For your Outback accommodation
LOUTH LOUTH
Louth
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Louth Outback Beds |
"A place that loved a drink, a party and a punt.." So wrote Henry Lawson about Louth. Not a lot has changed for Louth in that respect. They have a reputation for staging a great party - an annual race meeting each August, that keeps the crowds coming back year after year. Racegoers just love the sheer isolation of Louth, the colourful bush characters and the experience of watching the horses thunder past the winning post in a cloud of dust. Louth Races - Saturday 11th August, 2011.
The Darling River township of Louth (present population about 30), was established in 1859 when an Irishman named Mathews built a pub to cater for the passing land and river-boat trade. The village grew considerably, so that by the turn of the century Louth not only boasted several hotels, shops and a bush nurses outpost, but also its own newspaper. Now just a mere shadow of its former self, the quaint village is ideally located for access to the Darling River Run and affords a choice of eastern or western routes along the Darling River downstream to Tilpa as well as the upstream section to Bourke and beyond 'Back O Bourke'.
Nearby, the historic million-acre Dunlop Station was the first sheep station in the world to use mechanical shears in 1888. Toorale Station, one of the state's newest National Parks, sprawls over 91,000 hectares just NW of Louth, and boasts a remarkable history. In December 1892 Henry Lawson slaved away in the 46-stand Toorale shearing shed for a month and the experience forever influenced his writing about the hardship of life in the bush and how important mateship was to survive there.
Louth also is the site of an amazing and emotive structure known as ‘The Celtic Cross’, a polished granite , 24 feet high cross that dominates the cemetery on the hill overlooking the town. The monument was constructed by the founder of Louth, Thomas Matthews, who erected it as a perpetual memorial to his wife, Mary Mathews, who died in 1866. This magnificent granite monument was so skillfully designed and positioned that at sunset each day it reflects the suns image into the village of Louth. On the 19th August, the anniversary of her death, the reflection is able to be seen from The Retreat, which was her home. The monument is no only testament to the love and devotion of a husband for his wife but also the accuracy of navigation technology of the 1800’s as its alignment was reportedly aided by one of the river boat captains of the Darling River. Recent studies by the Surveyor General’s Department of NSW expressed amazement in the skills of the surveyors and ships Captain’s of the 1870’s who were able to develop this engineering phenomenon with the limited equipment they had.
Visitors to Louth can observe this just occurrence just prior to sunset on a cloudless afternoon, and the locals have thoughtfully marked the places throughout the year that the visitor can experience the 3 minute lightshow. Golfing enthusiasts will find the village's 9 hole golf course a real challenge... not least for the fact that it is situated amidst the town's feral goat depot!
Locals and visitors alike are regularly seen hitting off and the Wednesday prior to the Louth Races sees anywhere up to 130 golfing enthuiasts compete in the annual Gundabooka Golf challenge. While in Louth be sure to drop into Shindy's Inn for a cold beer, superb meals, basic grocery items, fuel, fishing bait and licences .... and of course a chat with the locals.
