Mungo National Park

Introducing Mungo National Park

This remote, beautiful and most important place, full of great significance for the human species, covers 27, 850 hectares of the Willandra Lakes World Heritage area. The echoes of over 400 centuries of continuous human habitation are almost tangible in Lake Mungo, a dry lake that is the site of the oldest archaeological finds in Australia: human skeletons and artefacts dating back 46, 000 years or possibly more. A 25km semicircle (‘lunette’) of huge sand dunes has been created by the unceasing westerly wind, which continually exposes fabulously ancient remains. These shimmering white dunes are known as the Walls of China and their story traces that of humans in Australia.

Mungo is 110km from Mildura and 150km from Balranald on good, unsealed roads that become instantly impassable after rain. These towns are the closest places selling fuel.

Award-winning Harry Nanya Tours (1800 630 864, 03-5027 2076; www.harrynanyatours.com.au) runs daily tours to Mungo National Park from Mildura and Wentworth, and employs Aboriginal guides who give cultural information.

The NPWS office (03-5021 8900; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri), on the corner of the Sturt Hwy at Buronga, near Mildura, has park information. There’s a visitor centre (not always staffed) in the park, by the old Mungo woolshed. Pay your day-use fee of $7 per vehicle here.

From here a road leads across the dry lake bed to the Walls of China, and you can drive a complete 70km loop of the dunes when it’s dry. There’s a self-guided drive brochure at the visitor centre.

Accommodation fills up during school holidays.

Mungo Lodge (03-5029 7297; mungoldg@ruralnet.net.au; cabin s/d $88/118), on the Mildura road, about 4km from the visitor centre, is a comfortable, quiet spot with a restaurant (book ahead).

In the park, Main Camp is 2km from the visitor centre, and Belah Camp is on the eastern side of the dunes. Book both (sites adult/child $3/2) through the NPWS office in ­Buronga.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009