About Bourke     Things to do & see      Accommodation  Alternate accomodation      Opportunities   

The Darling River taken at May's Bend North Bourke

These pages about Bourke give a personal view of Bourke NSW and its surrounds from a relative newcomer with fresh eyes who sees an area of vast beauty and potential but which is also plagued by social and economic issues and in dire need of fresh blood who will invigorate and renew the pioneering spirit by just not knowing it can't be done.

It is an area which for 10 years has been ravaged by drought and where the old means prosperity are fading and change and innovation from a fresh approach is in process. We are all aware of our use and misuse of water and in this area it is all to apparent and it's downstream consequences necessitate both government action which thankfully has taken place and a shift in mentality from those who live there to not just think of their own environment but Australia as a whole.

The recent rains have revitalized the town and given a much needed lift to the local economy but inconsistent rain has been part of the area for as long as its history has been recorded and our national psyche is changing and we are asking ourselves is traditional farming the answer?

It is a place where 1/3 of the population are indigenous and are for the most part fully integrated in the town with some ensuing issues with crime although this has substantially decreased especially with the increased spreading out amongst the urban dwelling areas of town and mainly centres around crimes against property from very young children.

Although a mining discovery or some innovative land use industry would provide a much needed quick boost it is likely that tourism will be the quiet achiever and saviour and if the creative and cultural flair of the indigenous population can be harnessed there is a unique opportunity to create a special place which can be an example of what can be done and all Australia can be proud of.

Thus the website is about displaying the positives for tourists and people who may live there of the vast beauty that surrounds Bourke in New South Wales but also the special place in history that it sits and the very reason that my fellow kiwi originator Dr Fred Hollows chose Bourke as his final resting place.

But also to encourage the tree change phenomenon to discover Bourke as well as passive & active investment for it is a place where a dollar could well go along way and the person taking the risk may yet be rewarded beyond their wildest dreams and isn't that dream and hope what our pioneering ancestors came with first.