Australia’s red dirt is iconic and often thought to cover much of our land. However, it isn’t until you head into the Outback that you see it in all its glory. On a whim, we decided to hit the road and travel from Sydney to Broken Hill during the April school holidays on our very own Australian Outback Adventures. We planned to head to Nyngan, NSW for our first night.
Australian Outback Adventures : Nyngan with Kids
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Nyngan itself is at the centre of New South Wales. It is the home of the Big Bogan, Australia’s largest photovoltaic power station, and the Bogan River. At just over 570 kilometres from Sydney, it was the perfect first stop on our way to Broken Hill.
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Things to See
The Big Bogan
Australia loves random Big things in random places. We’ve previously visited the Big Banana, the Big Pineapple, the Big Merino and a plethora of other big things, so it was fitting that we stopped at Nyngan’s Big Bogan and grabbed a shot.
Standing at least five metres in height, the Big Bogan stands proud, grasping his fishing rod whilst showcasing his mullet, his singlet, stubbie shorts and Southern Cross tattoo. For Striker at least, the Big Bogan bares a remarkable likeness to Hulk Hogan. I bet he doesn’t have an esky as big as Nyngan’s!
Nyngan Solar Plant
Whilst we didn’t visit the Nyngan Solar Plant, it’s worth listing as it is currently the largest operating Solar Plant in both Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. Featuring 1.3 million solar panels, the Nyngan Solar Plant generates 102 megawatts of power. Impressive, right? Nyngan receives strong and consistent solar radiation throughout the year, making it an ideal location for a solar power plant.
Click here to download the Nyngan Solar Plant fact sheet.
Cobb & Co Heritage Trail
There’s much folklore around the 19th century Cobb & Co coaches. The coach service has been romanticised in literature from that period as well as many artworks. One of the oldest routes ran from Bathurst to Bourke, now dubbed the Cobb & Co Heritage Trail. It runs through Nyngan with Cobb & Co sites including the Nyngan Coach Works, the Heritage Coffee Shop, the post office, the Royal Hotel (, Barrett’s Hotel.
Nyngan Museum
Opening in 1992, the Nyngan Museum is housed in the heritage listed Nyngan Railway Station. The museum showcases Major Thomas Mitchell’s expedition, artefacts from the train station and curated historic belongings from the towns people.
Click here to discover more about the Nyngan Museum.
Helicopter in Vanges Park
Back in April 1990 Nyngan experienced its worst flood in living memory. Despite the efforts of the townspeople, the levee was breached and much of the town was underwater. The flood created a vast inland sea, at points it was 10 metres deep.
The Australian Army was called in to evacuate the residents of Nyngan, around 2,000 people, by air. Army helicopters as well as both TV news and private helicopters were used for the job.
Today a helicopter, a gift from the Australian Government to the people of Nyngan, has been erected in in Vanges Park to commemorate the historic event. A new levee has also been built, one metre higher than the peak height of the 1990 flood.
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Where to stay in Nyngan
Nyngan has a number of accomodation options depending on your sleeping needs. We chose to stay in the Outback Motor Inn which features family room options for those travelling with kids.
We found the Outback Motor Inn to be super clean. Our hosts were wonderful, providing assistance when we needed like the provision of extra towels and the use of the pool.
We have not provided an affiliate link to Outback Motor Inn. Book direct for the best price. However, signing up to Booking.com with the link below would be fabulous!
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Our Australian Outback Adventures covered over 3,000 kilometres in just under a fortnight. Our route covered:
First Leg: Sydney – Mudgee – Dubbo – Nyngan.
Distance: Approximately 555 kilometres or 6 1/2 hours.
Read about our Nyngan with kids
Read about Dubbo with kids
Read about Bathurst with Kids (alternative route)
Mudgee with Kids coming soon
We will update this post with coverage of each leg as they are uploaded. Stay tuned for more Australian Outback Adventures.