made this their last stop before their ill-fated expedition into the Outback.

Tucked between the mighty Darling River and the bountiful Menindee Lakes, this tiny outpost was the first town established on the Darling River. The breathtaking Kinchega National Park is rich with indigenous history and wonder. Camp and watch the sunset cast its brilliance over the lakes as birdlife thrives around this vital water source.

In the morning, cruise the Darling River with River Lady Tours, past ghostly river red gums and coolabah trees. Then discover pastoral heritage at the historic Kinchega Woolshed. Built in 1875, this good old station is famous for the six million sheep that have been sheared here in its 97 years’ of operation.

The wide unsealed road from Menindee follows the historic banks of the Darling, to the welcoming village oasis of Pooncarie - a once-bustling township known as The Port. It is also the closest river town to ancient wonders that stretch back to the dawn of human experience.

Famous for Mungo Man and Mungo Lady, buried 42,000 years ago in the world’s oldest ritual burials, the nearby Mungo National Park is only an hours’ drive east. A land of striking desert landmarks, you’ll find towering scenery such as the Walls of China, fossil-rich formations carved from the remnants of an ancient inland sea.

One of the most important archaeological sites in Australia, the best way to explore is with a knowledgable guide. Mungo Lodge accredited tour guidescan show you restricted areas on the Walls of China, and Mungo Scenic Flights let you see this spectacular area from the air.

Welcome to the Outback meeting-point of Wentworth, where one journey ends and many others begin. Situated at the confluence of the Mighty Murray and the Darling, you’ll find riverside wineries to enjoy, ancient sandhills to explore and heritage paddle-boats to cruise.

Explore the area by visiting to the Perry Sandhills, 6kms west of Wentworth. Created by tens of thousands of years of erosion dating all the way back to the ice age, these sweeping red dunes have since yielded giant skeletons of kangaroo and megafauna, and include important indigenous heritage areas.

Celebrate the distance you’ve travelled with a wine by the water. Trentham Estate is a family-owned winery with a cellar door and restaurant set right on the banks of the Murray, with many wines to sip and plenty of tastings to savour.