The Barkly Tablelands run northeast of Tennant Creek and are an enormous expanse of golden Mitchell grasslands divided into vast cattle stations. This land of big skies and far horizons gives a true sense of the outback. The Barkly is known for the epic cattle drives of yesteryear that passed through the area en route to Queensland. Today the stock route is the Overlander’s Way (Barkly Highway) and is plied by mighty road trains and visitors alike. Standing alone in this ocean of Mitchell grass is the wayside inn of Barkly Homestead on the junction of the Barkly and Tablelands Highway. It provides a welcome respite on the long drive to or from Queensland.
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The Barkly region is steeped in the ancient traditions and beliefs of its traditional Aboriginal custodians. About nine indigenous groups call the area home, including the Warumungu, Walpiri, Kaiditch and Alyawarr people. According to Warumungu legend, the town of Tennant Creek grew up around the home of a spiky tailed goanna called Nyinkka - a powerful ancestral being. The Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre showcases this Warumungu culture. The Barkly region has sustained Aboriginal people for thousands of years, but telegraph linesmen, stockmen and gold miners have also played a key role in its more recent history. The township of Tennant Creek had its origins in the building of the Overland Telegraph Line. The first European to explore the area was John McDouall Stuart. He named a creek in the area after his South Australian friend and sponsor, John Tennant. When the telegraph line was completed in 1872 and a permanent repeater station was built, European pioneers began settling the area in small numbers. The old station closed in 1979 but has been preserved as a historical site, 11 kilometres north of the town. Later, in the 1930s, Tennant Creek became the site of Australia's last gold rush. The Battery Hill Mining Centre is an excellent place to learn more about the area's gold mining heritage. The Barkly region is also renowned for the cattle industry and encompasses some of Australia's largest and most historic stations. These include Newcastle Waters, Banka Banka and Brunette Downs. The Overlander's Way tourism drive follows the paths of many droving heroes who brought vast herds of cattle through the Barkly on their way to the Queensland coast. more
