Is there any better way to explore the beautiful NSW outback than a road trip? This 9-day 3200km round trip from Sydney to Broken Hill and back is guaranteed to get you through a varied range of landscapes from lush green bushes, and spectacular deserts to never-ending red dirt outback roads. With some incredible sights to see, unique attractions to explore and interesting characters to meet, this will be a trip that you’ll cherish for a lifetime!
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Before setting out on this trip, here are a few very important things to remember:
- Be extremely cautious about driving in the outback especially around sunrise and sunset as wildlife is very active during these times and driving during these times is quite dangerous.
- Fuel up whenever you see a servo. Servos are sparse in the outback so even if you think you have enough fuel, fill it up!
- Take a portable air compressor with a built-in pressure gauge so you can able to take your car to the next available service shop in case of a flat tire.
- Take enough water with you as it’s extremely hot out there! Hat and sunscreen are a must as well. We visited Broken Hill in Summer and the temperature on the day of our visit was 41°C!!
- Do note that mobile coverage will be very limited in the outback; we had no coverage at all in some parts of the outback even with a Telstra mobile. Due to the same reason, you’ll also need to download offline maps as well as songs onto your device before setting out.
- While you can definitely manage with a 2WD for driving in the outback, a 4WD is strongly recommended for a comfortable ride, especially while visiting Mungo National Park as the roads leading to, in and from Mungo are very corrugated and are extremely uncomfortable to drive through with a 2WD.
- Do note that, unlike the rest of the state, Broken Hill observes Central Standard Time, the same time zone as South Australia and the Northern Territory. This is especially crucial for your return trip from Broken Hill, as you’ll be losing 30 minutes upon departing Broken Hill due to the time zone difference.
- Always take a photo of the road operation signs prior to entering an outback road so that you can show it to the authorities in case of a change in road conditions that occurred after you entered the road.
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The Itinerary - A Sneak Peek!
Following is a quick overview of the itinerary:
Note that once you have completed exploring Broken Hill, there are two options to returning back to Sydney: either to come back via the same route as the forward journey or to do a circuit loop by travelling a bit south from Broken Hill and then east towards Sydney. This itinerary incorporates the latter which spans slightly more distance than the forward trip but provides you with more exciting and unique experiences than just a boring out-and-back trip.
Note that once you have completed exploring Broken Hill, there are two options to returning back to Sydney: either to come back via the same route as the forward journey or to do a circuit loop by travelling a bit south from Broken Hill and then east towards Sydney. This itinerary incorporates the latter which spans slightly more distance than the forward trip but provides you with more exciting and unique experiences than just a boring out-and-back trip.
| Day | Start | End | Distance / Driving Time | Key Attractions |
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| Day 1 | Sydney | Mudgee | 404km, 5 hr 30 min | • Visit The Big Miner's Lantern. • Walk The Drip Gorge Trail. • Mudgee Observatory Tour. |
| Day 2 | Mudgee | Cobar | 428km, 4 hr 52 min | • Walk the Putta Bucca Wetlands. • Visit The Big Bogan & The Big Beer Can. • Visit the open cut mine at Fort Bourke Hill Lookout. |
| Day 3 | Cobar | White Cliffs | 430km, 5 hr 13 min | • Visit Cobar Miners Heritage Park. • Pick up lunch at the Emmdale Roadhouse. • Picnic at Paroo-Darling National Park. • Stay in dugouts at White Cliffs Underground Motel. |
| Day 4 | White Cliffs | Broken Hill | 311km, 3 hr 57 min | • White House Dugout Tour. • Experience driving on an unsealed road for a short distance. • Visit the sandstone sculptures at Living Desert State Park. • Visit The Big Ant & The Big Bench. |
| Day 5 | Broken Hill | Mungo | 470km, 6.5 to 7.5 hrs | • Underground mine tour at Historic Daydream Mine. • Visit Silverton & Mundi Mundi Lookout. • Visit The Big Picture. • Visit Menindee Lakes. • Drive to Mungo National Park on an unsealed & heavily corrugated road! |
| Day 6 | Mungo National Park | 72km, 2 hr 30 min | • Mungo self-guided drive tour. • Mungo Sunset Tour. |
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| Day 7 | Mungo | Hay | 314km, 3 hr 40 min | • Shearing demonstration @ Shear Outback Museum, Hay. • Walk the Bidgee Riverside Trail. • Sunset @ the famous sunset viewing area in Hay. |
| Day 8 | Hay | Wagga Wagga | 302km, 3 hr 36 min | • Visit The Big Guitar. • Visit Wagga Wagga Art Gallery - National Art Glass Gallery. • Walk the Marrambidya Wetland Walking Trail. |
| Day 9 | Wagga Wagga | Sydney | 469km, 5 hr 13 min | • Strawberry picking @ Bidgee Strawberries and Cream. • Visit The Big Merino. |
Note: The map image above is only a representation of the major cities you will cover during this road trip and doesn't include all the attractions you'll visit within these cities.
Due to the sheer length of the post (9 days, 3200km and 30+ attractions), this post has been split into three sub-posts as follows, with each sub-post covering 3 days of the total 9 days trip.
Enroute To The NSW Outback
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Out & About In The NSW Outback
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The Return Leg To Sydney
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Our Itinerary
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