Mildura is a large
country town, located five hundred and fifty kilometres north west of Melbourne. It owes its existence almost entirely to the colossal Murray River, in an an otherwise landlocked, and arid desert region. It was Australia's first irrigation colony, and remains the biggest and by far the most interesting across the country. It's also still off the beaten track, so it's a great time to visit, before everyone else realises how delightful it really is. Here's a guide of how to spend a fascinating 48 hours in Mildura.
Saturday 1pm - The Murray River
Having arrived on a mid morning flight, and grabbing a quick lunch in a local cafe, we wasted no time in heading down to where it all began for Mildura, on the shores of the Murray River. It's the second largest waterway in Australia and home to some of the original paddle steamers from its transport heyday. There are tourist boats running two hour trips in the morning and afternoon, on either the PS Melbourne, reportedly one of the finest paddle steamers on the Murray, or the PS Rothsbury. I was looking forward to getting on the PS Melbourne which is still coal fired, but had to settle for PS Rothsbury, which is now powered by a more traditional engine ($29 pp, sailing at 9.50am and 1.50pm daily). You get the chance to steer and skipper the steamship Rothsbury for a little while. Judging by the commemorative skippers' certificate the captain gave me, I think this activity is aimed at kids, but what the heck, I'm young at heart.
The trip itself is a great way simply to take in the scenery, the local bird life, and breathe in the fresh country air. The main attraction though isn't the nature or natural history - it's a piece of early twentieth century engineering, which produced Lock 11. The lock has been operational since the 1920s, and without this master piece of Chaffey vision and engineering, Mildura would never have taken off. Firstly it made the river navigable all year round, and secondly it fed the irrigation network for the local farming industry which it still does to this day. More of the Chaffey brothers later.
By the way, if you prefer the quiet life, we recommend the morning cruise. The ship has a bar and as we soon found out, a lot of beer. On the afternoon sail, it definitely gets well used, and some of the passengers were a little too 'well oiled' for our liking. It bordered on being rowdy.
Saturday 4.30pm - Tourist Information Centre
This is located about 1km from town, down Deakin Avenue, and is well worth a visit. We picked up all the local information we needed for a bush walk tomorrow at a National Park, including trail maps. The staff are really helpful. A little further down the road, you'll find Mildura Central shopping centre, where we stopped to pick up a few supplies.
Saturday 7pm - Mildura Town Centre
Saturday 4.30pm - Tourist Information Centre
This is located about 1km from town, down Deakin Avenue, and is well worth a visit. We picked up all the local information we needed for a bush walk tomorrow at a National Park, including trail maps. The staff are really helpful. A little further down the road, you'll find Mildura Central shopping centre, where we stopped to pick up a few supplies.
Saturday 7pm - Mildura Town Centre
The town centre is a spacious and pleasant Victorian strip with wide boulevards and fine shop fronts. The town has a surprisingly large range of cafes and restaurants to choose from, ranging from budget to high end. We had dinner at the Thai-rific restaurant on Saturday evening (booking recommended), and it was very good, even with that slightly cringe worthy name. The rest of the town's nightlife is also focused here on Langtree Avenue where there are half a dozen bars and pubs to choose from, including the popular Mildura Brewery.
Sunday - 10am Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Although you could spend the weekend here without a car, a hire car will allow you to see much more. We picked up a small Nissan Micra at the airport for $42/day and it was well worth the money. This morning we set off for Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, about 90km south of Mildura. The highway cuts through some interesting little villages and vineyards on the way. The park is typical Mallee country with low scrub, set around a number of tranquil fresh water lakes. We were amazed to find that we pretty much had the place to ourselves, with only one car passing us in the three hours we were there. We opted to walk the Scenic Nature Drive, and had a wonderful few hours spotting and discovering the colourful bird life by the water's edge, the highlights being welcomed by a group of chattering Apostle birds, the wonderful parrot life including the majestic King Parrots, and a magical encounter with three Emus. The weather was decidedly toasty, so we were fortunate to spot a number of large Grey Kangaroos braving the midday sun. We just had time to spend fifteen minutes in Red Cliffs on the way back, where we caught local legend Big Lizzie and the Red Cliffs on the banks of the Murray.
Sunday 3pm - Wentworth, New South Wales
After a shower and a bite to eat back at the excellent Seven Pines Motel, we spent the afternoon next door in New South Wales, via the highway through Buronga. Wentworth is a small sleepy town on the junction with the Murray and Darling Rivers. There's a viewing tower to get a nice shot of the intersection, and Lock 10, just further down the river is worth a two minute look. If you look closely you'll see a large number of fish trapped in the lock desperately trying to swim upstream. If I were them I'd stay put, as there are fifteen or twenty Pelicans on the other side waiting to 'say hello.'
Sunday 4pm Perry Sandhills, New South Wales
Twenty minutes out of Wentworth will take you to Perry Sandhills. There are 400 acres of shifting sand dunes to explore if you have the energy, formed by wind erosion over 40,000 years. It's well worth a look and to have some fun and frolicking in the sand. It gives you an idea of how the region might look without irrigation from the river. From the Sandhills you can loop back round to Mildura, using the Calder Highway to get you back to the town.
Sunday 6pm - The Sambal Restaurant
We reckon we deserved an early dinner after a full day on our feet, and we saw this Malaysian restaurant on the Highway back into town. Vegetarian options were limited, but what they had was tasty, and it's a busy little place. Takeaway also available.
Sunday 7pm - Apex Park, Murray River
This park is about fifteen minutes north west of the town centre, and has a riverside beach, which is a popular swiming spot. We opted for a paddle and then a stroll around the campsite. We had a really nice chat with a couple of families who had given up their homes for a permanent life on the road in their huge mobile homes, including taking their cats and dogs with them!
Monday 7.30am - The Chaffey Trail and Homestead
Although you could spend the weekend here without a car, a hire car will allow you to see much more. We picked up a small Nissan Micra at the airport for $42/day and it was well worth the money. This morning we set off for Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, about 90km south of Mildura. The highway cuts through some interesting little villages and vineyards on the way. The park is typical Mallee country with low scrub, set around a number of tranquil fresh water lakes. We were amazed to find that we pretty much had the place to ourselves, with only one car passing us in the three hours we were there. We opted to walk the Scenic Nature Drive, and had a wonderful few hours spotting and discovering the colourful bird life by the water's edge, the highlights being welcomed by a group of chattering Apostle birds, the wonderful parrot life including the majestic King Parrots, and a magical encounter with three Emus. The weather was decidedly toasty, so we were fortunate to spot a number of large Grey Kangaroos braving the midday sun. We just had time to spend fifteen minutes in Red Cliffs on the way back, where we caught local legend Big Lizzie and the Red Cliffs on the banks of the Murray.
Sunday 3pm - Wentworth, New South Wales
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Sunday 4pm Perry Sandhills, New South Wales
Twenty minutes out of Wentworth will take you to Perry Sandhills. There are 400 acres of shifting sand dunes to explore if you have the energy, formed by wind erosion over 40,000 years. It's well worth a look and to have some fun and frolicking in the sand. It gives you an idea of how the region might look without irrigation from the river. From the Sandhills you can loop back round to Mildura, using the Calder Highway to get you back to the town.
Sunday 6pm - The Sambal Restaurant
We reckon we deserved an early dinner after a full day on our feet, and we saw this Malaysian restaurant on the Highway back into town. Vegetarian options were limited, but what they had was tasty, and it's a busy little place. Takeaway also available.
Sunday 7pm - Apex Park, Murray River
This park is about fifteen minutes north west of the town centre, and has a riverside beach, which is a popular swiming spot. We opted for a paddle and then a stroll around the campsite. We had a really nice chat with a couple of families who had given up their homes for a permanent life on the road in their huge mobile homes, including taking their cats and dogs with them!
Monday 7.30am - The Chaffey Trail and Homestead
We loved this picturesque riverside walk, which starts at the Homestead and ends at Apex Park. The Homestead features a really interesting history of the town, and the life story of the Canadian Chaffey brothers who founded the irrigation colony, having done similar work in Canada. The riverside walk has been named the Chaffey trail in their honour, and is a delightful ramble along the banks of the Murray.
Monday 9.30am - Kings Billabong Park
The woman in the tourist office had recommended this park, so we couldn't resist a quick peak on the drive back to the airport. It looks like a perfect spot for a picnic and for the locals to unwind amongst the shady trees and lakes. It's also a great spot for birdwatching and kayaking - although we didn't leave enough time to do either, or to do it justice. Ah well, we did pretty well anyway!
Monday 9.30am - Kings Billabong Park
The woman in the tourist office had recommended this park, so we couldn't resist a quick peak on the drive back to the airport. It looks like a perfect spot for a picnic and for the locals to unwind amongst the shady trees and lakes. It's also a great spot for birdwatching and kayaking - although we didn't leave enough time to do either, or to do it justice. Ah well, we did pretty well anyway!
Mildura In 5 words:
SPACIOUS, HOT, FRIENDLY, FRUITY, OASIS.
Seven Pines Motor Inn
As I wrote on Tripadvisor: Perfect place to stay in Mildura, modern and spotless rooms, and great location close to the centre and Murray River. It's also good value and comes with an ample continental breakfast. John went out of his way to offer help, I really wouldn't look any further than Seven Pines if you're heading to Mildura. We couldn't recommend this place highly enough
Getting there:
From Melbourne: you could drive here, but it's
probably the longest point to point drive you would be able to make within the state of
Victoria, taking six to seven hours. So if you're short on time, do what
we did and hop on a short 45 minute
regional flight instead.
From elsewhere: flight connections from Sydney and
Adelaide. Drive from Adelaide.
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