Burren Junction Bore Baths

Beside the tiny wheat-and-rail settlement of Burren Junction in the state's north-west, artesian water rises hot from the Great Artesian Basin into a simple open pool, free to all and open at any hour. The mineral water runs at around forty degrees, and travellers on the Kamilaroi Highway pull in to soak away the miles, often with the pool to themselves and a vast night sky overhead. A basic campground sits alongside. It is bush hospitality at its most elemental - a hot bath in the middle of nowhere, and all the better for it.