Explorer Charles Sturt was one of the first Europeans to visit the area in 1844. He spent six months trapped by drought at Depot Glen, south of Tibooburra. He then tried to travel north west but was stopped by the desert. Burke and Wills also went through the area in 1861 on their journey north towards the Gulf of Carpentaria. It was the search for Burke and Wills that led to the opening up of the country for the farming and grazing. 