You could say it's in Never Never but that wouldn't be true. The Never Never is isolated Outback desert country where the unprepared should never never go.
Wagga Wagga, on the other hand, is southwest of Sydney in the generally lush irrigated region of the Riverina along the Murrumbidgee River. It is 475 kilometres from Sydney, 240 kilometres from Canberra and 440 kilometres from Melbourne.
It's a good jump-off point for exploring the Riverina region with Mt Kosciuszko in the Snowy Mountains to the east and the Griffith wine producing region to the west.
Why Wagga Wagga?
The original inhabitants of area are the Wiradjuri who comprised the largest Aboriginal tribe in New South Wales. Wagga comes from the Wiradjuri language and means crow. The Wiradjuri repeat a word to produce its plural form, hence Wagga Wagga, place of many crows.
Country atmosphere
Although close enough to the capital cities of Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide to be influenced by the urban lifestyle, Wagga Wagga retains much of its country atmosphere and is certainly conducive to leisurely touring.
Arts and culture
In September, Wagga Wagga holds a jazz festival that draws performers and visitors from many parts of Australia. It has an art gallery in the Civic Centre and a number of arts and crafts shops, the Riverina Playhouse, Civic Theatre, Centenary of Federation Amphitheatre, and a historical museum.
Flora and fauna
The botanic gardens on Willans Hill feature rose, camellia and azalea gardens as well as a wide variety of other plants.
Here, too, you will find a bird aviary and animal park.
You could view sheep shearing demonstrations at some of the Wagga Wagga farms.
University town
Australia's Charles Sturt University has a regional campus in Wagga Wagga, so Wagga Wagga is pretty much university town as well.
