Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria
Murray-Sunset National Park, NW Victoria
Our holiday in Victoria
September 2007
After leaving the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens near Mildura, we headed west towards South Australia and home. We didn’t go the direct route, however. We often take a roundabout way of getting places, especially when we are on holiday.
We took an interesting detour through the Murray-Sunset National Park. This huge park in the extreme north west part of Victoria is mainly low mallee scrub interspersed with some open grassy plains. The bird life is prolific which was a major attraction for taking this alternative – and very slow – route home. All of the tracks through the park are single lane dirt tracks. The photo above perfectly illustrates what I am talking about. Some are best tackled by four wheel drive vehicles – or at least vehicles with plenty of clearance.
The map I had was a little inaccurate which could have been dangerous. This is remote country and one could easily become lost. There are no rescue services out there and certainly no phone coverage. This is like so many places in outback Australia. One needs to be prepared, take reserves of food and water and make sure the vehicle is mechanically sound.
Because my map was inaccurate it took about an extra half hour for us to find the entrance gate to the park. We saw some interesting farming country along the way. Sadly, many of the farms in that area seemed to be abandoned due the the long standing drought. It is marginal farming land anyway and the prolonged drought has meant some farmers have had to just walk off their properties. In tough times like the drought we’ve been having, there are no buyers. Sad indeed because this land can be very productive in good years.
Links:
- Murray-Sunset National Park – website with more information.
Murray-Sunset National Park, NW Victoria
Australian Inland Botanic Gardens near Mildura
No Comments »3rd October, 2008; Category: Botanic Gardens, Holidays, New South Wales, Parks and Gardens, Plants
Australian Inland Botanic Gardens near Mildura
Our holiday in new South Wales and Victoria
September 2007
While visiting Mildura in north west Victoria we spent several happy hours looking around the various plantings in the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens. We had a great time taking photos of the various native plants on display. Many were in flower which was good. I also had a good time adding to my bird list for the trip.
Australian Inland Botanic Gardens near Mildura
Australian Inland Botanic Gardens near Mildura
Australian Inland Botanic Gardens
Australian Inland Botanic Gardens near Mildura
Our holiday in Victoria
September 2007
On our last day in Victoria we briefly went back over the River Murray into New South Wales. We went to visit the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens. This meant that we had visited five different botanic gardens during our four week holiday.
Australian Inland Botanic Gardens near Mildura
We had previously visited these gardens some four or five years before. It was only in the early stages of development then. This time we could see the vast changes that had occurred during the intervening years. Extensive plantings of both natives and exotics (which we didn’t go to see) have made these gardens well worth the visit. Besides – entrance is currently free. That may change in the future.
Further reading:
- Australian Inland Botanic Gardens – website of the gardens, including details of the collection, opening times, history etc
Australian Inland Botanic Gardens near Mildura