Westwards through Wagga Wagga

In this post: Isn’t the whole interior of Australia made of red dust and clay? That’s what this worm has always been told. But not so.

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 40-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC have just returned from an epic trip into Australia’s outback. We drove west and north for three days, drove around a bit, then drove back for three days. We discovered a huge land covered in shades of green with the red earth glowing through.

On the first day of the trip, we drove from Sydney on the east coast to Wagga Wagga, slightly more than a third of the way across the state of New South Wales. Wagga Wagga is the largest inland city in New South Wales.

What does the name Wagga Wagga mean?

Firstly, why isn’t it just “Wagga”? Well, the local Wiradjuri language uses repetition to show the plural. So, “Wagga Wagga” indicates more than one “Wagga”. Several languages use repetition like this, including Malay / Indonesian.

The word itself, “wagga”, means “dance” in Wiradjuri. Wagga Wagga is therefore the place of dances. Until recently, the official interpretation was “place of many crows”, but the Wagga Wagga city council set that straight in 2019.

Informally, you can call the city just “Wagga”. Everyone knows what you mean.

The book I’m in

Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky. If you want to think about what form alien life might take, and what it might feel like to meet that life, then this is the book for you. It’s terrifying and fascinating. The best of SciFi.

Travel tips

Have two drivers if you can. Australia is a big country and the roads are long. Being able to swap drivers every couple of hours, and having someone to talk to, helps avoid driving off the road by mistake. This type of message from your GPS is not uncommon: 585 km to your next turn:

(Savvy readers will notice that the location of this map is Broken Hill, from another day of our trip. Heh, call it artistic licence to include the screenshot in this post.)

Recommended restaurant

Nabiha’s Kitchen, Baylis Street, Wagga Wagga. Visit this place for a charming and authentic Lebanese meal. The warm welcome and intimate atmosphere make it feel like you’re having a meal in someone’s home kitchen. Take the time to chat with Nabiha and her daughter, Vicky, to learn the story of the restaurant and the family that owns it.

The photos

Me at Wagga train station. This tablet was unveiled a couple of months before the TC was born (bless her woolly booties):

We took the Old Hume Highway into Wagga. The TC was expecting Wagga to be in the middle of flat country and arid red dirt. But no, it was green!

Sunlight through clouds and a line of skeleton trees on an undulating horizon ushered us into Wagga:

A pile driver obliged with an atmospheric rhythm as we crossed the Murrumbidgee River (there were roadworks nearby). On the other side of the river, rolling green hills spread out before us:

On the way into the city, we stopped at Marrambidya Wetland for a walk. These gum trees were enjoying a puddle:

The TC is a bit of a twitcher. Hence the next picture, of a fairy wren similarly enjoying a puddle. Bird watching is not a great pastime for a travelling companion of mine, yours truly being a worm and all. But I stay safely hidden in my book at times like these.

Double trouble:

Wagga itself has restful, wide streets. There’s every type of shop, supermarket, and service that you might need. A big-name road runs through the town: Sturt Highway.

Wagga railway station:

Wagga Wagga Base Hospital is the largest hospital in the region, servicing the city and surrounding areas. The hospital was first founded in 1856, and has undergone several reconstructions since then, the latest being completed in 2023:

The next picture shows Sturt Highway, four hours west of Wagga: a flat, wide horizon with the road disappearing into the distance. This is more like what I expected of the view, except that it’s all green!