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Mungo-Menindee-Willandra
24 September to 6 October 2005
Since
our last outback trip, we’ve been looking for an opportunity to head out west
again. Our earlier plans to visit Birdsville or down the Darling River haven’t
yet come to fruition but when the Australian
CamperTrailers Group scheduled a meet at the beginning of the school
holidays we took the opportunity to make it the start of a two week tour taking
in some highlights of western NSW, including part of the aborted Darling River
trip.
Saturday 24 September – Tuesday 27 September
By the time we got to Shallow
Crossing for the CamperTrailers Group meet, most of the participants were
already well settled. It was a great occasion with 40 campers and more than 100
people attending – the Group’s website has a report
and pictures from the gathering.
Shallow Crossing is a privately owned camping area on the banks of the Clyde
River north west of Batemans Bay. We found a spot with a view of the river and
set up our camper for the first time (having sold our old camper to buy a 2 year
old Kimberley
Kamper). We had a very pleasant few days here although the weather was not
the best with intermittent rain for most of the time. On the Sunday, we took a
drive to explore a disused goldmine surrounded by rusting relics of the
endeavours of the early settlers in the area. For the rest of the time, we
relaxed around camp catching up with other members of the group, the kids played
in the river and built campfires and Renee tried her hand at camp oven cooking
with mixed results: the herb damper was delicious, roast dinner great, dumplings
so-so and the less said about the scones,
the better!
Tuesday 27 September
Our plan to get to Hay today fell by the wayside after a late departure from
Shallow Crossing. We enjoyed a scenic drive along the lower reaches of the Clyde
River before turning west through picturesque state forest. After meeting Kings
Highway, we had a steep climb up the mountain to Braidwood then continued on
through Queanbeyan (lunch stop) and circled Capitol Hill in Canberra. We reached
Wagga Wagga around 4pm and decided to overnight here rather than push on to
Narrandera or Hay. There was also some concern whether we’d be able to get
into Mungo National Park because of rain in the area (roads in Mungo were now
closed) so we started thinking about an alternative route.
Wednesday 28 September
Today we followed the Sturt Highway due west through Narrandera, Hay (lunch
stop) and onto Balranald. This drive cuts through the flat open plains of the
mid-west and we were surprised to see the countryside quite lush and green, a
real contrast to the endless dry brown we saw on previous journeys through this
area. For much of the afternoon we were driving into a heavy storm and our
chances of getting into Mungo were looking slim. By the time we reached
Balranald (the turnoff to head into Mungo) the weather had eased a little and we
took a site in the local caravan park on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River.
Thursday 29 September
Thursday dawned fine and sunny and we packed up and headed for the Visitor
Centre to check on road conditions. The road into Mungo was now open although
the loop road in the NP was still closed. We filled up with petrol and groceries
and headed north out of Balranald on the road toward Ivanhoe. After about 50kms
the route leaves the bitumen and heads west again on dirt tracks through
semi-arid countryside. For the most part, the road had dried out quite quickly
although there were still sections of heavy mud and large puddles which left
their mark on the car and camper. Again, we were surprised by the greenery and
fields of wild flowers interspersed with the red sand and claypans we had
expected to see.
After about 80kms we enter the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area – a
series of ancient crescent shaped lakes once fed by what is now Willandra Creek
- and turn north on the Arumpo Road. Here the road cuts a red ribbon across the
floor of the now-dry Lake Arumpo, a taste of what we can expect at Mungo NP.
We arrived at Main Camp just inside Mungo National Park for a late lunch. The
campground was not crowded since many had left before the storm passed through
on the previous day. We took our time to find a site that was dry and looked
like it wouldn’t suffer too much if it rained again. We set up camp and added
the screen annex (because of the swarms of flies who seemed intent on sharing
our lunch) and then headed off to the visitor centre.
Displays
in the visitor centre give a good explanation of the ebb and flow of water
through the lakes and how layers in the dunes have captured a picture of
geographic and human development in the area. We were surprised to find that it
was here that someone discovered (or proved) that the earth’s magnetic field
changes over time. Artifacts collected from the area show that around 30,000
years ago magnetic north was at about 120 degrees to it’s current position!
Although the loop road (which provides a 70km tour of Mungo Lake and surrounds)
was still closed, the first section to the Walls of China was now open and, with
sunset approaching, we took the opportunity to drive down and explore. The dirt
road cuts across the floor of Lake Mungo to its western edge where a high
crescent shaped dune (lunette) curves around from north west to south east.
The western face is layers of clay and hard packed sand which have been
eroded by wind and rain to form striking pinnacles with clearly defined layers
showing the history of the area over the last 50,000 years.
On the eastern face, loose white sand spills down to meet the grass and scrub
on the outside plain. Apparently, prevailing westerly winds are pushing the dune
east at about 3m per year!
We were very lucky to be here as the sun set with ample time to walk around
the dunes as the changing light painted the landscape in stunning colours,
highlighting the telltale layers in the sand. As dusk closed in, we headed back
to the visitor centre (for a shower) and then back to camp for dinner.
Friday 30 September
Another clear sunny day and our hopes that the loop road around Mungo would be
open were satisfied. We have the information sheet from the visitor centre which
provides information for the self guided tour and head out toward the Walls of
China then turn right onto the loop road which stretches off in the distance
roughly parallel to the white sand of the dune. A little way along a sidetrack
accesses a picnic area that offers another view of the eroded Walls. Further
along we come to the first of many “tanks” – a rough dam dug in the dry
lake floor to provide water for stock that used to graze the area. For the most
part, these tanks are now dry with perhaps a foot or two of stagnant water in
the bottom from recent rain.
Near here, a section of the dune remains in its original form – covered
with grasses and low scrub. We were surprised to learn that the Walls of China
and the history that’s been uncovered have emerged only in the last 100 years
or so as grazing of stock brought by European settlers removed the ground cover
and exposed the land to erosion by wind and rain. The evidence of the soil being
eroded and washed down to the lake bed is apparent; the westerly winds then blow
the sand back up and over the dune to the lee side.
Soon, the track climbs up to cross the dune at its southern end. Here, you
can again walk amongst the eroded dune – it’s quite amazing, in the space of
just a few metres, to walk down through 30,000 years of the earth’s history.
Crossing the dune, the road descends down onto “Allan’s Plain” – mostly
grasses and mixed belah and mallee woodland. Along this road is Allan’s Tank,
a large dam and what’s left of one of the corrugated iron sheds used as an
outstation by station hands since the late 1800’s. Further along the road
Mallee Stop offers a nature walk through Mallee woodland giving a good
opportunity to see the natural flora of this area.
Belah Camp is the second camping area in the NP and is located at about the
half way point on the loop drive. We stopped here for lunch in the shade of the
trees before continuing on the drive. The next stop was at yet another large
tank – “Round Tank” has some water and is used as a trap to catch feral
goats that frequent the area.
Continuing around the back of the dune, a side track took us right to the
foot of the white sand dune to Vigars Well once used as a staging post by Cobb
and Co coaches. The steep climb to the top of the dune is well worthwhile,
offering a spectacular 360 degree view of the lake floor and the surrounding
plains. It’s easy to see here how the sand spilling down the eastern face is
slowly consuming the grassy plain. The kids had a great time here playing on the
slopes.
Back on the main road, we drive past grassy paddocks covered in spring
wildflowers almost as far as the horizon, re-cross the dune and lake floor at
the western end before reaching the ruins of Zanci Homestead. The ruins consist of the dugout pantry/ cellar, chimney and hearth of the
homestead, windmill, outhouse and woolshed. It was fascinating to wander around
the remains and picture the hardships the early settlers must have endured to
carve out an existence in this harsh environment.
From here, the road again descends onto the lake floor and rejoins the road
back to the visitor centre and the massive Mungo Woolshed. The woolshed has some
excellent interpretive signs to help you get a feel for life as it was back
then.
Whilst the 70km loop road could be driven in a couple of hours, it really
deserves the whole day to appreciate all that the drive has to offer –
spectacular scenery and fascinating insights into development of the landscape
and the record of indigenous and European life over 40-50,000 years – just
amazing!
Just outside the National Park, we visited Mungo Lodge for an ice cream and
then took a drive down the road to collect some firewood before returning to
camp in time for sunset, dinner and a camp oven tea cake - yum.
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