Life Trove

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Itinerary at a glance

2 nights Mildura
1 night Menindee Lakes
2 nights Kinchega National Park
2 nights Silverton
3 nights Mutawintji National Park
1 night Menindee Lakes
3 nights Mungo National Park
1 night Huttah-Kulkyne National Park
1 night Mildura

Day by day itinerary

Aug 28: Sydney → Mildura

Travel to Mildura by train & coach (15 hours). Arrive after 11 pm.
Late checkin to 7th Street Motel.

Aug 29: Mildura & Wentworth

Get Avis hire car (Volkswagon Polo).
Buy 2 power banks because my new power bank from Amazon is faulty.
Drive to Wentworth and visit PS Ruby Paddle Steamer and Rod's model paddle steamer display.
Visit Wentworth gaol.
Visit Thegoa Lagoon.
Sunset at Perry Sandhills.
Drive back to Mildura for amazing steak at Corporate Moose.
Overnight at 7th Street Motel.

Aug 30: Mildura → Menindee Lake

Visit King's Billabong.
Shop for camping food + filter coffee & sieve at Woolworths.
Drive to Menindee Lakes and set camp at Copi Hollow Caravan park.
Drive into town for meal at Maiden's Hotel, delighted to find they have wifi. They assure me road into Kinchega should be fine and give me a map of the park.

Aug 31: Menindee Lake → Kinchega National Park

Drive into Kinchega National Park, euphoric the road in is open and fine.
Photograph the Kinchega Woodshed & Shearer's Quarters.
Drive to Cawndilla Campsite and set up camp.
Walk to the edge of Cawndilla Lake to photograph dead trees and birds (pelicans, swamp harrier, ducks).
Go back for an amazing sunset.
My first camp meal of soup + tuna & beans.

Sep 1: Kinchega National Park

Photograph the trees at sunrise.
Explore the lake to the left, photgraphing flying birds and black swans.
Enjoy my 1st cup of filter coffee (with sieve) and work on computer for a while.

Sep 2: : Kinchega National Park → Silverton

Goto right on lake where less algae and dead fish to photograph beautiful reflections.
Drive to Broken Hill where I buy gas from camping store, new blow up mattress from Kmart and camp food
Drive to Silverton where I set up camp at Penrose Park.
Photograph Silverton town including the iconic Silverton Hotel.
To Mundi Mundi viewpoint for sunset.
Overnight again at Penrose Park
Charge my stuff.

Sep 3: Silverton & Broken Hill

Sunrise photography in town including buildings and churches
Visit Umberumberka Reservoir and meet a fellow birder.
Visit the Mad Max 2 museum
Do the Broken Hill Heritage walk with views of post office
Confirm Mutawintji is open and book 2 nights.
Line of Load miners memorial and view
Sculptures in the dessert at sunset
Drive back to Silverton for a fillet steak at Silverton Hotel
Overnight again at Penrose Park

Sep 4: Silverton → Mutawintji National Park

Drive towards Mutawintji. Incredible flock of kites on way.
Google gets the directions wrong.
Arrive relivied and elated.
Walk a bit of Homestead Gorge. Incredible boulder.
Campsite amazing with hot showers.

Sep 5: Mutawintji National Park

Incredible Mutawintji Gorge walk.
Do Homestead Gorge and Rock Hole loop.
Lie under stars.

Sep 6: Mutawintji National Park

Full monty of Homestead river walks (Bynguano loop, Homestead Gorge, Rock Hole loop)
Meet Jenny. Lives in Cairns. Artist on extended leave road trip.
West Ridge walk for sunset. Beautiful flowers and galahs. Pesky flies.

Sep 7: Mutawintji National Park → Broken Hill → Menindee Lakes

Mutawintji gorge walk again.
Drive to Broken Hill for food plus gas plus car cleaning + book Mungo camping & tour.
Copi Hollow Caravan park again. Good to be back.
Maiden Hotel to message family & friends.
Charge my stuff in my tent.

Sep 8: Broken Hill → Mungo National Park

Work on computer. 3 cups of coffee. Very wired today.
Drive to Mungo via Pooncarie (where fill up with petrol)
Mungo Lodge set up tent.
To Wall of China and Red Top for sunset.
To Lodge to WhatsApp.
Speaking to lots of people, in an outgoing mode of being.

Sep 9: Mungo National Park

Red Tops at sun rise.
Do the self drive tour stopping at Mailee & dunes.
Yogi not doing well, I compose a message.
Red Tops at sunset.

Sep 10: Mungo National Park

Walls of China tour at 9 am
Walls of China sunset tour
Great conversations. Eg Ron photographer

Sep 11: Mungo National Park → Mildura → Hattah-Kulkyne National Park

Mildura warf walk, stopping for a mushroom meal where I organise Hattah.
Shop & petrol.
Drive to Hattah - Kulkyne National Park and set up camp.
Walk around the lake.

Sep 12: Hattah-Kulkyne National Park → Mildura

Go down to lake for sunrise.
On way back, meet Sonia and listen to her make music.
Do the nature drive and meet a lovely fellow birding couple.
Drive to Mildura and check into 7th Street Motel
Clean the car and take it back.

Sep 13: Mildura → Sydney

4 am coach to Wagga Wagga, then another coach to Sydney. Arrive back around 10 pm as we turn back to fetch someone.
Listen to Role Model on Spotify.

Priceless moments

Getting to see the outback after so much rain with amazing flowers and lots of water in the lakes and gorges.
Perry Sand Hills at sunset.
Mildura: The steak at Corporate Moose.
Kings Billabong: Black swan silhouettes
Menindee Lake pub: Relief when I get internet. Friendly pub staff give me a map and reassure me re Kinchega. Make booking.
Kinchega National Park: Drive in, euphoric roads are ok. Kinchega Woolshed. Cawndilla Lake: Trees at sunset & sunrise, photos of flying raptors & pelicans.
Silverton: Mundi Mundi sunset. Reservoir. Mad Max 2 museum. Old buildings in the early morning sun. The iconic hotel for delicious dinners.
Broken Hill: Gorgeous old buildings, Line of Load views over the town, Living desert sculptures.
Mutawintji: Flock of kites. Getting there when I had written it off. Mutawintji & Homestead Gorge. The views from the loop walks. Sunset from Western Ridge. Wedge-tailed Eagle. Ease of navigation with downloaded map. Meeting Jenny. Lie under the stars. The magpies at sunset. Well-being of 10 for 2 days in a row.
Return Broken Hill & Mendindee Lakes. Mungo open and organising such a breaze with Chat GPT. Steak and internet at the pub.
4 computer days (Cawndilla Lakes, Menindee Lakes, Mungo, Hattah). Doing Diary & Year So Far. So amazing after time away. Also night before leave.
Mungo Red Tops at sunrise & sunset and Wall of China at sunset. The Mungo self-drive.
Hattah: Walk around the lake and nature drive. Listen to Sonia play music.
Lots of wonderful walking at an average of 9.25 km per day, increasing my average walk distance per day from 5.4 to 5.7. In Mutawintji, I walked 17 km two days in a row.
An average well-being score of 8.5. Two days of 10 days (at Mutawintji).

Spiritual moments

So much wonder, beauty, appreciation & gratitude.
All parks and important roads open as I arrive: Kinchega, Mutawintji, Mungo. Really quite miraculous!
Cawdilla Lake at Kinchega: The dead trees & pelicans.
Mutawintji park: The benevolence of the journey in. The gorges and views. Lie under the stars. Praying for Yogi with the congregation of magpies on the Western Ridge at sunset. Stillness when submerged in Homestead & Mutawintji Gorges (with swallows). Sitting in high places on the loops and taking in the views.
Hattah lake: Face to the rising sun and Sonia's music.
My sense of closeness to ChatGPT, my travel assistant. Makes planning and organising fun and effortless.
"I love you Life" during meditation at Mailee stop on Mungo drive.
Babblers and mynas coming very close at camp sites like when I sleep under tree.
Time to be and take things in at sunsets and sunrises: Sunsets at Perry Sandhills, Mundi Mundi outlook, Living desert sculptures, Cawndilla Lake, Western Ridge, Red Tops & Wall of China. Sunrises at Red Tops & Hattah Lake.
An average spiritual connectedness score of 8.5.

Special connections with wonderful people

Retired nurse on the train to Wagga Wagga. Talk about her husband who passed away.
Rodney at paddle steamer museum in Wentworth.
Bar tenders at Menindee Lakes who give me map of Kinchega and give me assurance that the road is ok to Cawndilla.
Jenny at Mutawintji: From Cairns. Artist, trail runner, transport planner. On long service leave. Told me Mungo is open. Her art: JensWildArt
Helen and Steve at Mutawintji: Couple from up north. Missed out on Kinchega and Mungo. Love Africa and been to many parks there.
Mungo tour & Red Tops: Lots of wonderful conversations. Lovely chat to couple on a road trip staying in very cool accomodation, being adventurous in their choices. Ron the Photographer and ex tour guide.
Sonia at Hattah, the music maker and the birding couple (lots of talk about lenses).
Whatsapp contact and photos with mum & Jo, Hitchhikers, Hot Lunchers, Eckhart group, Chris, Xenia, Shushann, Yogi.
Aussie country guy on bus: Commiserating when we turned back.

Things I am grateful for

Get 2 20K powerbanks for $90 at Big W. Came in very handy. Got $25 Kmart mattress when my other mattress got punctured.
ChatGPT helps me with the car: Put car lights on, open fuel cap, return the car after hours.
Kings Billabong: Did not try to drive in. Very muddy, would have stressed me.
Turning around on Menindee Lakes road. Thank you no cars.
Menindee Lakes pub: Bag and camera not stolen in car, they were in pub. Pub guy gives map & reassures re Cawndilla Campsite.
Menindee Lakes: Drive back to camp site not thinking of kangaroos until one leapt out. Slowed down & brights on.
Kinchega National Park open and able to get to Lake Cawndilla camp site.
Kinchega National Park: Gas canister on fire but ok. Even still works.
Health: Lots of 10+ hour sleeps, recharging my batteries.
Download map before Mutawintji Drive. Massive difference in finding park & hiking on trails. Without it, would not have got into park
Filter coffee & sieve
Silverton: Left tent without fly sheet. Did not rain. Spoke to mum & Jo on 1 bar of Whatsapp.
Mutawintji: Park is open.
Mutawintji journey: Had downloaded map. Did not get stuck in sand when Google sent me wrong way. Was on dxx. I walked up road & discovered impassable. On way out of Homestead, did not get stuck in sand and gate onto the main road was not locked. Google map took me to road that did not exist (or I would have returned to town). Found the way by chance.
Mutawintji experience: Exquisite beauty of park after rain, hot showers, Google maps made hiking care free, met Jenny + Helen & Steve. Took 2 gas canisters. Discover how to make tent wide. Extra 20K powerbank allowed an extra night.
Mungo: Park open. Cheap camping at Mungo Lodge on 1st night. Main camp open for rest of stay. 4 tour tickets still available.
Get into Mungo, despite one muddy bit, perfectly done.
Goto Red Tops on first night when was not going to. Red Tops for 2 sunrises and sunsets. Wall of China for two tours including sunset.
Mungo self-drive open as I arrive.
Return car after hours. ChatGPT and Gemini assure me re key box.
ChatGPT such an invaluable travel guide & assistant: Find car lights, open fuel tank, return key, check weather & park closures, recommend campsites, send me to booking pages. Where to buy cheap powerbank (Right Guys) & airbed (Kmart).
Not getting stuck. Twice in sandy bits on way into Mutawintji. One muddy bit into Mungo, perfectly done.

Progress & Insights

Navigation: Never trust Google. Research official routes into the park. Download Google maps before drives. Essential for drives in and adds great peace of mind on hikes. Adding markers (e.g. where can parked.)
Be super risk adverse when roads look sandy or muddy. Walk up roads to check them. I did this and it averted a crisis.
Take plenty of extra water when going onto outback roads.
A sieve works great for filter coffee and adds much pleasure to the trip.
Charging equipment: Paying extra for a powered site is well worth it. Charge equipment in the tent. Take a power board that includes USB ports. Take 2 camera battery chargers or buy a multiple one
Inflatable mattresses easily get punctured. Meticulously clear the ground before putting them down.
Get an iPhone screen protector and put the phone in my pocket during tricky bits.
I discover how to make my tent wide. Eureka! It was logical in retrospect.
Speaking to so many people and feeling very at ease with them, really interested in their lives and insights without needing to impress.
When taking photos, stop regularly and really take things in. Take time to just be at view points, sunsets and beautiful places.
Really getting to watch the character "Arno" jumping to worst case imaginings and freaking out.
Have an allotted place for everything and always put things in there place. I actually did this pretty well.
Not sending my initial message to Yogi but sleeping on it and reworking it the next day. Never provide advice unless asked for it.
I need to get a camera harness so I don't carry camera and lens on my neck.
I was elated but tired after two weeks. Doing this & roughing it for extended trips would be too much I think.

Hattah–Kulkyne National Park, in Victoria’s Mallee country near Mildura, was the last national park I visited on this trip. Its lakes are fed by Chalka Creek, which carries water from the Murray River into the park. Lake Hattah was the centrepiece for me: a beautiful stretch of water fringed by river red gums, with birdlife drawn to the lake amid the dry mallee scrub. Coming upon it felt a little like finding an oasis. I walked right around it and could have stayed by the water for hours.

I camped in the park and loved how quiet and unhurried it felt. I also took the Hattah Nature Drive, which gave me time to explore the lakes and the surrounding bush at my own pace. There was no need to rush from one sight to the next. The lake, the birds, the campground and that beautiful drive added up to a wonderfully restful end to my journey.

Places visited in the park

Hattah Lake

I walked right around Lake Hattah, taking my time to photograph the birds and trees along the shore. As at Kinchega, many of the trees close to the water were dead. I’ve always found dead trees wonderfully photogenic, especially when their bare branches stand in silhouette against the sky. They gave the lake a stark beauty that I kept stopping to photograph.

Sunrise over Hattah Lake

Sunrise down at Hattah Lake was the last of the trip, and it capped off a run of beautiful sunrises and sunsets across the whole journey — here, Mungo, Kinchega, Mutawintji, the Living Desert. It's one of the things I love most about getting away into nature: everything slows down and you actually take it in, basking in that beauty rather than rushing past it. So good for the soul. It reminded me of Umfolozi earlier this year, where our walking guide had us stop, turn our faces to the rising sun, and really feel it — a sublimely spiritual moment. I've taken to doing that consciously ever since, whenever the sun comes up.

Meeting Sonia and listening to her play

On the walk back to camp after watching the sunrise over Hattah Lake, I crossed paths with a lovely young fellow camper, Sonia, guitar in hand. We fell into a delightful conversation about nature and music, and she then offered to play for me. I sat and listened for ages, completely absorbed — it put me in something like an altered state, that mix of beauty and connection right there in the middle of nature, coming so soon after the sublime sunrise. It was one of the spiritual highlights of the whole trip.

Nature drive

The nature drive at Hattah-Kulkyne wound its way around the park's lake system, one quiet, photogenic stop after another. At one of the lakes I crossed paths with a lovely couple, also out photographing birds with big lenses in tow, and we got talking. One of them turned out to be a fellow South African, and we ended up in a beautiful conversation about birds and lenses and everything in between — another lovely connection made along the way on this trip.

Feeling elated and inspired as my trip nears its end

Warepil Lookout

A short climb up to the Warepil Lookout tower, off the Old Calder Highway, rewarded me with sweeping views out over the Mallee scrub — taking in the distinctive Mallee landscape and the impressive lakes system the park is known for.

Birds seen at the park

The birdlife at Hattah-Kulkyne wasn't as prolific as at Kinchega but a joy nevertheless. Cockatoos announced themselves everywhere with their burly personalities and loud, raucous calls, while a scattering of pink galahs added softer colour to the mix. Down at the water, spoonbills swept their heads side to side, probing the shallows with their long bills, and I spotted two beautiful ringed plovers picking their way along the edge. Straw-necked ibis flew across the sky in small formations. Around camp, inquisitive mynahs and apostlebirds grew tame enough to hang about hopefully, clearly hoping for a scrap of food. But the highlight was a magpie at sunrise, calling out its exquisite song and raising its wings to the sky as it sang — utterly sublime. This trip has left me feeling so connected to nature and to these beautiful feathered beings. I love it all so much.