Hay Plains

Heading out on the open road north of Deniliquin, drivers will find themselves cruising through the Hay Plains. This vast expanse of flat land and saltbush is counted in the top three flattest places on earth. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see.

While the 100km-plus stretch of the Cobb Highway doesn’t provide much variation for drivers trying to reach the town of Hay and beyond as quickly as possible, there are mighty rewards for travellers who can take their time. At ground level, things can look desolate. But why look down when you can look up and around?

If you’re lucky enough to be in this part of the world as a storm rolls in, you’re in for a show of truly epic proportions. More predictably, sunrise and sunset are spectacular times to visit the Hay Plains; it’s well worth the evening drive after a quick bite in one of the region’s welcoming pubs. On a clear night – and that’s most of them – the vivid sunset colours give way to the most astonishing star-filled night sky you can imagine. With no big cities casting their lights skywards, the view is breathtaking.

And because the land is so flat, the sky is literally bigger than pretty much anywhere else on dry land on the planet. Unmissable.