Warren

Way out in the central-west of NSW on the banks of the mighty Macquarie River, Warren is a flat place that fairly blossoms when it rains and withers like a burnt leaf when it doesn't.

On the banks of the Macquarie River, the site for the town wasn't chosen until 1866, more than 20 years after the first squatters turned up. In Macquarie Park you'll find a monument to those famous explorers who were the first Europeans to chart this place – John Oxley and Charles Sturt.

It's here at Warren that you'll also find several of Australia's most famous merino studs, such as the 60,000 acres of Haddon Rig, founded in 1882 by James Richmond but owned by the Falkiner family since 1916. You can tour the stud these days, and even stay overnight.

Just outside town is Warren Weir - a great spot for camping, but swimming, fishing and boating are banned. Not so in the Macquarie River, however, which is a favourite with canoeists and where anglers wet a line in search of the delectable Murray cod, yellowbelly, catfish and black bream.