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Visiting Lake Mungo National Park

There are four main approaches to Lake Mungo, all involving some distance of dirt road driving. In dry weather, these roads can easily be taken by ordinary family cars although some care should be taken over the rough and sandy stretches. After rain - if the roads aren't actually closed - a 4WD is a much better, and safer, bet. The roads heading towards Mungo from the north - from either Broken Hill and Menindee via Pooncarie, or from Wilcannia via Ivanhoe - are the more difficult but also more interesting, while from the south Mildura and Balranald are only just over 120km away. Wherever you set off from, keep in mind that there is no fuel available inside the National Park! From Mildura or Balranald, Lake Mungo can be visited on a day trip but you see so much more - for example, the sunset over the lunette and the beautiful night skies - when you take your time and stay at Mungo overnight.

There are two campsites, one inside the National Park about halfway along the 70km self-drive loop ("Belah Camp"), and another a short drive from the Visitors' Centre ("Main Camp"). At the Visitors' Centre, there is accommodation available in the shearers' quarters although at the time of writing this was unavailable due to fire damage. For details and bookings, contact the National Parks and Wildlife office in Buronga, Tel. (03) 5021 8900, or visit their Lake Mungo webpages.

The most comfortable accommodation is provided by Mungo Lodge, a few hundred metres away from the Visitors' Centre on the Arumpo Road to Mildura. The air-conditioned wooden cabins built in the early 1990s offer Motel-like comfort with their en-suite bathrooms and front and rear verandahs, and the main building contains a small restaurant and bar. There is even an adjacent airstrip for those who wish to avoid the bumpy roads to Mungo! For more details and bookings, phone (03) 5029 7297.

Two Aboriginal-owned companies offer guided tours of Lake Mungo National Park: Harry Nanya Tours (Tel. 1800 092 223 or 03-50272076) and Jumbunna Walkabout Tours (Tel. 0412581699).