There’s a little gem on the Murrumbidgee River in south western NSW. Balranald is so neat with its manicured lawns and pretty flower beds that you’d think that the Queen was due to pay a visit.

In a district traversed by five large rivers there’s no shortage of water. The streets are lined with storyboards dedicated to the sons of the district who fought in the wars, farmers who exchanged shovels for rifles.

There are bushland walks along the Murrumbidgee River and for history buffs the nearby Homebush Hotel and Yanga Station give one a feel for days gone by.

It is home to the endangered Southern Bell Frog which the town has adopted as its emblem. Frog statues abound all over town. Yellow rosellas are also native to this area.

For those travelling through it is a good partway stop between Adelaide and Sydney and there is an excellent free camp behind the Information Centre in the heart of town and the lawns of caravan park run down to the Murrumbidgee River.