26 Jan 10 – Mungo National Park

By Lou: Mungo National Park is a beautiful park. I had been forewarned not to pack the lilo and bathers for the trip to Lake Mungo as it hasn’t held water for thousands of years.

As I’ve mentioned before I spend a lot of time looking at clouds so I was a bit concerned when approaching the park that the clouds looked low and grey. The road was very dusty and for sure if it were to rain tonight we would not be able to get out of the park tomorrow. When we pulled up to the information centre it was unmanned but it was possible to look through an extensive display area. We radioed the ranger to get a weather report but he offered to wander over from the residence next door and have a chat. He assured us there was no rain on the radar and directed us to a cold beer at the nearby resort and then the campsite.

There was one occupant when we arrived at the campsite so we were flush with choice: this dirt patch or that dirt patch? We were only staying overnight so it was a quick set up – flip the tent up and over and use our clothes bags as anchors within the tent instead of tent pegs outside. I had our dinner ingredients in the car fridge and we sat on the floor of the tent away from the flies for our gourmet dinner of tuna, tomato and cucumber on biscuits.

Just before sundown we drove out to the Walls of China to watch the sunset. It was beautiful to watch the colours of the sand and sky change as the sun dropped over a vast and flat horizon.

I’d like to say that in such a beautiful setting Craig and I wanted to tear each other’s clothes off, but it was heads we had in mind. I think it was a combination of many things: the unrelenting heat of the past fortnight; being on the move for the last month; Sam being Sam which is full-on; being in each other’s company 24/7 for the last month; the realisation that Sam’s schooling was going to be a bit of an imposition and probably the fundamental problem that we both think our own way is the best way to do anything – reversing the car, screwing in the water tap, packing the picnic bag, setting out the poles before the ropes etc etc. And so it was that despite the 44 degree temperature Mungo National Park was frosty and we headed to Mildura to thaw out.

By Craig: Mungo NP wasn't the best of times as for the reasons above. At all parks I'm finding the human influence, that is, our need to preserve and protect the mere reason we are there to see such a park, is an overriding control. For example, Walk only on the broad walk provided; Don't walk in this area; Don't sit here; Don't walk there; Stand only behind this barrier etc etc. My god, I'm there to experience the freedom and culture of an area or experience the spiritual feel of a place or a thing and I can't get near it or see it from another angle other than the one provided. I guess Mungo NP wasn't all that bad but it was the proverbial straw. At least it was free to see the Walls of China unlike other parks and places of interest. Even the Aboriginal culture, one of nomadic freedom, is now controlled to the extreme. I understand it is to protect the items, places and things for all time however isn't it a sad reflection on all of us who travel if we can't look after what we are seeing and experiencing.


One point of interest that's been well preserved is the Wool Shed. Within the vastness of this area apparently settlers thought raising and grazing sheep was a profitable business and again apparently it was for many years.
The wool shed is well preserved and so is the history surrounding its presence. A journey through the old woolshed found lots of old equipment, and you could simply imagine the hustle and bustle of a dozen shearers working their way through hundreds of sheep. Although the woolshed hasn't been in production for many many years you could still smell the lanolin which has been well oiled into the timber. A lasting thought from my experience here is that it was a hard business in an extreme environment.