We take Horgan's Walk past the old sites the Kelly Gang visited to the swollen banks of Billabong Creek - apparently the longest creek in Australia. Big trees and old houses line the banks. This is normally a dust bowl,though Henery tells me it is almost unrecognisable because of recent rain. He suggests I head north along the Kidman Way to look for myself.
We drive along the flat plains. The rain hasn't soaked away yet and the fields look like the water-logged rice terraces of Asia rather than the dry centre of NSW.
This exotic illusion is maintained as we drive along the featureless terrain towards Darlington Point. I take a right turn and see a giraffe bobbing through the trees. As we continue,I notice a mob of Mongolian wild horses galloping across the plain. We are on the edges of Altina,a wildlife park in the middle of central NSW with some of the most unusual creatures in Australia.
We jump in a horse and buggy with owner Gino Altin and tour the grounds,seeing alligators,hyenas,bison and maned wolves.
Altin built the park to satisfy his lifelong obsession with exotic and endangered animals.
Being"thunderstruck"is not normally a term I would associate with wine tasting,though at the Warburn Estate just outside Griffith on the Kidman Way,that is exactly what they're hoping for. Rock band AC/DC contracted Warburn to produce a signature line of wines that includes"Back in Black"shiraz,"Hell's Bells"sauvignon blanc and the"Highway to Hell"cabernet.
Robyn Turner sits me down for a"high-voltage"tasting and,despite my reservations,I have to say that the Back in Black isn't bad at all.
We break our journey in the multicultural town of Griffith and spend the night recharging. With nearly 50 per cent of people in town having Italian heritage,I'm looking forward to some authentic food. The town is quiet,as we are here on a Sunday,which is reserved for family time. We find a table at the restaurant Dolce Dolce and they serve us generous portions of home-made gnocchi and Italian pork sausages,which I wash down with a shot of grappa,as is the local way.
We start early the next day to complete the last 150 kilometres of our Kidman Way experience. I pick up fresh cannoli and Italian espresso and we hit the road.
There are snakes,lizards and echidnas crossing the road at intervals as the straight road cuts through the fields of red earth beside us. The end of the line for us is Hillston,though this is just the midpoint of the Kidman Way that continues towards Bourke.
We visit the Red Dust and Paddy Melons Gallery,where the exhibits on the wall reflect the hard living of this place. There are no fruit bowls or flower arrangements in the paintings;these are images of crushed cow skulls and crumpled water tanks along with pictures of the Lachlan River that slips through town on the other side of the Clubhouse Hotel.
Before we turn off the Kidman Way for home,we stop at Merriwagga back along the road."Middle of nowhere"is suddenly a term I can appreciate. I see two streets,a few abandoned businesses and a man drinking a beer. Merriwagga does get the occasional drifter and grey nomad,though,as the pub in town is the famous Black Stump Hotel. The legend goes that in 1886 a woman named Barbara Blain was travelling with her husband,transporting wool through the outback. She stopped to cook them dinner when the wind kicked up and the flames caught her dress. She was incinerated,and when her husband found her charred remains he described her form as resembling a black stump.
There are six other towns in Australian laying claims to the Black Stump legend,although the locals at the pub laugh off the impostors.
The owner looks like she has seen a few summers and when I ask how business is,she replies brightly,"There's been lotsa Mexicans here!"It takes me a moment to realise she means people from Melbourne.
There is a solitary parking meter out the front,but it does not seem parking would be an issue.
With all these outback towns,their importance doesn't seem to come from the number of shops on the main drag or zeros are on the population sign. It's all about the pub,and this tin-roofed watering hole on the shimmering plains is one of the best.
The Kidman Way offers a unique slice of outback life,from royalty and alligators through to hard-rock wines. It might seem like the middle of nowhere from a distance,though up close this route is one of the most colourful places in NSW.
FAST FACTS
Getting there Jerilderie is about 650 kilometres from Sydney along the Hume and Newell highways,so allow 7-8 hours to drive. From Jerilderie,follow the Kidman Way north.
Staying there
In Jerilderie:The Jerilderie Motel and Caravan Park has cabins and caravan spaces at 121 Newell Highway on the way into town. Phone (03) 5886 1366.
In Griffith:The Griffith Centrepoint Apartments has comfortable self-contained apartments in the centre of town from $120 a night. Corner of Yambil and Ulong streets;see centrepointapartmentsgriffith.com.au.
In Hillston:The Kidman Way Motor Inn,Keats and High streets. Phone 6967 2151.
In Merriwagga:Black Stump Hotel,9 Mons Street. Phone 6965 4457.
Along the Kidman Way
Jerilderie:for information on the Kelly Gang,seethekellytrail.com.
The Altina Wildlife Park is located at Darlington Point off the Kidman Way. For further information and booking details,see altinawildlife.com.
Warburn Estate:To try AC/DC's signature wines from the source,book a tasting at Warburn Estate just outside Griffith on the Kidman Way. See warburnestate.com.au.
More information Seekidmanway.org.au;griffith.nsw.gov.au.
Ben Stubbs travelled courtesy of Griffith Tourism.