How to begin describing Barkly Tableland? It’s a huge area as large as the entire United Kingdom – 203,000 square kilometres. It begins at Camooweal in far western Queensland and runs west almost to the Western Australian border, north to Newcastle Waters and south to Barrow Creek. It’s mostly open, dry red soil Mitchell grass plains. And depite being larger that the UK it has a population of only 7,400, almost half living in Tennant Creek. It’s home to some of Australia’s largest cattle properties, like Alexandria Station (16,116 sq kms); Barkly Station (12,212 sq kms); and Newcastle waters (10,353 sq kms). The highlights include a stop over at Barkly Station, with motel units, camping and carvan sites, a modern bar and restaurant and nightly live entertainment (country music of course). A quieter and more peace stop is Banka Banka Station. Aboriginal owned and operated, it is a friendly little oasis in the middle of, well, nowhere. One early visitor described the Barkly by saying “there is very little to do owing to the fact that there is very little there”. The description may be accurate, but it is still a fascinating place to spend some time.
