EXPLORING MUTAWINTJI

There are two surprising things about Wilcannia, apart from the fact it’s where Resch’s beer began. The first is that it’s home to a section of the Darling River known as Bondi Beach; the second is that we’ve found the red and yellow surf flags and are about to go in.

Mud squelches underfoot as we lower our kayaks into the coffee-coloured water, its rippled surface reflecting the red gums like an impressionist painting. There is little sound, just occasional birdsong coming from the trees above, and the sluice of water around our bows. Thanks to good rain earlier in the year the Darling River has filled, breathing life back into the parched landscape and providing water to the town of Wilcannia.

We’ve set up camp at Warrawong on the Darling, a 690ha working farm 3km east of Wilcannia that offers powered caravan sites, modern cabins and secluded bush camping. It was during Happy Hour,