Bourke is a town in the north-west of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. The administrative centre and largest town in Bourke Shire, Bourke is approximately north-west of the state capital,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, on the south bank of the

Darling River The Darling River (or River Darling; Paakantyi: ''Baaka'' or ''Barka''), is the third-longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth. Including its long ...

. It is also situated: * 137 kilometres south of Barringun and the Queensland – New South Wales Border * 256 kilometres (159 mi) south of

Cunnamulla Cunnamulla () is a town and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Charleville, Queensland, Charleville, and approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane. In the 2021 Au ...

* 454 kilometres (282 mi) south of Charleville

History

The location of the current township of Bourke is on a bend in the

on the traditional country of the Ngemba people. Archaeological sites indicate Aboriginal occupancy of the region dating back thousands of years. The first British explorer to explore the river was

Charles Sturt Charles Napier Sturt (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869) was a British officer and explorer of Australia, and part of the European land exploration of Australia, European exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the ...

in 1828 who named it after Sir Ralph Darling,

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...

. Having struck the region during an intense drought and a low river, Sturt dismissed the area as largely uninhabitable and short of any features necessary for establishing reliable industry on the land. Camel caravan Bourke from The Powerhouse Museum Collection

Camel caravan Bourke from The Powerhouse Museum Collection

Further exploration of the area did not occur until 1835 when the colonial surveyor Sir Thomas Mitchell conducted an expedition. Following tensions with the local people Mitchell built a small stockade to protect his men and named it Fort Bourke after then Governor Sir Richard Bourke. British pastoral settlement failed to occur for many years in the vicinity due to the large distances from the colonised areas and the strong resistance from the local Aboriginal population. It wasn't until 1859 when British colonists were able to gain a foothold along the Upper Darling, with the arrival of

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...

s making river transportation and trade to the southern settlements seasonally viable. The first paddle steamer to reach Fort Bourke was the ''Genesis'' in February 1859, skippered by Captain William Randell. The first British pastoralist to appropriate land around Fort Bourke was Edward J Spence in late 1858, but it was Vincent James Dowling with his head stockman, John E Kelly, who successfully established the Fort Bourke

cattle station In Australia and New Zealand, a cattle station is a large farm ( station is equivalent to the American ranch), the main activity of which is the rearing of cattle. The owner of a cattle station is called a '' grazier''. The largest cattle stati ...

and homestead in 1859. Dowling clashed with the resident Aboriginal population, receiving a spear through his hat and his horse being wounded by a

boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

. However, he was able to come to terms with the Indigenous people, who became a cheap source of labour for his run. The immediate area around Fort Bourke where Mitchell had originally built his little stockade was deemed too flood prone for a township, so an elevated site on the east bank of the river around 10km north of the fort was chosen for closer settlement. This site was called by the Indigenous people Whertiemurtie and by the colonists 18 Mile Point. In 1862 the township of Bourke was officially surveyed and laid out at this locality. As the pastoralist industry expanded around Bourke, the town rapidly grew into a busy river port, with paddle steamers shipping large quantities of stock and wool south to

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative cen ...

, from where the railway extension allowed further transportation to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. Road infrastructure improved with the opening on 4 May 1883 of the North Bourke Bridge, designed by J.H. Daniels and modified in 1895 and 1903 by E.M. de Burgh. Its construction was begun by David Baillie and completed by McCulloch and Company. The 1895 modifications led to improved designs for subsequent lift-span bridges. The bridge is the oldest moveable-span bridge in Australia and is the sole survivor of its type in New South Wales. It served for 114 years before being bypassed in 1997 when a new bridge carrying the Mitchell Highway was opened just downstream. By 1885 Bourke was made accessible by rail and reliance on the river trade to the south was quickly replaced by the more direct rail access to

. Like many outback Australian townships, Bourke also utilised camels for overland transport, and the area supported a large Afghan community that had been imported to drive the teams of camels. A small Afghan mosque that dates back to the 1900s can be found within Bourke cemetery. As trade moved away from river transport routes, Bourke's hold on the inland trade industry began to relax. Whilst no longer considered a trade centre, Bourke serves instead as a key service centre for the state's north western regions. In this semi-arid outback landscape, sheep farming along with some small irrigated cotton crops comprise the primary industry in the area today. Bourke's traditional landholders endured a similar fate to Indigenous people across Australia. Dispossessed of their traditional country and in occasional conflict with white settlers, they battled a loss of land and culture and were hit hard by European disease. While the population of the local Ngemba and Barkindji people around the town of Bourke had dwindled by the late 19th century, many continued to live a traditional lifestyle in the region. Others found employment on local stations working with stock and found their skill as trackers in high demand. A large influx of displaced Aboriginal peoples from other areas in the 1940s saw Bourke's indigenous community grow and led to the establishment of a reserve in 1946 by the Aborigines Protection Board. The majority of indigenous settlers were Wangkumara people from the Tibooburra region. In 1962 in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, local high jumper Percy Hobson became the first person of Aboriginal descent to win a

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

gold medal for

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The tall Hobson jumped above his height to win the event with a Games record leap of . Hobson was celebrated on his return to Bourke and greeted by a brass band playing "

Hail the Conquering Hero ''Hail the Conquering Hero'' (1944) is a satirical comedy-drama film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken, Ella Raines and William Demarest, and featuring Raymond Walburn, Franklin Pangborn, Elizabeth Patterson, ...

". A park and illustrated water tower now contribute to his memory.

Heritage listings

The old Towers Drug Company Building - built 1889-90

Bourke has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 3–7 Meek Street: St Ignatius Roman Catholic Church and Convent * 45 Mitchell Street: Towers Drug Company Building * 47 Oxley Street: Bourke Post Office * Richard Street: Bourke Court House * 5 Richard Street: Ardsilla * 17 Sturt Street: Old London Bank Building * The North Bourke Bridge, opened in 1883, is on the Engineering Heritage Register.

Demographics

In 2021, there were 1,535 people in Bourke. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 35.7% of the population. * 73.0% of people were born in Australia and 77.0% spoke only English at home. * The most popular (37.9%) religion was Catholicism. In Bourke today, there are 21 recognised indigenous language groups, including Ngemba, Barkindji, Wangkumara and Muruwari.

Climate

Under the Köppen–Geiger classification, Bourke has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(''BSh''), with very hot summers and relatively cool winters that are often mild by day. On 4 January 1903, Bourke recorded a maximum temperature of 49.7 °C (121.5 °F), making it tied for the highest temperature recorded anywhere in New South Wales with

Menindee Menindee (derived from Minandichi, the original Indigenous name for Lake Menindee, and frequently but erroneously spelled "Menindie") is a small town in the far west of New South Wales, Australia, in Central Darling Shire, on the banks of the Da ...

, which is located further to the south, and one of the highest maxima to have ever been recorded in Australia.

Education

AU-NSW-Bourke-Saint Ignatius Parish School-2021

Bourke has many schools for preschool children, primary and high school students. The Bourke–Walgett School of Distance Education allows children to be schooled at home, from preschool to year 12.

Transportation

Bourke can be reached by the Mitchell Highway from both the north from Charleville and

and from the southeast from Nyngan.

Brewarrina Brewarrina (pronounced ''bree-warren-ah''; locally known as "Bre") is a town in north-west New South Wales, Australia on the banks of the Barwon River in Brewarrina Shire. It is east of Bourke and west of Walgett on the Kamilaroi Highway, a ...

and

Walgett Walgett is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of Walgett Shire. It is near the junctions of the Barwon and Namoi Rivers and the Kamilaroi and Castlereagh Highways. In 2021, Walgett had a population of 1,377. In the ...

are located on the Kamilaroi Highway that has its western terminus in Bourke. Moree and

Goondiwindi Goondiwindi () is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia. It is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. In the , the locality of Goondiwindi had a population of 6, ...

, located on the

Newell Highway Newell Highway is a National Highway (Australia), national highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It provides the major road link between southeastern Queensland and Victoria (state), Victoria via central NSW and as such carries large amo ...

, connect to Bourke via various roads. Cobar via the Kidman Way, is connected from the south. The town is also served by Bourke Airport and has

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...

bus service to other regional centres such as

Dubbo Dubbo (; ) is a city in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the ...

. It was formerly the largest inland port in the world for exporting wool on the

. The Bourke court house is unique in inland Australia in that it was originally a

maritime court Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offenses. United Kingdom England and Wales Scotland The Scottish court's earliest records, held in West R ...

and to this day maintains that distinction. That distinction is evident in the crowns that sits above the finials of the flag poles atop the corner parapets of the building. Prior to its closure, Bourke railway station was the terminus of the

Main Western railway line The Main Western Railway (or Great Western Railway) is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains (Australia), Blue Mountains, and Central West, New South Wales, Central West regions. It is long, of which ...

. The railway extension from Byrock opened on 3 September 1885. Passenger services on the line were cancelled in September 1975 with the line closing down entirely in 1986, leaving the station derelict.

Cultural significance

Bourke is considered to represent the edge of the settled agricultural districts and the gateway to the

outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than Australian bush, the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastli ...

that lies north and west of Bourke. This is reflected in a traditional east coast Australian expression "back o' Bourke", from the poem by Scottish-Australian poet and bush balladeer Will H. Ogilvie. The Tourist Information Centre is located on the Mitchell Highway at The Back 'O Bourke Exhibition Centre. In 1892 a young writer

Henry Lawson Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period ...

was sent to Bourke by the ''Bulletin'' editor J. F. Archibald to get a taste of outback life and to try to curb his heavy drinking. In Lawson's own words "I got £5 and a railway ticket from the ''Bulletin'' and went to Bourke. Painted, picked up in a shearing shed and swagged it for six months". The experience was to have a profound effect on the 25-year-old and his encounter with the harsh realities of bush life inspired much of his subsequent work. Lawson would later write "if you know Bourke you know Australia". In 1992 eight poems, written under a pseudonym and published in the ''Western Herald'', were discovered in the Bourke library archives and confirmed to be Lawson's work. Bush poets Harry 'Breaker' Morant (1864–1902) and Will H. Ogilvie (1869–1963) also spent time in the Bourke region and based much of their work on the experience. Eye surgeon Fred Hollows was buried in Bourke after his death in 1993. Fred Hollows had worked at Enngonia and around the Bourke area in the early 1970s and had asked to be buried there. The Telegraph Hotel, established in 1888 beside the

, has been restored and now operates as the Riverside Motel.

Crime

In 2008, persistently high levels of criminal offending in Bourke led to a ban of the takeaway sales of beer in glass bottles, fortified wine larger than 750 mL and cask wine larger than two litres with only 3.5% or less alcohol non-glass bottles being sold during the four hours around midday. In 2013, a US-style justice reinvestment program called Maranguka was put in place to combat offending. By 2017, there had been a 38% reduction in significant juvenile charges in Bourke. However, by 2022 crime in Bourke had again increased which the founder of Maranguka attributed to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In February 2022, ABC Radio's national current affairs program '' The World Today'' detailed numerous allegations of local health workers being routinely abused, threatened and attacked by patients at Bourke Hospital. Such incidents led the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

to suspend student nurse placements in Bourke. A lead organiser with the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives' Association said the violence against health workers in Bourke was emblematic of the issues facing such staff in remote areas. She claimed administration staff from the front office were being called on to check on patients in the aged care wing because there was an insufficient number of nurses. She believed the patients at the hospital were being neglected due to a lack of staff with just two

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized ...

s responsible for the emergency department, an acute ward, an aged care wing and a COVID ward during a night shift. She feared a nurse could lose their life through the violence, or that a patient could die through the chronic staffing shortages. Bourke Shire mayor Barry Hollman expressed concern for the ramifications for the hospital if the ongoing violence prompted health workers to refuse to come to Bourke. He said he was devastated by the level of violence in the town, which had shocked the community. In a statement, Western New South Wales Local Health District chief executive Mark Spittal said his organisation had a zero tolerance of threatening or criminal behaviour and was working with Bourke Shire Council, various agencies and community leaders to address the issues. Spittal said a number of measures had already been established including a 24/7 security presence and improvements to infrastructure such as lighting with further measures expected to be put in place in the near future.

Media

AU-NSW-Bourke-2WEB Outback Radio building-2021

The town is served by these radio stations: * ABC Western Plains on 657 AM (Regional) *

Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 45 radio stations with flagship stations broadcasting a mainstream/classic rock music format in Sydney, Melbourne, and B ...

on 93.5 FM (Commercial) * ABC RN on 101.1 FM (National) * 2WEB on 585 AM (Community) * 2CUZ on 106.5 FM (Indigenous Community station) The Bourke area is served by five television stations. In common with all Australian TV stations, they now broadcast digital transmissions only, with the primary program in each case being designated as: * Seven (formerly branded as

Prime7 Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as ''CBN (Australian TV station), CBN-8'' in Orange, New South Wales, Ora ...

and Prime Television), 7two,

7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...

7Bravo 7Bravo is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network under license from NBCUniversal International Networks on 15 January 2023. The channel contains programming from NBCUniversal's Americ ...

7flix 7flix is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 28 February 2016. 7flix targets a variety of viewers and offers drama, comedy, reality, docusoap, and movies. History On 18 Decembe ...

– an affiliate of

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

, owned and operated by the

since 2022 and formerly a Seven Network affiliate. * 10 Regional, 10 Bold Drama, 10 Peach Comedy,

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

– an affiliate of

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...

WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...

Nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

9Go! 9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, anima ...

9Gem 9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived. History The la ...

9Life 9Life is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Nine Entertainment. The channel airs mostly foreign lifestyle and reality programs, with the channel having a licensing agreement with Discovery Inc. (previously Scr ...

– an affiliate of the

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

* ABC TV – ABC,

ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...

, ABC Kids,

ABC Entertains ABC Entertains is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was launched on 4 December 2009 as a children's channel called ABC3. It was rebranded on 19 September 2016 to ABC ME. It rebra ...

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

SBS Television The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World Movies, SBS ...

– SBS,

SBS Viceland SBS Viceland (stylised as SBS VICELAND) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). It began as SBS TWO on 1 June 2009, and was branded as SBS 2 between 2013 and 2016. On 8 April 2017, SBS V ...

SBS World Movies SBS World Movies is an Australian free-to-air television channel showing international movies. The channel features foreign language films, documentaries, independent, annual films, art films and mainstream cinema and interviews with intern ...

SBS WorldWatch SBS WorldWatch is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel shows multilingual international news bulletins in more than 30 languages, as well as two local bulletins ...

SBS Food SBS Food (formerly Food Network) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world. History SBS first ...

NITV National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the six-day-a-week ''NITV News Updat ...

Seven (formerly branded as Prime7 and Prime Television) and WIN Television both produce half-hour-long local news bulletins. Seven News (formerly Prime7 News and Prime News) screens at 6 pm, while WIN News screens at 5:30 pm from Monday to Friday. Nine News Central West was an hour-long bulletin that mixed local and national news, broadcast on the

Southern Cross Austereo Southern Cross Media Group Limited, Trade name, doing business as Southern Cross Austereo, is an Australian media company which operates broadcast radio and Terrestrial television, television stations. It is the largest radio broadcaster in Au ...

primary channel, when it was a Nine affiliate. The local paper, '' The Western Herald'', is published on a weekly basis (every Thursday) year-round, except during a short break at Christmas.

Gallery

File:AU-NSW-Bourke-town sign-2021.jpg, Town sign, southern approach from Kidman Way (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-Levee bank-2021.jpg, Levee bank on southern side of town (2021). Image:Bourke_Darling_River.jpg, The Darling River from Bourke Wharf (2010). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-Oxley Street residential-2021.jpg, Oxley Street scene (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-Central Park Poets Corner-2021.jpg, Poets Corner of Central Park (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-Oxley Street CBD-2021.jpg, Oxley Street town centre (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-post office-2021.jpg, Australia Post office (2021). Image:Bourke_bowls.jpg, Bourke Bowls Club on a Sunday morning File:AU-NSW-Bourke-CWA rest room-2021.jpg, Country Women's Association rest room (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-M A Davidson Memorial Sports Ground-2021.jpg, M A Davidson Memorial Sports Ground (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-war memorial-2021.jpg, War memorial (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-fire station-2021.jpg, Fire station (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-hospital-2021.jpg, Bourke District Hospital, Tarcoon Street (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-police station-2021.jpg, NSW Police Force police station (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-NSW Police local area command-2021.jpg, NSW Police local area command (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-Anglican church-2021.jpg, Anglican church (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-Christian Church-2021.jpg, Bourke Christian Church (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-Catholic church-2021.jpg, Catholic church (2021). Image:Mosque in bourke cemetery nsw australia.jpg, Mosque in Bourke cemetery. 19th-century Bourke was home to many Afghan camel keepers File:AU-NSW-Bourke-cemetery-2021.jpg, Town cemetery, Gorrell Avenue/Kidman Way (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-cemetery headstones-2021.jpg, Headstones of the old section of the Bourke Cemetery, Gorrell Avenue (2021). Image:Old bridge over Darling in Bourke.JPG, Old North Bourke Bridge, opened in 1883 (2014). Image:Bridge over the Darling at North Bourke-1 (5141753186).jpg, Lifting span of the old North Bourke Bridge. File:AU-NSW-North Bourke-Old North Bourke bridge northside-2021.jpg, Old North Bourke bridge, in flood, northern side, North Bourke (2021). File:AU-NSW-North Bourke-Old North Bourke bridge southside-2021.jpg, Old North Bourke bridge, in flood, southern side, North Bourke (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-hotel Bourke Cellars-2021.jpg, Bourke Cellars, the former Shakespeare Hotel, Mitchell and Glen Streets (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-hotel Carriers Arms-2021.jpg, Carriers Arms Hotel, then the Cobb and Co. Tavern, Mitchell and Wilson Streets (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-Central Australian Hotel-2021.jpg, Central Australian Hotel, Anson Street (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-Oxford Hotel-2021.jpg, Oxford Hotel, Anson Street (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-Port Bourke Hotel-2021.jpg, Port Bourke Hotel, Mitchell Street (2021). File:AU-NSW-Bourke-Post Office Hotel-2021.jpg, Post Office Hotel (2021). File:Riverside-Motel-Bourke-NSW.JPG, Telegraph Hotel established 1875, now Riverside Motel File:AU-NSW-Bourke-cotton fields-2021.jpg, Cotton fields between Toorale National Park and North Bourke (2021).

References

External links

Bourke Shire Council websiteBourke Tourism Information websiteBourke and district tourist attractions2WEB – "The Voice of the Outback"
– community radio station {{authority control Towns in New South Wales Populated places on the Darling River River ports of Australia Far West (New South Wales) Bourke Shire