Back O’Bourke tourist booklet is a beauty

Bourke Shire Council General Manager Leonie Brown and Bourke Mayor Barry Hollman with the new Back O'Bourke brochure at a council meeting on Monday. Photo Noel Fisher

The feedback for the Bourke Shire Council’s new tourism brochure has been resoundingly positive - and no wonder.

The booklet, which contains outstanding images of the natural beauty and historic sites of the region, is part of Bourke’s drive to be a major tourism hub in western NSW and a drawcard for travellers from further afield.

Tourism has rebounded for rural centres, which flourished while international travel was grounded during the COVID pandemic, and the Bourke Council committed to developing that trend, with new signage and branding for the shire, continued improvements in the town’s CBD and a renewal of the Back of Bourke Exhibition Centre.

Bourke Shire Council General Manager, Leonie Brown, said she was excited about the impact the brochure could have on capturing the imagination of travellers thinking about heading to the outback.

“This new Back O’Bourke brochure is an investment and commitment that tourism operators and Bourke Council continue to provide to the shire to market Bourke on a national and internationals basis, despite our adversities,” she said.

The brochure is an important part of Bourke Shire Council’s tourism initiatives and has been in development for several years.

“It’s finally complete and the team have done a fantastic job,” Mrs Brown said.

“It’s a living document and as things change, we will change the brochure. The focus is the mud map and to let people know about all the wonderful attractions in and around Bourke.

“Previously, we had a mud map booklet which gave directions to tourism attractions, and those maps are incorporated into this brochure and there is also a large map at the back which identifies places of interest at Bourke and across other communities as well.

The imaging in the brochure highlights the extraordinary scenery and fascinating history of Bourke, and Mrs Brown is confident it will inspire travellers across Australia to put Bourke on their itinerary.

“The landscape, the scenery, the background to our history - there’s a lot of information in it and hopefully we will get it out to people in all areas of Australia to tell them to visit this iconic part of Australia,” she said.