Bourke & Environs
Australia / Bourke, New South Wales
Location ID: #10115
Bourke is located in north-western NSW, on the edge of the outback and on the banks of the Darling River. With a population of 4400 (3000 of these in the town iteself), the major industries are cotton, wool, citrus and tourism. The township had its beginnings in the 1860s and, as pastoralists moved into the area and vast sheep runs were established, the wool trade developed and the river transport trade along with it. By the 1880s, Bourke was a major inland river port and coach line stop over. The advent of the railway in 1885 served to strengthen the town’s fortunes as a major transportation and supply depot.