Until the 1880s sheep could only be grazed in areas where there was lots of surface water- in rivers and dams, for example. The first of many bores was sunk into the Great Artesian Basin near Bourke in 1878. It tapped a reliable, underground source of water and so opened up the arid north-west of NSW to graziers.
By bringing water to the surface, settlers provided water for wildlife as well. As a result kangaroo populations in some arid regions are very much higher today than they were 100 years ago.
Photography by Charles Kerry Studio
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Post by Sandra McEwen, Principal Curator
