The Mighty Murray

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What a great stroke of luck deciding to stay at Berri and not Renmark. Although it was rather busy with families who slept in tents because any money they might have had had been spent on the ski boat and all the floating accessories you could think of. But we awake the next day to see a great number packing up and heading home, and so they should, us grey nomads need a bit of peace and quiet! Our short stay here saw us visit Renmark (and quickly leave again), climb the local water tower for views of the Murray River, visit a Historical Village at Loxton, and back track about 40km because we happened to pass Banrock Station Winery on the outskirts of Berri. We know you will find this hard to believe but we left without a single bottle…they do 2 litre casks!!!!

Following the very full Murray we headed further upstream (sounds funny when it’s over 2500km long)to Buronga, which is across the river from Mildura, and in New South Wales, unlike Mildura which is in Victoria. Again a great decision as we are on the river bank no more than 10 meters from the water and directly opposite the wharf from where the Paddle steamer, the PS Melbourne departs. We booked the Sunday afternoon cruise and spent an enjoyable 2 hours bobbing along the river. A morning strolling round the shops and cafes of Mildura was very rewarding. First we popped into the local brewery to see England make it 3-1 at the SCG, second we found a very nice Thai restaurant that we returned to in the evening, and third we had lunch at a famous pie shop and ate them all!!!!.

Mungo National Park was a big day out, 105km from Mildura with 88km being unsealed, followed by a further 70km driving round the park. A brief synopsis: the area was once covered in water creating 2 large lakes, and along one edge sand dunes formed, known as “The Wall of China”. Today they are made up of sand and clay, which has created some spectacular scenery over the decades. The world famous Rabbit Proof fence also runs through the park. We chose a bad day and a good day to go, Bad – it was bloody hot, Good – it rained that evening and the park was closed the following day.

Two other places we visited were Orange World, sadly lacking on zest, and Trentham Winery (how the hell did that get in?) a lovely restaurant with wines to match.

We leave the Mighty Murray heading north east towards Dubbo stopping at Hay and West Wyalong for sleep overs. The next blog will cover Dubbo (well the Zoo) and the journey back to Gods Own Country – Queensland, Via Tamworth and alas the end of our tour.

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