Cheers to the Outback Pub Route

The old Harp of Erin Hotel that once stood in Mitchell Street, Bourke. Photo contributed

Who doesn’t love an Outback pub? A new tourism initiative is tapping into the heart of Outback New South Wales – the local watering holes.

The Pub Route has been developed by the Far North West Joint Organisation in collaboration with Walgett, Bourke, and Cobar Shire Councils. The aim is to attract tourists to the region with a series of eight routes focusing on pubs and outback experiences.

Described as a “roadmap to unlocking the essence of outback Western NSW,” the Pub Route invites travellers to connect with the soul of the region, through bar stools and beer coasters.

“It’s really another way to bring people out to the Outback and through these borderless communities,” General Manager of Bourke Shire Council Leonie Brown said.

“While it’s a tourism initiative, it’s also about preserving and celebrating a vital part of our heritage.”

Funding made available through the Joint Organisation enabled historical research and signage to take place. Historian and media guru, Andrew Hull had his team piece together the story of more than 180 pubs that once dotted the vast landscape of the local regions.

These pubs weren’t just watering holes, instead they were essential rest stops for coach travellers, often built every 16 miles, the distance a horse team could reasonably travel in a day. Many have long since vanished, but their stories endure. […]

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