Cobar is a small mining town deep in outback New South Wales, Australia, sitting along the Barrier Highway roughly midway between Sydney's inland routes and the South Australian border, and a rental car is essential for getting almost anywhere from here given the vast distances typical of this part of the outback. Cobar Airport (CAZ) is a modest single-strip facility on the edge of town, with rental arrangements typically made through local operators rather than the large international chains common at bigger Australian airports, and pickup is usually quick given the airport's low traffic.
Once on the road, the Barrier Highway runs east toward Nyngan and on to Dubbo, several hours of mostly straight, sealed highway, while heading west takes you toward Wilcannia and eventually Broken Hill, a full day's drive across increasingly remote and sparsely serviced country. Distances between towns stretch well beyond what visitors from denser regions expect, and services like fuel, food and mechanical help thin out considerably once you leave Cobar itself, so treating every fuel stop as a necessity rather than an option is the safer habit out here.
Driving is on the left throughout Australia, and outback conventions add their own demands: road trains, multi-trailer trucks that can run fifty meters or longer, require early, patient overtaking on clear straight sections only, and following distances should be longer than city habits suggest. Unsealed side roads and station tracks branch off the highway throughout the region, and higher-clearance vehicles suit anything beyond the sealed route. Wildlife, particularly kangaroos and livestock, is a serious hazard at dawn, dusk and after dark, leading many locals to avoid driving between towns at night altogether. Carrying extra water, checking fuel before every leg, and telling someone your intended route and expected arrival time are standard precautions for any outback drive out of Cobar.