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Welcome to the Tibooburra Discovery Trail. It contains Information about the many historic locations around our unique Corner Country town.
Welcome to the new Tibooburra Museum. You can’t miss it in the main street, there’s a camel and cameleer outside and a giant mural across the end of the building. This was a joint project between Sturt’s Steps and the Tibooburra Local Aboriginal Land Council and provides a genuine insight into the life and times of Tibooburra. Visitors will “meet the locals”, read the their stories and the legends that matter to local Aboriginal people, discover the amazing history of how camels and cameleers became such an important feature of western New South Wales’ transport heritage, and follow the maps of John Cameron as he surveyed the Queensland border.
The Family Hotel is a single storey sandstone building that was formerly known as the Tattersalls Hotel. It has been continuously trading since it was built in 1882. The hotel has become famous for its murals that were painted by a number of well-known Australian artists including Clifton Pugh, Russell Drysdale and Eric Minchin. In 2021 the license was held by William and Melissa Thomson.
The Central Australian Hotel was the first hotel built on The Granites and licensed in to William McArthur in 1881. It was delicensed in 1931 and converted to a store by Wilf Davis. Today it is a private residence.
Developed by the local community, Pioneer Park features relics from the district’s past as well as a replica of Sturt’s expedition boat built by the late artist Anthony Hamilton. Pioneer Park was established by the Tibooburra Progress Association in order to display some of the machinery that was used in local mining and pastoral industries. It also features a replica of Sturt’s whale boat built by the late Anthony Hamiliton. Upturned on stilts, the boat represents the despair that members of the Sturt’s party must have felt during the expedition.
Get a “birds-eye” view of Tibooburra from Sunset Hill Lookout. About about 2km from town its also a great place to see the a sunrise and the granite outcrops.
The Tibooburra courthouse is a sandstone building constructed in 1887 of a design by Colonial architect, James Barnet. It is now used as a museum attached to the National Park and Wildlife Service office.
The Tibooburra Hotel was built in 1882 and licensed to Patrick Francis as the “Albert Hotel”. Since then it has has undergone several name changes, including the Royal. It is now known as the Two-Storey Hotel. The building was originally a single storey building but was replaced as an elegant two storey building of local sandstone in 1905. It had already been substantially renovated by owners Tracey and Craig Hotchin when it was severely damaged by fire in 2021. Tracey is descended from William Kennewell who owned the hotel from 1950 to 1978.
Local example of Deco-style architecture.
Constructed in 1963 by the Australian Inland Mission (now Frontier Services).
Horse-race meetings were first held in Tibooburra around 1900. Today the not-for-profit Tibooburra Sports Club Inc holds two annual events at the Tibooburra Sports Club and Racetrack, the Tibooburra Gymkhana/Bikekhana in October and a New Year’s Eve Rodeo. Has a new playground and tennis courts.
The Tibooburra Health Service is located in a stone building constructed as a hospital in 1938. It is staffed daily by registered nurses and the RFDS conduct weekly clinics.
The museum is operated by the Tibooburra Local Aboriginal Land Council and houses a collection of local Aboriginal artefacts as well as cultural information.Tibooburra Local Area Aboriginal Land Council also has camping available on the Reserve just a couple of minutes drive from town. Just follow the emus. There are hot showers, septic toilets, a camp kitchen and a yarning circle for those all-important get-togethers. Pets and campfires are permitted. There’s a walking track to an historic Aboriginal burial ground, shelter shed with tables and interpretive signage regarding the Aboriginal culture and Corner Country heritage. Drop into the Tibooburra Local Aboriginal Land Council to book.
Tel: 08 8091 3435 or tibooburralalc@outlook.com
The home was owned by a local Aboriginal lady. She and her partner produced artwork including dot paintings and carved emu eggs. The cottage is still mostly original made from hand hewn mulga posts.
Formally Tibooburra’s local paper.
The Tibooburra Bush Children’s’ War Memorial Hostel opened in 1962. to provide accommodation for children living remotely in the Tibooburra district. It is the location of Tibooburra’s War Memorial and Lone Pine tree. Today it features a modern playground, community facilities and contemporary accommodation.
The residence with adjoining lockup was established in 1897. The police station operated from the Courthouse until 1973 when it was moved to the current site. The lockup has been decommissioned.
Formerly the Tibooburra Outback School of the Air. Education in Tibooburra dates from 1885 when the first school opened in a corrugated iron building before being moved to a stone building. Students today receive their lessons in the more modern classrooms of the Tibooburra Outback Public School. The former stone school building has been renovated as a home for the school principal.
The Drive-In Picture Theatre was constructed by the school Parent and Children’s Association and movies shown to raise funds for the school. Currently movies are shown on request.
