Your journey kicks off in the sophisticated border town of Albury, a green, culture-rich enclave on the banks of the Murray River. Soak up the river ambience on a scenic canoe tour with Canoe the Murray; or follow the 15km Wagirra Trail and Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk linking the Wonga Wetlands with the South Albury Trail, pausing to contemplate a series of sculptures created by local Aboriginal artists.

A short walk from the river is the gorgeous Albury Botanic Gardens, established more than 130 years ago and featuring award-winning garden displays and enchanting trails as well as a magical children’s garden.

Albury also boasts one of the most popular art museums outside of Sydney, the Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA). The gallery is home to some of the most exciting contemporary art in Australia, with guided tours and workshops presented in an always-buzzing atmosphere.

With a burgeoning reputation as a foodie hub, you’ll never go hungry in Albury, with restaurants such as River Deck focusing on seasonal fresh produce and wine from the nearby Rutherglen region.

Head northwest on the Riverina Highway to Jerilderie, a historic town best known for being raided by Ned Kelly and his gang in 1879. During his rampage through the town, the infamous bushranger robbed the bank, chopped down telegraph poles, locked police in their own cells and held more than 30 people hostage while shouting drinks the bar and burning the mortgages held in the bank – all in just three days!

You can follow this rollicking adventure on the self-guided Ned Kelly Raid Trail, with maps available from the town’s Visitor Information Centre. An essential stop-off is the Old Printery Building, the offices of Jerilderie and Urana Gazette where Ned Kelly tried to get his manifesto printed. The building now houses The Bolt, an exhibition about convicts and bushrangers featuring a collection of pistols, shackles, whipping posts and cat o’nine tails.

Continue 45min north to NSW’s newest town, Coleambally, established in 1968 to service the Coleambally Irrigation Area. As a nod to this founding industry, the town has erected the Bucyrus Erie dragline excavator in the Lions Park at the entrance to town, an ideal spot to take a break and stretch the legs.

As you drive through Coleambally, check out their wine glass-shaped water tower, adorned with a mosaic depicting the history of the town, before heading to the award-winning Yarrow Park. It's the only cellar door on the Kidman Way, selling hand-crafted wines and home-grown olive products.

Continue for another 20min to reach your destination for the night, Darlington Point. This gorgeous town on the banks of the Murrumbidgee boasts some of the most beautiful camping and RV sites in the Riverina; arrive early to nab a position on the banks of the river.

After setting up camp, take a stroll along the 1.8km Goanna Walking Track, keeping a sharp eye out for the mythical bunyip that dwells on the river banks.

While in town, you may also want to check out the Darlington Point Museum and its collection of antique farm machinery.

Before you leave Darlington Point, make the 10min drive out of town to Altina Wildlife Park, a safari-style zoo with a unique horse-drawn tram tour through its exotic wildlife exhibitions. The zoo offers morning and afternoon tours, so you’ll need to set aside at least 2.5hr for a memorable experience.

Go light on this morning’s breakfast because today you’ll be feasting like a king in the Riverina foodie hub of Griffith. Designed in 1914 by Walter Burley Griffith to service the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Scheme, the town was settled by Italian immigrants, resulting in a vibrant food and wine scene.

Make your first stop the Visitor Information Centre to pick up a cellar door map; you can then take your time visiting local wineries including the beautifully landscaped De Bortoli Wines Bilbul Estate or Yarran Wines, where you can enjoy a cheeseboard and a glass of wine on a terrace overlooking the vines.

For a broader view on the town’s horticultural industry, take a look around the original 1912 mud brick home at Catania Farm, before taking a bus tour around the working fruit and nut orchard. You can also delve deeper into the town’s Italian history at the Pioneer Park Museum in the centre of the city.

Contemporary Griffith continues to wear its heritage with pride at Zecca, where you can stock up on authentic Italian food such as homemade pastas and bread as well as fresh, locally-sourced produce. You can then satisfy your sweet tooth with some genuine Italian canoli or gelato from Bertoldo’s Pasticceria.

Leave some room for dinner, however – in Griffith, you’ll be spoilt for choice with excellent restaurants such as Limone Dining showcasing the town’s European heritage as well as produce plucked straight from the restaurant’s own farm.

Heading north through rich, red-soil farmlands towards Cobar, make a rest stop at the sleepy rural town of Hillston, where you’ll find a beautiful picnic area on the edge of the Lachlan River.

Take a stroll through the parklands across the swinging bridge, checking out a series of painted emus as well as “animals” made from fallen trees – a crocodile, a redback spider and a scary prehistoric monster. Make sure you fill up the tank before leaving Hillston, as there are no fuel stops between here and Cobar.

You are now entering the real outback of NSW – so be on the lookout for wildlife as you tackle the 2.5hr drive through vast, open plains to Cobar. A mining town for more than a century, Cobar’s prosperity is still dependent on its thriving mines producing gold, copper, lead, silver and zinc. You'll have two days to uncover this rich history.

Just before you enter Cobar, you’ll reach the Peak Gold Mines, where a viewing platform gives a bird's-eye view of the massive mining operations. Closer to town, you can also observe the operations at the Fort Bourke Open Cut Mine, with the lookout providing incredible views of the open pit and views across town.

Continuing on into Cobar itself, stop by the Visitor Information Centre at The Great Cobar Museum to check out the exhibitions telling the story of the town, as well as the grand old building.

After taking a morning stroll around Cobar to check out its historic buildings, head north for about an hour and a half to Gundabooka National Park and State Conservation Area. With its red soil, azure skies, varied landscapes from sandhills to floodplains and a wealth of birdlife, the park offers incredible photography opportunities and represents NSW’s outback at its most unspoilt.

Your epic journey concludes in the quintessential outback town of Bourke, located on the banks of the Darling River. To discover what life in this remote desert environment encompasses, start with a visit to the Back O’ Bourke Exhibition Centre, where a series of interactive installations immerses visitors in the stories of the outback, from bush poets and stockmen to bushrangers.

Bourke was also serviced by the legendary Cobb & Co stagecoach company, and you can see vestiges of this era as you walk the Bourke Town Trail, passing the old blacksmith’s workshop, the Carriers Arms Hotel and the Court House, where bushranger Captain Starlight was committed for trial after his capture in 1868.

Finally, put your feet up and relax on board the reproduction steam paddleboat, Jandra, cruising down the Darling with commentary about river life, wildlife and the history of the riverboat era.