310 km north of Broken Hill, Tibooburra is the most remote town in New South Wales. It’s around this area that Charles Sturt and his expedition, searching for the great inland sea in 1845, finally stopped. His second-in-command, James Poole, became ill here and died. Poole’s grave is just west of Milparinka, about 20 km south of Tibooburra, and there’s a mountain named after him.

Much of the land is covered in white quartz, which has the amazing effect of looking like fresh snow. Apparently after a good rain it fare glistens in the sun. And it has been looking like rain for the last couple of days. As someone said, I’d be the only person hoping for it not to rain, because when it does all the tracks shut and you’re stuck wherever you are. That’s what happened to Clifton Pugh in 1969. The great Australian artist was rained in. So rather than sitting and doing nothing, he painted the most extraordinary mural all over the walls of the tiny front bar of the Family Hotel. The craziness, beauty and unexpectedness of that piece of work in some ways perfectly reflects the town.

Tibooburra is the first stop on our Easter desert run. James Giddey, from West Darling Arts, and I have packed projector, screen and sound into a big 4WD, and we’re hitting the tracks on a run from Tibooburra, onto White Cliffs, down to Wilcannia, then onto Ivanhoe and back up to Menindee. We’re on the road for 10 days.

Tibooburra has a population of about 100. They’re a mix of National Parks and Wildlife people, shearers, roo shooters, cockies, RTA workers, and the people who own and work in the two pubs and two general stores. There’s a constant stream of 4WDs through town, convoys of galloping greys and tourists on drives out through the Simpson Desert and around the local traps. It used to have a big DMR and PMG depot, and before all the properties around started to merge the population was three times the size. It was a big town then! It has no council, just a village committee, and it’s a beautiful old place. You really do feel like you’re ‘out there’. It has a great community; there’s always something on.

It’s the village committee that has done all the work promoting Big Screen, which runs a double bill for the kids of Dot and the Kangaroo and Storm Boy on Easter Saturday in the old Albert Hall. Sunday Too Far Away and The Glenrowan Affair screened at the town drive-in. Yes, that’s right. Tibooburra has its own drive-in. The town built it for themselves in the early 70s. Everyone pitched in. The DMR and PMG workers brought in all the heavy gear, the local properties supplied all the materials, and they all got together and built this very cute little outdoor cinema in the middle of town. In those days, films screened to packed fields every Friday and Saturday night. Now, the show goes on perhaps three times a year, and Big Screen was the first night for 2006. Half the town turned out for the sausage sizzle and screenings (the other half were at a birthday BBQ on the other side of town). It was a fantastic night of chat and fillems. The locals particularly enjoyed Sunday Too Far Away, as most of the properties up this way run sheep.

Next stop, White Cliffs.