The tiny outback town of Tibooburra, renowned for being the hottest place in NSW, hosts an annual gymkhana, bikekhana and rodeo each Spring. 

As a fresh-to-the-outback, former city-slicker, I had to know whether the rodeo experience lived up to my romantic yet uninformed idea of it: a blur of line dancing, cowboy boots and something to do with bulls.

In the very north-western corner of New South Wales, in an area aptly named Corner Country, is a place that seems to tick all the boxes of the classic, quintessentially Australian outback town: Tibooburra.

Kel, ‘the friendliest person in Merriwagga’ (certainly lives up to this reputation) and owner of the only caravan park in town: “The Old School Caravan Park”, which, as the name suggests, used to be a school ground.

The Black Stump Hotel, an unassuming pub in Merriwagga, New South Wales is shrouded in outback mythology and local folklore. There’s the tale of how the pub got its name; a woman named Barbara Blaine who burned alive in 1886 in the area, whose husband reportedly said “looked like a black stump”, or it could be because the surrounding area is known as “Black Stump Country”.

Along the Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne sits one of Australia’s few remaining original Greek diners; The Niagara Cafe.