Mathoura - NSW - Start of the LONG PADDOCK

After saying our goodbyes to Denise, Yves & Nadine & friends, we headed across the Murray river into NSW making our way to Deniliquin

Picked up a brochure on the "LONG PADDOCK" which runs from Moama, all the way to Wilcannia in outback NSW

First stop on the Long paddock tourist route was Mathoura started life around the 1840's

 

Map of the long paddock

There are 7 sculptures along the route depicting life along the stock route

"The Drover & Horse"

 

 

Paintings on wall of the ladies loo!!!

 

 

The Long Paddock is a great network of stock routes - a historic web of  tracks & trails linking stock breeding areas of inland NSW & QLD with the emerging markets in Victoria.

It also provided an escape route from drought when the seasons failed.

The Long Paddock is still a working stock route which provides us with a link to times & landscapes that are long since altered

Unlike the early travellers & drovers who traversed the often harsh & unforgiving plains of the Riverina on horse back, coach or bike, we now see the world from the comfort of air-conditioned cars.
We measure the trip in hours rather than days or weeks - in early 1870's the Hay cricket team took 13 hours to travel one way by Cobb & Co coach to play Deniliquin