Australia here we come!

22/10/12

Today we decided to visit Menindee and the Menindee Lakes. The township of Menindee is sited among the lakes and was the last civilised place that Burke and Wills stopped at before entering the unknown and uncharted inland on their fateful epic journey in 1860. The lakes are expansive and when full they hold more than three and a half times the water in Sydney Harbour. At the moment they are 90% full.

Our first stop was at Menindee Lake itself. It is a large lake about 16 kilometres long and 14 kilometres wide. There was plenty of bird life and lots of fish for them to feed on. All the lakes have interconnecting channels that are regulated with small weirs. We called into Copi Hollow which is a caravan park and picnic area right on the interconnecting channel between Menindee Lake and Lake Pamamaroo. The grounds of the caravan park and the lakeside picnic area are beautifully green and the grass is kept well mowed.

From there we drove to the town of Menindee and found the Visitor Information Centre. Then we went to the Maidens Menindee Hotel and had lunch. They have the best steak sandwiches in the world. It was also the same hotel that Burke and Wills stayed at and they had a meal and a beer also.

After lunch we drove to Lake Pamamaroo. There are miles of free camping spots right on the lake shore. The road in was a bit corrugated and would be hard for the vans and cars. We found the site where Burke and Wills and their party camped on Pamamaroo Creek and they blazed a tree at the spot. There is the main weir situated at the mouth of Pamamaroo Creek and it separates the lake from the creek.

We took the Wilcannia Road back to Menindee and then followed the main road back to Broken Hill.