Billabong Creek West Rest Area

Location: Rest Area on Ashton Street Jerilderie. West side of Billabong Creek.

Duration: 1 night Free Camping

Distance: Travelling from Wakool River Reserve – 175km

This unassuming rest area has been set aside by the Murrumbidge Council, it is a caravan turning and camping area adjacent to Powell’s Bridge. In fact there are 2 areas set aside by the council, the other one is to the east on Bolton Street. Campers are requested to be self-sufficient and according to our trusty Camps Australia App, there is a maximum 12 hour stop over. When we were following the GPS into this spot we really thought it was taking us to the wrong place. We soon worked out after we reverted to our other trusty app WikiCamps and realised there were 2 camp spots. The Ashton Street one is definitely better. But after chatting to a few locals on their walks we felt very comfortable, so we set up for the evening.

This area has direct access to Horgan Walk and is only a 10 minute walk along the banks of the creek. This heritage walk takes you on a journey to the past while you obtain a glimpse into what life was like here when first established in 1859. We definitely recommend taking a walk and reading all the sign posts.

In the early days there was no footbridge in Jerilderie and a fellow by the name of John Powell operated a punt for travellers. In 1864 John Powell built a timber bridge and charged a toll. The NSW Government replaced the bridge in 1879 but, by 1997, after many repairs it was finally replaced with the current concrete bridge. Did you know that Billabong Creek is believed to be 321 kms long.

The town and facilities provided are a short walk away from the camp spot. Unfortunately for us we arrived on a Monday and just about everything was closed.

The Ned Kelly Raid Trail of 1879. Jerilderie has the most surviving authentic Ned Kelly sites than anywhere else along the Ned KellyTouring Route. This is a self-guided walk through the town where you can read the notice boards to learn about why he did what he did.

Steel Wings Windmill. This windmill is situated in Luke Park. It was made in Sydney in 1900-1910 and was originally erected at Goolgumbla Station and used for stock and domestic supplies, it stayed there until it was damaged. It was moved to Luke Park when it was restored in 1979. It is 50 feet tall and has a tail length 24 feet.

Luke Park features the Jerilderie Lake, fully enclosed and shaded playground, BBQ facilities with undercover seating.

Lake Jerilderie has opened in 1979. The water area is 5.3 ha and is used for water sports. The lake is stocked with native fish and many birds frequent the area. It has a great walking/cycling track and exercise equipment.