MELBOURNE TO MILDURA ON OUR OUTBACK NSW ROAD TRIP

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August 8th 2018

Published: August 12th 2018

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John and Gloria Travels

THE MIGHTY MUNGO NATIONAL PARK

What a great day this was

Well we left Melbourne Saturday morning and after stopping in Wycheproof at a beautiful country shop for lunch, Bakery on Broadway, for a delicious sausage roll and chicken korma pie, onward bound to Mildura arriving around 4.30pm. Its a long drive but we hadn't done it for I reckon around 20 years. We swapped a week of our timeshare at Pt Nepean Country Club for a week at the Sunraysia Resort, a great resort and they had an orientation talk on the Saturday just after we arrived, lots of info of what to do etc, very informative. We have a lovely 2 bedroom unit with everything you need for a weeks stay. Saturday night had a lovely meal at the Workers Club. Sunday headed out to Red Cliffs to the Sunday market and came back with a few bags of stuff, we also had a visit from our old friends from Euston/Robinvale Frank and Rosa, it was fabulous catching up with them and catching up on all the gos. Monday we went out for a spot of shopping and John cooked a lovely BBQ at our unit. Tuesday we went on a tour "Essence of Mildura and Wentworth", a lovely couple

WYCHEPROOF

Bakery on Broadway

here in Mildura run these tours and it was great....you just get so much information from local people regarding history and current goings on. There were many highlights but one was the Murray River Pink Salt factory tour, Phil our tour guide has the only rights to go and see this operation, then to Orange World to meet Mario who was a real character and sample some of his delicious freshly squeezed orange juice, then tour out to Wentworth to see the meeting of the Darling and the Murray Rivers, Perry Sandhills and lunch at the Crown Hotel Wentworth, what a little gem this is, John has made another big statement, "best steak sandwich ever", after lunch with a lovely bottle of local red we then had a two hour cruise on an old Paddle steamer, was very relaxing and informative as well....great day...Phil is a great tour guide! Back to the resort for happy hour at 5pm....half price wines at $3.50 glass....bargain! Then walked to Stefanos for dinner, a visit to Mildura is not complete without a visit to the underground cellar restaurant of Stefano de Pieri....sensational meal....you can taste the A1 produce used in all his recipes...5 course

MILDURA

Lots of great coffee shops, this one on the Murray an old container done up so well

degustation with more lovely wine and struck up conversation with a couple from Brisbane on the next table. Wednesday out with Phil again for the day, there were six of us on his tour out to Mungo National Park, absolutely amazing place....lots of stories and my god the history is unbelievable. Once the public could wander all over Mungo but not anymore, Phil is an accredited person to go here so you can only get to the visitor centre and lodge without a guide. We had a one and half hour walk around this truly amazing archelogical site........human life been here more than 60,000 years ago.....still cannot get my head around this and really didn't know a lot about Mungo before this tour today....it really is not promoted to all us down south much at all....Phil and his wife Alison have been running tours out here for five years and it is definitely worth a visit to anyone who hasn't been. Originally we were going to stay out here but when we realised someone from Mildura runs tours out here we decided to cancel our accommodation and do a day tour....which worked out to be just the most fantastic way

WENTWORTH

The meeting of the Darling and Murray Rivers

to see it all and gleen such important information. Fantastic morning tea overlooking the dry lake with to die for fruit cake made by Alison, with local pistachios, dried raisins and almonds....lunch were lovely fresh gourmet sandwiches....they know how to do in the country. Another FANTASTIC day! Thursday found out one of friends from Braybrook was up with his fiance to visit his Mum in Mildura who was gravely ill and has subsequently died......lovely to catch up with them and gave them some light relief from the Pall Care Unit....Thursday walked to the chocolate factory which also houses the Murray River Pink Salt...10klm walk....Friday did a big walk down to the Chaffey Homestead attached to the Art Centre....remember the Chaffey Bros, Blake and Suzy, when we drove to Saltin Sea in Southern California....the Chaffey bros where the ones that irrigated that desolate place from the Colorado River....well we saw first hand what they did to mark Mildura on the map with their irrigation here.....very, very famous in Mildura. Then did a big river walk....but the dust was disgusting.....every time you opened your mouth it blew in...gritty teeth, chewing dust is not my thing! Anyway got back to the unit in

MURRAY RIVER

So tranquil

time to showers, dress and meet Ken and Denese for dinner. Lovely week here in Mildura.

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Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name...more history