Bindara Station

At Home on the Darling

I have a placard above my desk:  "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Can I just say - the people on Bindara Station make you feel good.

Bindara has been the home of Barb Arnold and her late husband Bill for 30 years. It lies nestled on the western bank of the Darling River, that iconic waterway that has meandered its way through drought and flood and has etched its mark on countless rural families for almost two centuries.

Bindara's gates are open to road travellers and fly-in visitors, and Barb often has an enthusiastic group of friends or family helping her out during busy times at the homestead. She insists we are not tourists - we are sharing their lifestyle. And what a privilege this is.

There are loads of ways to occupy your time at Bindara. Lend a hand by chopping wood, or put your mariner hat on and take the muddy tinnie up-river to check the yabby nets. You'll be putting along underneath massive flocks of birds... birds with major league wing spans and proud to show them off.

Or Barb will teach you how to toast your bread over the fire and, yes, you'll roar laughing when you get it so wrong. She runs between our campfire and her kitchen like an athlete a hundred times a day and keeps us intrigued with stories of past generations that have called Bindara home.

Bindara's thousand acres lie between Mildura and Broken Hill, or more specifically, between Pooncarie and the Menindee Lakes. We have flown out numerous times, always taking new friends and everyone falls in love with the place.

There's wonderfully comfortable accommodation for about 16 guests at Bindara, as well as camping areas. Several light aircraft fit easily in the parking area at the end of their 1000m airstrip and Barb always makes sure it is well graded and ready for any arrivals.

And so we take the good with the bad out here ... our last visit in Nov 2019 saw Bindara (and the rest of NSW) in a crippling drought, the flowing Darling River a distant memory.  We found a good use for it as a dance floor!  The rains will come, Barb, the Corona virus will pass ... and we'll see you out here again before you know it.

Here's a story I wrote for Australian Flying mag way back in 2012, after our first visit to this remarkable station. You'll find the full story as published   here.