Travelling through outback NSW, we needed to find an overnight spot to stay. We’d stopped for lunch and supplies at Cobar (and a play on their awesome playground) and still had a few hours of sunlight left. Noting the Mulga Creek Hotel was 120kms away, and had a camping area out back, it fit the bill perfectly.
Cobar to Mulga Creek Hotel
The Mulga Creek Hotel actually sits in a town (if you can call it that) called Byrock. Coming from Cobar, we headed up the highway towards Bourke, turning off about half way along to cut across the land to Byrock. This road was a mixture of bitumen and dirt, and seemed to a be a dry weather only track. The track itself was fine towing our camping trailer along. The main obstacle, with the sun getting low in the sky, was the amount of wild life bouncing around! Kangaroos left, right and centre. We had to slow down a fair bit in the last 20km or so, and rolled into Mulga Creek right near sunset.
Camping Area
Around the back of the pub, a red dirt track heads off into some trees. There are shower blocks on the left and a few cabins. With plenty of space around, and us only staying overnight, we set up on the first liking looking bit of ground that wasn’t close to anybody else.
After two days on the road, and a very dusty stop over the night before outside Broken Hill, the showers were well needed. The amenities were best described as rustic, and the light wasn’t working in the mens (or at least, I couldn’t get it to work), but a hot shower is a hot shower!
There are toilets, a few wooden shelters, and a camp kitchen area (not much more than a sink) as well. Nearer the pub (so a short walk) there is a small playground that the kids enjoyed.
For $15 a night unpowered, with hot showers, we were happy. Powered sites are available too ($25 from memory).
Mulga Creek Hotel
The pub itself is full of australian outback charm. We’ve visited some of the more well known outback pubs and been left disappointed by their lack of warmth. Just tourist stops a long way from anywhere. Not so here. This is a classic Aussie pub. A woodfire crackled away, sat centrally near the bar. The pub was buzzing with travellers, truckies, and locals a like. It was a really good, friendly atmosphere.
We grabbed a few beers and a meal. The special of the day was pizza, which the kids were happy with. Sani and I grabbed a Schnitzel each. Whilst the meals were nothing special, they were reasonably priced and saved us cooking after a long day on the road. A couple of cold pints of Tooheys Old went down a treat, too!
If you’re heading through this way and need a stop over with a hot shower for a decent price, we recommend this one. Of note was the diesel was the cheapest by far, for a large radius.
