NARRABRI, NSW SPONSORED FEATURE
Stretching more than 1000km from the Murray River on the Victorian border to Goondiwindi just over the Queensland border, the Newell is the longest highway in New South Wales and is a popular inland route for southern travellers heading to warmer climes.
Among the fascinating country towns along this well-travelled route, in the heart of the Namoi Valley and Big Sky country, is Narrabri — the only place in the world to find an elusive giant pink slug and which featured in the song Tucker's Daughter written in 1988 by Ian Moss.
It is also home to some beautiful natural wonders from the soaring summit of Mt Kaputar to the sulphur-smelling natural artesian bores of Pilliga.
We stopped in to explore the Narrabri region on our June trip up the Newell from Victoria to Queensland discovered some fascinating and quirky things to put on your travel bucket list.
GOING POTTY
Our first stop in the Narrabri region was Pilliga Pottery and Barkala Farmstay about 23km north of Coonabarabran on the Newell, then about 10km from the highway on a dirt road.
Barkala Farm was originally bought and settled in 1986 by Maria and Richard Rickert, two German immigrants who hoped to create a new life and home in the Australian bush for their growing family. Today, nestled on the edge of the Pilliga Forest, it has been transformed into an eclectic destination featuring farmstay accommodation, camping, a huge pottery workshop and an onsite cafe.
Maria and Richard built all the unique buildings on their property, most of which are mudbrick and rammed earth, sourcing materials harvested from the farm, collected second-hand, crafted by friends, or created from scratch in the pottery studio.
Farmstay accommodation includes the Old Schoolhouse, the Studio, the Poet's Cottage and the Farmhouse, as well as two campgrounds.
