1 & 2 June 2016 - Mildura, Wentworth and Mungo

I enjoyed the rest of my stay in Mildura, including contact with the local Toyota dealer, to flush & change the Land Cruiser brake fluid, which had previously been done incorrectly by Ceduna Machinery over a year ago.  Mildura Toyota in contrast did the job for a reasonable price, washed & cleaned the vehicle and left a packet of jellybeans on the front seat.  What more could you want from a car dealer.....

Another highlight of my stay was a haircut at Joe's Barber Shop on Seventh Avenue.  Joe emigrated to Australia from Italy in 1954 & has spent a good proportion of his time since in Mildura.  He is approaching 80 and still spends his working days on his feet looking after the steady stream of regulars that visit his shop for an excellent haircut and a bit of a gossip.  He rarely has time to stop for lunch, usually struggling to manage a coffee or two during the day.  Did I mention that it was a very good haircut.  The other bonus was that Joe stocks the Australian Nu Brush scalp massager.  I hadn't seen one of these for about 20 years and was able to buy a long sought replacement for the princely sum of $2.  Amazing.....

I spent a little more time exploring around the river features of the City and did a short excursion to Wentworth, not far away on the NSW side of the river.

 The weir at Mildura gives some idea of the volume of water (still) flowing downstream.

 Lock 11 at Mildura is in a very pretty location with a lovely park and picnic area.

At Wentworth, the mighty Darling and Murray Rivers meet.

and Lock 10 is located nearby on the Murray.

HM Gaol is another place worth visiting in Historic Wentworth.

My final outing from Mildura was a day trip to Mungo National Park.  Originally I had hoped to take the caravan and spend a night or two camping out on the loop drive around the lake bed.  However there had been quite a bit of rain & the access roads had been closed for a number of days.

To reduce my stress levels on unsealed roads I was not familiar with, I decided to instead do a day tour with a local operator.  I tried to make a booking with Harry Nanya Tours to experience the "Aboriginal" perspective, but Graham Clarke, the current guide was already committed to an external tour group.  So I gave Murraytrek 4WD Outback Adventure Tours a call, which turned out to be a very enjoyable experience.  They were cheaper, the guide Trevor was an interesting & knowledgeable character, and there were only 4 of us on the day, including a very pleasant couple from Gippsland.

Trevor knew the 100km or so of dirt road extremely well and drove the minibus safely & efficiently, plus was able reduce the journey time where I would have had to be much more cautious.  As it turned out the roads were in pretty good condition, but it was much more pleasant to be driven.  The other benefits included extensive walking access to the area around the "Walls of China" (without a guide, limited boardwalk access only), and the fresh scones with jam & cream along with an excellent sandwich lunch prepared by Trevor's wife that morning.  I thought $145 for a full day was pretty good value.  The tour runs with a minimum of two people.

 The viewing area over the Lake bed at the Discovery Centre.

 
The site has great historical significance for the age of Aboriginal history of Australia.

Good visitor facilities and the old Mungo Station shearing shed.

 Looking back across the lake bed from the Walls of China.

 A gully in amongst the Walls of China.

Trevor in action, pointing out animal remains in the shifting sands.

An interesting old grader at Zanci Station within the National Park.  The operator must have been a strong man.

I enjoyed the day trip as Mungo was somewhere I had particularly wanted to visit.  It is not the most spectacularly visual National Park I have been to, but it is extremely significant in the history of our country.