THE CRADLE OF AUSTRALIAN CULTURE
MUNGO National Park is around an 11-hour drive from Sydney, seven hours from Melbourne and six hours from Adelaide, and lies within NSW’s Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area in the southwest of the state. This place is a highly significant area for Aboriginal culture, particularly for Ngyiampaa, Mutthi Mutthi and Southern Paakantyi people. There are hundreds of stories from country and more occurring everyday as the shifting sands reveal hidden secrets.
The blacktop run from any capital city is pretty significant, but worth it. If you need a great overnight spot to launch your Mungo mission, the Murray River town of Gol Gol, NSW, is as good as any. Situated right on the banks of the mighty Murray is Rivergarden Holiday Park. It has flat campsites, cabins, a great camp kitchen, and clean, modern amenities. The park backs on to the river and is a pearler of a spot to enjoy a Murray River sunset, while the Gol Gol pub is a modern joint with good food and a one-kilometre walk down the road.
It is a relatively short run from Gol Gol to Mungo National Park (130km) with the first 50km blacktop, then a pretty well-serviced dirt road after that. As with any outback travel, there are literally stories all along the way.
A tragedy occurred in the heat of January, 1914. A
