Pooncarie to Bindara Homestead

About 120 kms north of Wentworth, at the end of the tarmac road, is the tiny village of Pooncarie, once a major port for paddle steamers on the Darling river. We camped for the night beside the river which looked popular with fishermen parked up with utes, boats, swags, and a slab or two of beers.

Next day we checked the Pooncarie to Menindee road via the right bank of the Darling, only to see a road closed sign due to heavy rain on the black clay on the road surface a short while ago.

Stopping at the lovely local shop and servo, we asked George, the local fount of knowledge, who said the road via Bindara station on the left bank of the river was passable. So, off we went on a dirt road, damp in places, boggy in spots, all needing careful driving over eroded gullies and holes suddenly opening up in sandy bits or using power over sticky clay.

We spent four hours for 85kms to get to Bindara.

Outback Australia has some fun letter boxes, including a splendid metal cow we came across complete with springs and a backend to delve into for correspondence.

Sadly, we came across a Dad emu knocked over on the road in a pile of feathers. Later we came across the rest of the emu mob less Dad, ambling down the road.

At the end, taking a wrong turn at the station gate, we landed up on a fenceline track with barely room to turn round. We saw two cars in total all day going in our direction, none came in the oncoming direction, probably due to nasty road conditions.

Bindara station is pretty remote, and  makes its own solar power with the occasional  help of a generator. Positioned by the Darling River with green lawns and citrus trees, the homestead dates back to the 1800s and once was the centre of a million acre station running 100,000 sheep.

We bushcamped on a high spot overlooking a bend in the river. You expected a paddle steamer to arrive any minute with a blast on its steam whistle. The peace and quiet pervaded the sweltering heat, bird song, and the sight of a lone heron patiently patrolling the muddy water's edge. Morning was magic, the occasional cries of night birds giving way to the rising notes of the dawn chorus.

 The station has a variety of intriguing sights, including an original travelling canoe tree whose bark Aborigines had extracted in the shape of a canoe many years ago; a zig-zag tree; and a letterbox tree where it is said an oldtimer got his mail delivered so noseyparkers didn't get to read it.

Barb and Bill are the owners of Bindara. They bought it in the 1980s, then set it up as a biodynamic sheep and WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) place. Barb is a good sort, keen to swap news and share stories at the 6pm happy hour under the trees outside the openair kitchen.