5 Day Fringe of the Desert Tour

ex Melbourne

Pickup Points

Mungo National Park - Broken Hill - Mildura - Silverton - Wentworth

Tour Dates

Departing Monday, 1st September, 2008

Itinerary
DAY 1 - We depart Melbourne travelling the Calder Highway to our Motor Inn at Wentworth. Refreshment and comfort stops are provided along the way. On arrival at our motel, you have time to make yourself at home in your luxury unit, swim in the pool and enjoy the relaxing spa. Being situated in the heart of the town you can take a stroll along the tranquil Darling River enjoying majestic river gums and abundant birdlife, or take in the atmosphere of our town with many historic buildings still in original condition. Your evening meal is served in our licensed restaurant “The Mason’s”, where you can relax in our delightful cottage garden before retiring to your comfortable bed and a good night’s sleep.

DAY 2 - Adventure really begins today! The drive north-east takes us back 60,000 years to Mungo National Park, a series of dry lakes now, but still a haven for native flora & fauna. No other area of Inland Australia combines a record of past environmental and human history spanning the last glacial period as does the Willandra Lakes World Heritage region. We have a picnic lunch in this truly unique location that is world acclaimed for the significant archaeological finds made during the 1960’s which rewrote the history books on the pre-European occupation of the Australian Continent. The focus on Mungo National Park is directly related to the intensity of erosion on the sand lunettes, aptly named ‘The Walls of China’. In fact almost all of the significant discoveries made throughout the entire region have resulted from natural wind erosion often accelerated, but not necessarily initiated by post-European settlement. We travel back to the Motel for a true explorer’s rest, and delight in a country BBQ and fresh salads. (AN ABORIGINAL GUIDE WILL TRAVEL WITH YOU TO MUNGO TO EXPLAIN THE HISTORY OF MUNGO NATIONAL PARK AND ENSURING YOU GET TO SEE ALL THE SIGNIFICANT AREAS).

DAY 3 – After an early breakfast we leave at 7am for the trip to Broken Hill, travelling through the vast inland of Australia.  First stop – the Tourist Information Centre.  Today you visit White’s Minerals, Art Gallery & Mining Museum where “Whitey” himself will give you a fascinating tour of one of Broken Hill’s best attractions depicting current & past mining methods & equipment. Experience an underground mine without going underground. We also travel to Silverton, now little more than a ghost town, where Colonial and Victorian buildings have been featured in many movies, commercials, mini-series and documentaries – “A Town Like Alice”. “Mad Max 2”,  “Hostage”, and “Razorback” head the list of major productions. This afternoon after lunch we make our way back to “the Hill” where you will be visiting the Pro Hart Gallery to view one of the largest private collections in the country featuring Australian and European works.  The gallery also displays Chinese pottery, Perfume Bottles & Baby Rattle collections, and houses the famous Roger Electronic Pipe Organ, one of the largest of its type in Australia. Then its off to one of Broken Hills’ newest attractions the Silver City Mint & Art Museum featuring ‘The Big Picture’ the worlds largest acrylic painting on canvas. View the extensive range of originals & lithographs by renowned artist Peter Andrew Anderson. You will also be able to see demonstrations of smelting, casting & manufacturing of Broken Hill Silver jewellery with a large range to buy before leaving fascinating Broken Hill with its clear light, glorious views and dazzling skies which of course have been captured extensively by the region’s artists.  A delicious dinner will be served back at home at ‘The Mason’s’ .

DAY 4 –   We start our day with a visit to the Langtree Mall in Mildura’s CBD, where we will have time to stroll, enjoying the Mediterranean atmosphere and shopping opportunities. Enjoy a River cruise on the PS Melbourne, Mildura’s original Steam driven Paddle Steamer.  This vessel was original built for the Victorian Government as a work boat in 1912.  Now she cruises the Murray River twice daily, where you can take in the peaceful atmosphere and marvel at the majestic river gums, the abundant birdlife and fauna.   You will hear about the great river system, the problems it faces and the future it holds.  The Captain describes the many uses of the ecology and environment of the Murray Darling Basin. Woodsie’s Gem Shop, is an outstanding attraction, where Australian gemstones are cut, polished and made into beautiful jewellery by local artisans. Then we visit Oak Valley Estate, a boutique winery on the outskirts of the city of Mildura, a great chance for wine tasting and to stock up the cellar. We then arrive back at Wentworth where a local guide will join us for a tour of the many features of Wentworth, including the Junction of the Darling with the Murray River, historic buildings and PS Ruby and more. We then travel home to enjoy the catering delights in ‘The Masons’. 

DAY 5 - An unforgettable holiday quickly comes to an end as we depart Wentworth for Melbourne travelling through many Murray River towns. Along the way we will have comfort stops as we pass through Robinvale, Swan Hill, Kerang & Bendigo.

We are sure you will be telling all your friends of Simon & Julie-Ann’s wonderful hospitality and perhaps persuade them to come on the next trip. We look forward to seeing you soon…