We’ve arrived in Mildura, the lands of the Ladji Ladji people. We acknowledge that this area around the Murray River has always been their land, and we’re grateful to be able to enjoy it today. We acknowledge the Ladji Ladji elders past, present and emerging.
Long day of driving today – just over 500km. But it was actually quite an enjoyable drive that we broke up by visiting a bunch of different things along the way.
First up was the second on our list of Big Things to see around Australia – the Giant Murray Cod! It lives in a park in Swan Hill, about two hours up the road from Echuca, so it was the perfect place for the first stop. Silly photos time, some morning tea, a coffee, and then back on the road.
Next along today’s adventures was the beautiful town of Sea Lake, about an hour west of Swan Hill, right alongside the incredible Lake Tyrrell. We dropped in here to see some more Silo Art. And when we found it, it was quite amazing – the sheer size of it! We read that “the artwork is a celebration of the still and silence found in outback Victoria, and the associated feelings of wholeness and freedom.”
From here, we headed down to a little town called Woomelang, to visit their Mobile Silo Art trial through town. They placed 8 mini silo bins around town, and invited artists to come and paint them. We found a park first up to sit and have some lunch, and the kids enjoyed kicking the footy around again. But then we gave them the map and got them to direct us around town to each of the 8 mini silos, which was a bit of fun!
We had one more stop we wanted to do in this beautiful area before we really started getting going to Mildura – and that was Lake Tyrrell itself. The Boorong people have lived and managed the land for tens of thousands of years before we came along, and they know this as Direl. We headed back north through Sea Lake again, and dropped in to get a bit of bakery goodness to take with us. The lake has obviously had the viewing platforms and facilities upgraded recently – it all looks really nice as you arrive. There’s a big viewing area with some toilets… but that was too far back for us. We drove on down the dirt road right out to the boardwalk “ring” and the sky lounge area, right beside the lake. It was pretty incredible to look out and see just how huge the lake is. Unfortunately it was a bit dry, so there wasn’t that perfect photo opportunity of a layer of water sitting at your feet as you walk out onto the boardwalk. It was great to see plenty of info at the site as well about the early days of how this area was used for salt harvesting, and how that’s continuing today (on the far side of the lake to where we were), but in a sustainable way to ensure it will survive for decades and centuries to come. But more importantly, there was a lot of information and acknowledgement of the way this area was managed by the Boorong people, plus also some fascinating information about how the night sky and the stars are so significant for them.
It was then a solid 2 hours up to Mildura. Most of that time was thankfully with mobile coverage so we could listen to the Swans vs Giants game on the radio. Well, mostly thankfully. I do appreciate the brilliance of radio commentary when I can feel just as on the edge of my seat, and then gutted, as I probably would’ve been at the ground after today’s game.
We’ve arrived at a motel/apartments. Quite a nice place, and perfect for just a couple of nights here in Mildura. We probably could’ve spent so much longer here than just two nights – and we’ll come across that plenty more times during this trip I think. We’ve only got so many nights, and I think we just decided that we wanted to prioritise the time elsewhere. Regardless of that though, tomorrow’s adventures will definitely be cool.
