So.. back to civilisation after three wonderful days in Mungo National Park. The road from Mungo Main Campsite to Mildura was very similar to the road from Balranald; red dirt, corrugations, lumpy white hard-top and finally some bitumen. I would say that the road to Mildura was a bit rougher than from Balranald but the Cruiser and the Van handled everything perfectly. This time we put some padding between the sliding doors and their tracks so that they didn’t bounce out and that pretty much did the trick.
Before we left home Aldi were having one of their caravan and camping specials weeks. We picked up one of their thermal cookers, similar to the ‘Ecopot‘ but much cheaper. The thermal cooker is basically a big thermos that acts like a Crock Pot slow cooker by sealing in heat after having cooked the food to boiling point on a the stove.
We christened the thermal cooker with ‘Chicken Paprikash’ based on the simple but incredibly flavourful Hungarian dish introduced to us by close friends. The results were excellent and we’re looking forward to other slow braise recipes in the future. You can also make yoghurt in it, which we will try at some point in time.
Mildura
It’s probably around twenty years since we were last in Mildura and we really enjoyed it last time around. Our first impression on driving in is that it has grown a bit and changed a bit but also that it seemed a bit quieter.
We were a little sad that Hudak’s Bakery in the centre of town had disappeared; Hudak’s still have bakeries but the two storey café bakery is now a coffee shop under new owners. There were quite a few closed shops in the centre of town that may be casualties of COVID but also of the larger Midura Central shopping district.
The Murray River is still very impressive as you cross into Victoria (no sign of border-checking anywhere) and the park area and river walk, where the paddle boats dock, is absolutely beautiful. We’ve never seen so many grass tennis courts in one location as there are at the Mildura Lawn Tennis Club. There’s also a sizable brown snake living in the bush near it. It slid across the path about three metres in front of us so quickly that I only saw it’s last half disappearing into the bushes.
We pulled up for seven nights in Mildura to have a decent break, set up the annex for the first time, and explore the area. Jo wanted very much to have a meal Stefano’s but it was booked solid for the week and although we were on the waiting list we weren’t able to secure a table during our stay. Lots of other options though.
BIG4 NRMA Riverside Caravan Park
This BIG4 NRMA Riverside Caravan Park is on the edge of town and backs onto the Murray. It’s a large’ish caravan park designed for family holidays, etc. with a bouncing pad, pool with slides, etc.
We booked a powered ‘en-suite’ site for a bit of luxury, meaning we had our own private shower and toilet behind the van. The site itself was very ‘squeezy’ length-wise with our hitch only just off the driveway. We had to change sites because our first allocation was about two metres too short. Width-wise there was plenty of room giving us a chance to set up the full annex for the first time.
Our site was right next to the pool and bouncing pad so the first night was a bit noisy but being a Saturday most pulled out the next day so the place quieted down for the bulk of the week,
River Walk
Our first day was spent relaxing, washing and doing a bit grocery shopping after running stocks down at Lake Mungo. On day 2 we ventured down to the river and followed the walk from the main wharf all the way down to Lock 11 (and the Mildura Wier) and Lock Island. It’s a beautiful walk with pop-up coffee shop cafes, things to see like the Chaffey Steam Pump, Riverboats, Parks, Tennis Courts, Lock 11 and the odd venomous snake (if you’re lucky).
Midura Brewery
After a long walk it was a no-brainer to head into the town center and stop in at the Mildura Brewery for a cleansing ale… I can highly recommend the Mildura Brewery Honey Wheat, which is clean, bright and totally refreshing on a hot afternoon. Jo, not being a beer fan, opted for a Rekorderlig Strawberry/Lime Cider that was equally refreshing although a little on the sweet side.
Worker’s Club
It’s always good to go out for a club meal when you’re in a country town (that’s big enough to have a club or clubs). The Mildura Worker’s Club is one of those straight-forward, meat-raffle, pokies and beer clubs. However, it has the distinction of having once had the longest bar in the world. Sad to say that the longest bar has since disappeared to accommodate pokies, bistro, sports lounge, etc… but the do have a pamphlet showing the layout of the old bar juxtaposed over the new bar and massive it was. There is a wall sized photo of it in the sports lounge so it still figures in the club atmosphere.
The bistro was quite good with a mixture of contemporary meals and club favourites. Jo had a grilled chicken breast on a bed of beetroot risotto, which was a bit different and quite nice, whereas I had the good ol’ club lamb roast. Very generous and comforting.
We decided to run $20 through the pokies and ended up with $15 profit, which paid for one round of drinks, so that was a little bonus.
When in Mildura it is a must to take a cruise on a paddle boat. Unfortunately the steam paddle boat (Melbourne) was not operating but the Rothbury, a diesel powered paddle boat, was filling in. We opted for a two hour morning cruise, down through Lock 11 and further down the Murray past beautiful river-front homes, camping grounds and banks lined with river gums.
Passing through Lock 11 it was most interesting to feel the entire paddle boat dropping (and later) rising as the lock emptied (and flooded) allowing the paddle boat to move down (or up) to the new river level. Quite amazing large scale engineering. The Rothbury itself was a lovely old girl, built from a hundred year old river barge. It is a soothing, quiet vessel with a rhythmic ‘wash – wash – wash’ sound as the paddles churn away and she rolls down the river.
Orange World is one of those quirky Australian tourist attractions that is centered on a family-owned citrus orchard in Buronga, just over the river (NSW) from Mildura. At first sight it looks a little dated and tired but after having visited I rate as a must-see-must-do.
At the front of the orchards is a little shop that sells the usual knick-knacks and citrus related products. They operate a tractor-train ride through the orchard ($12.50), which is guided by ‘Mario’ an Italian born immigrant from Belgium. Mario is one of those people who makes you feel completely welcome and is able to educate you thoroughly on citrus growing whilst keeping you interested and chuckling all the time.
We were shown all the varieties of citrus (oranges, mandarins, lemons, cumquats, grapefruit) and also given the raw facts of citrus growing. They have ten thousand trees in their orchard and make 40c/kilo for oranges, whereas they make 90c/kg for mandarins. Consequently they are converting, via grafting, many of their orange trees into mandarin trees, because this is faster than planting new trees. Their ten thousand trees are picked over six months by only four pickers (two married couples from Greece and Spain) who earn about $30 per 400kg bin.
Having visited and thoroughly enjoyed Orange World we are now especially aware of the importance of buying Australian grown oranges, juices and citrus products. People like Mario love their orchards and work extremely hard to produce the highest quality fruit. We all need to keep these people in profit instead of buying imported produce.
After Orange World we kept travelling west through Dareton to Wentworth. Both very quaint little inland towns. Not a lot in either town but charming in their own right.
Wentworth is the junction of the Murray and Darling rivers and has a well kept riverside park with viewing tower that provides a high view of the river junctions. The park also has a carved log depicting river fish coming out of the log. Quite a nice sculptural piece.
Wentworth also has an historic gaol but we opted not to visit as we weren’t feeling terribly ‘custodial’ on the day. It is a pleasant little town with a few pubs to choose from.
On the way back to Mildura we were treated to a small dust storm as the winds and temperature picked up going through Merbein.
Whilst we couldn’t get a table at Stefano’s, we were able to get a table for lunch at Trentham Estate, about 20 minutes way, on the NSW banks of the Murray River.
Trentham Estate grounds are beautifully kept with luscious lawns and gardens leading down to the river’s edge, where there is a long wharf area that houseboats can moor up on for a visit. The gardens are very well kept and laid out with tables on the lawn under the gums and on the terrace of the restaurant/tasting room.
At one point an employee was dispatched to wrangle our scaly friend from the Lawn Tennis Club (or one of his relatives). No danger to guests though.
We did a thorough wine tasting going through most of the range of whites and reds. Jo (and I) was particularly impressed with the Pinot Gris (which was a bit of surprise to her) and I was most impressed by the Estate Shiraz (and not so much by the more expensive Reserve Shiraz). In any case, we came away with a half-dozen bottles on order ready for when we return home.
Interestingly enough, the young lady who served us at the Worker’s Club the previous night was also our wine tasting host at Trentham Estate. What’s the odds?
After wine tasting came lunch with a complimentary bottle of wine (having signed up to the Trentham Estate wine club). Jo had Peking Duck Breast and I went for the Pork Belly. Both were very rich, tender and beautifully presented. The pork was velvety soft with crispy crackling on a salad with fennel. The duck was fully-flavoured with Hoisin sauce also on a bed of salad including mango. A beautiful meal in a beautiful setting on a magnificent river.
Life’s good!