4x4 Adventure: Mungo National Park, NSW

Mungo National Park is around an 11-hour drive from Sydney, seven hours from Melbourne and six hours from Adelaide, and lies within NSW’s Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area in the southwest of the state. This place is a highly significant area for Aboriginal culture, particularly for Ngyiampaa, Mutthi Mutthi and Southern Paakantyi people. There are hundreds of stories from country and more occurring everyday as the shifting sands reveal hidden secrets.

The blacktop run from any capital city is pretty significant, but worth it. If you need a great overnight spot to launch your Mungo mission, the Murray River town of Gol Gol, NSW, is as good as any. Situated right on the banks of the mighty Murray is Rivergarden Holiday Park. It has flat campsites, cabins, a great camp kitchen, and clean, modern amenities. The park backs on to the river and is a pearler of a spot to enjoy a Murray River sunset, while the Gol Gol pub is a modern joint with good food and a one-kilometre walk down the road.

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From Red Top Lookout you can see the effects of erosion on the landscape

It is a relatively short run from Gol Gol to Mungo National Park (130km) with the first 50km blacktop, then a pretty well-serviced dirt road after that. As with any outback travel, there are literally stories all along the way.

A tragedy occurred in the heat of January, 1914. A farm worker, Jack Nicholson, had a blue with the station owner where he was working. He stormed off the property determined to walk to town, around 30km away. Poor Jack underestimated his undertaking and died of thirst on the way. Where he died was marked on a Mallee tree, which went unfound for decades. A bunch of locals set about rectifying that and finally found the tree. They laid a headstone and erected a chain fence to commemorate the misadventure of Jack Nicholson. The man died in a lonely, desolate place. Keep an eye for a small stand of mallee scrub around 14km out of Gol Gol if you want to visit the gravesite.

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The height of summer here is not the time to have a blue with the boss, like poor Jack

MUNGO NATIONAL PARK

You are greeted by a cattle grid marking the entry to the Park, immediately after Mungo Lodge. The Lodge has cabins, rooms and provides food, cold drinks and a souvenir shop, with an area to camp out the back. Compared to what is on offer a kilometre down the road in Mungo NP, there is no comparison.

Accommodation in Mungo NP is either at two camp areas or the Shearers Quarters at the Mungo Information Centre, where there are public showers and toilets. The campsites are Main Camp, on your right as you hit the Park’s entry, and Belah Camp on the Self Drive Loop. A word of warning: Make sure you book your camp spots, as Main Camp was booked out and it wasn’t school holidays.

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Main Camp is a beauty and a typical National Park maintained site. There are 33 sites available and each has its own firepit and barbecue plate, but you will need to bring your own wood. The sites are flat, with a camp kitchen, toilets and picnic shelters dotted around Main Camp. The picnic tables have small water tanks which capture rainwater and are good for a wash, but best to treat the water before drinking.

Adding to Main Camp’s charm is the prolific wildlife. You may have to escort a kangaroo off the well-groomed path to the camp kitchen, and the bird life certainly lets you know when morning has broken. Plenty of trees provide shade for campers, and this place has a beautiful outback ambience. There are a few walks from Main Camp (Mungo Lookout and the Grasslands Nature trail) and it is a quality spot to base yourself for a few days while you explore the delights Mungo has to offer.

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Belah Camp is presently shut with the partial closure for maintenance of the 70km self-drive loop, with a review on its current status announced at the end of August. For further information on this and other alerts, phone the Park’s Buronga office on (03) 5021 8900 or check the website for closures and alerts at nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

So it pays to plan your trip, as Mungo National Park is for the self-sufficient tourer. Park fees are $8 a day per vehicle, on top of camping fees which are $24.60 a night per site. You’ll need to fill out a self-registration form at the visitor centre – even if the centre is unstaffed at the time.

Once camp has been set up, the Visitor Information Centre is the hub of activity and information. It may not be staffed all the time (it is during school holidays) but you can explore it at any time. As mentioned, it also provides showers and toilets for park visitors as well as barbecue and picnic shelters. Inside the Centre is where you book tours and pick up brochures. If it is unattended, the Boronga Office can assist you (there is very limited mobile coverage, so plan ahead).

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Out the back of the Visitor Centre are amazing displays, an ancient sandstone ‘Mungo story’ carving and a viewing platform. The displays contain plaster casts of footprints which have been dated back 20,000 years. The lookout platform is shaped as a sand dune and the views extend from the old Mungo Woolshed (built out of local cypress pine in 1869 and at its peak sheared 50,000 sheep a season) across Lake Mungo to the Walls of China.

The above-mentioned footprints have been arranged as they were found. Particularly interesting is the one-legged hunter’s footsteps. Ranger Tanya Charles relayed the story that he was most likely born without a foot and was able to adapt to his misfortune by bounding along on hunts with the other members of his tribe. He certainly cracked along at a good pace, as his steps are almost three metres apart!

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Off-roading is not challenging, but reduce tyre pressures and stick to the tracks

The highlight of a trip to Mungo is a Guided Tour. There are a few commercial options but the Walls of China tour, led by an NPWS Aboriginal ranger would be the pinnacle experience. On the tour we had, ranger Tanya Charles and ranger Lance Jones were our guides, sharing the unique stories Mungo has to offer. As the sands of the desert change, more and more stories emerge in one of the most spectacular outback landscapes in NSW. It is an incredibly spiritual place and stories are relayed with knowledge and passion, revealing an unbroken connection to country. The sunset is greeted with silence. Time on an ancient sand dune, watching the sun dip to leave a pink-stained sky is nothing short of moving. The two-hour tour should be on every visitor’s bucket list. Make sure you thank the rangers for allowing you to walk on their country.

While group tours are not for everyone, the insights provided on the National Park’s Sunset Tour is worth

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Entrance to below-ground meat room at Zanci Station

GOING SOLO

There is also the self-guided 70km Mungo Loop track that traverses the desert landscape that Lake Mungo sits in and the mallee scrub that surrounds it. As mentioned, the Mungo Loop was closed on this visit and hopefully reopens at the end of August. So, I guess that means another trip out here to experience it!

The Zanci Pastoral Loop is a 10km drive that takes you north from the Visitors Centre. It can also be easily walked as it is pretty flat, or jump on a mountain bike if you have one with you. One of the highlights is the ruins of Zanci Station which plays an integral part in Mungo’s recent history. It was established in 1934 by Albert and Venda Barnes when they purchased Mungo which included Zanci. The Barnes sold the land to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in 1978, with Mungo National Park created in 1979. Zanci (which adjoined Mungo) was sold to NPWS in 1984.

The remnants of Zanci make for a fascinating stop on the loop, with ruins including a sturdy-looking fireplace and an underground meat-house. Farther along the loop is the Zanci shearing shed which has an historical pastoralists display inside. Always in the background are the spectacular Walls of China, thought to be named by the Chinese who sought their fortunes in the gold rush of the late 1800s. The Loop finishes back at the Visitor Centre.

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WALKING TRAILS

From Main Camp you have the short walk to the western lookout which casts your eye across the lake to the Walls of China, and the view is spectacular at sunset. Then there’s the Grasslands Nature Trail, an easy loop showing off the local grasses, mallee scrub and all its inhabitants.

The Foreshore walk leaves on a well-marked trail near the woolshed. The trail leads through the bluebush of the lake’s western shore and leads up to a red dune (all the other sand around is white) and a stand of mallee and cypress pines.

The Mallee Stop walking track was closed, but it would be one to conquer when the eastern side of the park reopens. If you like to explore in tranquillity the mallee eucalypts and spinifex-covered dunes, then add this walk to your to-do list.

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Story time with MNP ranger, Tanya Charles

FOR THE FOUR-WHEELER

For the four-wheel driver, there’s not much in the way of challenging driving; you won’t need low range at all in the park, but don’t venture off the well-formed tracks. Running around in high range is recommended, but not essential. Drop your pressures though, as there are some corrugations in some parts and a softer footprint helps keep the tracks in good order.

One thing to remind yourself is that while you are in the middle of nowhere, there are others driving around as well. Take caution pulling out of the Visitor Centre’s car park (have a bloody look) to see if there is a vehicle coming down the road. The roads are sand based but there are sharp rocks on the edges, just waiting to slice your side walls.

Mungo has so much Aboriginal heritage that is constantly being unearthed as the winds shift the sand, and watching the sunset paint the big sky all manner of orange and pink is magical. If you get your timing right and turn eastward you can then watch the full moon pop up over the Walls of China for chills of the best kind (oh, and pack a jacket as it does get cool quickly). The view from the car park at the Walls is a great spot to watch the moon rise.

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Mungo Woolshed was built in 1869 of drop-log cypress pine construction

ON THE WAY

It's always great to share good spots to overnight when you’re punching big kilometres to get into the outback. Here are a few coming from Sydney that are recommended.

Cocoparra National Park just outside Yenda and Griffith. The camp is easy to access just off the Mid-Western Highway and Burley Griffin Way. Woolshed Flats is a great camp area with a large open area for bigger groups, or a dozen small campsites. There are great facilities including shelter, information board and toilets. Cocoparra is a little gem as it’s nestled in the Cocoparra Ranges, has a few well-marked walks, picnic areas and lots of wildlife. It also has limited mobile access (Telstra 1 bar of 4G.) The Park is a 20-minute drive from Yenda.

Yenda is a great place to refuel and grab some supplies. The town is home to the Yenda Brewery, and a few pale ales around a Cocoparra Campfire is a mighty pleasant experience.

Barellan on Burley Griffin Way is another nice spot, and the pub looks fantastic and has free camping spots beside it. It’s an easy choice to pull in for a lightning overnighter on your travels. Just a lovely spot and town.

Also on Burley Griffin Way is the twin town of Harden-Murrumburrah. It’s your classic country town where the main street echoes the community’s pride. With a couple of cafes, a pub and friendly locals, it’s worth a stop if you need a stretch.

Driving through Darlington Point on Kidman Way, I couldn’t help thinking this place was a beauty. It is as clean as a whistle, with a lovely caravan park nestled in the middle of town beside the Murrumbidgee River. There are fuel and supply options aplenty and a welcoming ambience. It’s on the list for an overnighter, too.

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STARGAZING

For the stargazers amongst us, Mungo is dark-sky country and the Milky Way is luminescent. It was amazing to gaze skyward and see stars upon stars. One of the most spectacular constellations is Dark Emu (the book of the same name is a fascinating read, too). It references that the indigenous people looked through the stars, as opposed to Europeans who looked at the stars. I was lucky to have the Dark Emu pointed out to me, residing in the Milky Way and shaped by the stars. Emus were creator spirits in Dreamtime stories.

Speaking of spirits. Ranger Tanya Charles was on country when Mungo Women was repatriated. As her bones returned to country, willy-willies popped up and sped across the lakes. It is said the willy-willies are spirits and her spirit returned to country during that ceremony. For Indigenous people, the first frost of the season meant that emus were laying and crayfish were rising in the creeks and rivers. Nature’s very own surf-n-turf.

Our final camp on the trip was on private property that borders Mungo. We were treated to our own private sand dune, a spectacular dark sky and a full moon rising later in the evening. The pack-up the next morning was in the most beautiful light, it was as if the spirits were showing off.

Mungo National Park is World Heritage listed, thank goodness, and is an Australian treasure for all Australians. Add it to your bucket list and plan for four days at a minimum. There’s a lot to do, see and hear about out there.

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Five places To see

1. Lake Mungo
2. Walls of China
3. Zanci Pastoral Loop
4. Mungo Lodge
5. Gol Gol