Seven Days Along the Darling: An Outback Journey Like No Other

Departing 23 July 2026 | Broken Hill to Mildura | Limited Seats Available

The Darling River is one of Australia's great stories. It threads through the red heart of New South Wales for over 1,400 kilometres, carving a lifeline through country that shaped the nation — carrying wool and copper, sustaining Aboriginal communities for tens of thousands of years, and building the legends that defined the bush. Most Australians have never seen it. Our seven-day Darling River Run gives you the chance to change that.

Departing Broken Hill on 23 July 2026, this is a journey through the soul of outback NSW. And if you're coming from Sydney, it couldn't be easier — simply catch the overnight train to Broken Hill and you'll step off the platform ready to go.

Day One: Broken Hill to Cobar

We leave Broken Hill at 8 am and make for Cobar, home of the Great Cobar Copper Mine — once the largest copper mine in all of Australia. At its height in 1912, it employed over 2,000 people and its chimney stack was the tallest in the southern hemisphere. The town museum brings that era vividly to life, and the Miners Memorial is a moving tribute to those who built this corner of the country.

Day Two: Into the Western Plains

Rolling west through big sheep and wool country, we stop at Gundabooka National Park for a walk among ancient Aboriginal rock art. Then on to Bourke — the town whose name became a byword for the back of beyond — where the Back O'Bourke Exhibition Centre tells the story of this region with remarkable depth. The day ends with something unforgettable: a cruise aboard the Jandra Paddle Boat on the Darling River, followed by dinner at the Port of Bourke Hotel.

Day Three: The Darling River Run Begins

This is the day the landscape truly takes hold. We follow the banks of the Darling through historic Louth and Tilpa, stopping at Dunlop Station — a storied 1800s sheep property with a 45-stand mechanical woolshed once owned by Sir Samuel McCaughey, the man who transformed Riverina irrigation. Then through Paroo-Darling National Park to the extraordinary White Cliffs opal fields, where you'll sleep underground tonight.

Day Four: Opals, the Darling, and Broken Hill

Explore White Cliffs by morning — buy opals direct from the source — then rejoin the Darling at Wilcannia before arriving in Broken Hill for dinner at the legendary Mario's Palace Hotel. Broken Hill in July is cool, clear, and utterly atmospheric.

Day Five: Menindee, Mungo, and the Walls of China

From Broken Hill we head to the Menindee Lakes and the site of Burke and Wills' Menindee depot camp, then follow the river south to the pretty port village of Pooncarie. Arriving at Mungo National Park in the afternoon, we join a sunset tour inside the park to the Walls of China — a breathtaking series of ancient lunettes that are the resting place of Mungo Man and Mungo Woman, among the oldest human remains ever found on Earth. This is a World Heritage site of profound significance. Overnight at Mungo Lodge.

Day Six: Wentworth and Mildura

We cross into Victoria via the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers — Australia's greatest river system — and stop in Wentworth to visit the Pioneer Museum, the magnificent 1907 paddle steamer PS Ruby, and the life-size megafauna replicas including the extraordinary two-metre Diprotodon. Then on to Mildura, a sun-soaked city of oranges and vineyards, for our final night.

Day Seven: Tour Completes in Mildura

After breakfast, the journey concludes. Return by train or plane — or, for the adventurous, continue north to Lake Eyre or Cameron Corner.

What's Included

Six nights accommodation (twin share or single supplement available), all meals, the Bourke paddleboat cruise, a professional driver-guide, and all national parks entry fees. Genuine small group touring in 4WD LandCruisers. Priced at AU$6,995 per person.

Seats are strictly limited. Book now at spiritsafaris.rezdy.com or call 0417 244 600 / 1300 763 188.

Don't wait — this one fills fast.