Travel: Mungo National Park, NSW

Lake Mungo's moonscape wasn't always so barren, and it's been a magnet for humanity for over 50,000 years…

Mungo National Park, in south-western New South Wales, had always been on my bucket list. Then, after whizzing through the place on a recent motorcycle trip for sister site Bikesales.com.au, my curiosity was well and truly piqued.

After upgrading the family sedan to a four-wheel drive a month later, the stage was set – and this time the family was in tow.

Mungo National Park comprises a series of dry lakes that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Willandra Lakes Region – a 2400 square kilometre area that takes in 17 lakes.

Lake Mungo itself is around 580km north-west of Melbourne or 875km west of Sydney, while its nearest major centre is the Victorian hub of Mildura, approximately 120km to the south-west.

The area is steeped in pre-colonial history, and indeed Lake Mungo has been a meeting point for the Muthi Muthi, Nyiampaar and Barkinji people for thousands of years.

It was the discovery of 'Mungo Man' and 'Mungo Lady', in 1974 and 1969 respectively, that thrust the area into the global anthropological spotlight, with the remains of the former being dated to around 50,000 years old.

Until the recent discovery of older remains near Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, Mungo Man's skeleton was the oldest remains ever found in Australia. However, the Top End discovery – made earlier this year – has since been dated to 68,000 years old. It puts Australia's history since Captain Cook first set foot on Botany Bay, a mere 247 years ago, into perspective…

Getting there

As our first family expedition in our newly acquired Toyota Prado – a 2007, 120 Series example – our sense of excitement and anticipation was high as we rolled away from our Melbourne home, our elderly but faithful Southern Cross camper in tow.

It's entirely possible to get to Lake Mungo in a two-wheel drive vehicle provided the weather remains dry, but with a four-wheel drive we were spared that gnawing worry in the backs of our collective minds.

With our seven- and nine-year-old boys in the back relishing a day of iPad time we could probably have pushed through to Mungo in one big day, but instead we stopped short for the night at Lake Mournpall, in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. This made the mileage more manageable and gave us a very pleasant stay among the flooded lake's teaming bird life.

The next day, and after a last dash to grab supplies in Mildura, we crossed the Murray and soon bid farewell to the bitumen. With Mildura's suburbs behind us, it doesn't take long for the landscape to assume that quintessentially Aussie outback look – a broad, red-earth highway stretching arrow-straight to the next distant crest, low gums and acacias punctuating the land under a shimmering, cobalt sky.

It was the first time the kids and my wife had ventured beyond Australia's coastal fringe, and I enjoyed each and every exclamation prompted by the passing sights – especially the first appearance of red kangaroos, emus and wedge-tailed eagles.

The road in is actually pretty decent; the corrugations aren't too taxing and traffic is non-existent – just the odd holidaymaker heading south.

Nearing Mungo the landscape seems to change in a flash. All of a sudden, gone are the gums and gently rolling undulations, replaced by low salt bush and a pancake-flat landscape. The sense of space is immense – after the frenetic chaos of the city, a person can breathe out here.

Base camp

We set up camp at the main Mungo NP campground. Located about two kilometres from the Mungo NP Visitors' Centre, it's a sprawling, well-maintained camp site with permanent fire pits, tables and chairs and drop toilets. There are no powered sites, but it's roomy enough and there are free hot showers at the visitors' centre (along with a neat little museum detailing the immense history of the Willandra Lakes Region).

There's another campsite on the north-eastern side of Lake Mungo, too. For those who are self-sufficient, it really does hammer home the remoteness and sense of isolation that is intrinsic to the magic of Mungo.

After a night around a roaring campfire we retired to our camper, the gentle whistle of the wind through the acacias a soothing backdrop as we fell into a slumber, our dreams filled with expectations of what we might discover the following day.

Click go the shears

We began that next day with a look around the old woolshed near the visitors' centre. Built in 1869, it's a well-preserved reminder of man's attempt to tame this inhospitable landscape, when the area was home to massive sheep stations.

The old steam engine used to power the first mechanical shears is still here, and with the place to ourselves we could almost hear the gear in action and the cries of the sheep as hardened men toiled away, their fleeces then being flung over the wooden skirting table.

But the history lesson truly begins in earnest once you set out to drive the self-guided Mungo Track tour route, which takes you across the bed of Lake Mungo, over its northern shore and then finally back around to the visitors' centre.

The drive takes in the renowned Walls of China, a stark area of Lake Mungo where wind and rain have weathered away the softer topsoil to expose the unique clay formations beneath. It's this blinding white 'lunette' where the remains of Mungo Man were discovered back in 1974, and it's closed to public exploration unless you're booked on a guided tour of the area with one of the park's knowledgeable rangers.

A rich site of human remains, shell middens and rough stone tools, it's a sobering experience to think of all the generations that have walked here before you…

We had only set aside the day to explore Mungo and although there was more than enough to keep us enthralled, I recommend booking a tour in advance to get the most from your Mungo experience.

From the Walls of China we continued along the Mungo Track to the Red Top Lookout, an elevated point overlooking Lake Mungo, and then passed through the aforementioned Belah remote campsite as we charted an anti-clockwise route around the northern portion of the lake.

Once we'd crossed the old lake shore the salt bush made way for low scrub and gums again, as the sandy track tightens and winds its way deeper into the bush.

A deviation to Vigars Well is well worth the effort. A natural water soak in the midst of an arid, unforgiving landscape, the well draws animals and bird life from miles around. Kangaroos, emus and parrots aplenty transform the well into a hive of activity, the creatures seemingly oblivious to the tourists close at hand.

The soak is also on the edge of some impressive sand dunes that fringe Lake Mungo at this point, giving visitors the opportunity to indulge their wildest 'Lawrence of Arabia' fantasies. Well, briefly, at least – before the heat of the climbing sun sees humans scurry back to the comfort of their air-conditioned cars.

When to visit

We visited Lake Mungo in September and were rewarded with daily highs of around 30 degrees C, tempered with cool nights that came down to around seven or eight. The shoulder seasons are ideal from a climatic perspective – winter nights can be positively freezing and it's not unheard of for the mercury to climb north of 50 in the height of summer!

The final stop of our self-guided tour was Zanci Homestead. This was part of the larger Gol Gol station before the surrounding area was sliced off to serve as a small block for returning World War I soldiers. After the horrors of Gallipoli and the Western Front, I can't imagine how these diggers then managed to face up to the hardships of life on the land here…

Now ghosts are the homestead's only inhabitants – little remains apart from a sturdy chimney stack, a cellar, and the skeleton of the stables.

You could easily spend longer exploring Mungo's several walking tracks or even striking out for the centre of Lake Mungo on a mountain bike, but we returned to the visitors' centre around mid-afternoon. This meant we were able to head to the nearby Mungo Lodge for afternoon tea, and enjoy a respite from the heat with a cold beer in air-conditioned comfort.

The Lodge offers a variety of accommodation options from camping to RV sites to cabins. Together with the self-contained cabins at the visitors' centre, there's something to suit all budgets.

Summing up

Mungo National Park is a top destination for travellers of all ages. It provides a unique and poignant window to Australia's distant past – to a time when humans co-existed here with mega-fauna, and when the lake was filled to the brim and teeming with fish, shellfish and other plentiful foodstuffs.

Spend a day or spend a week – Mungo's ancient vistas and rich past will surprise and delight both young and old alike.

Top Mungo Tips

• When setting out to explore Mungo National Park, take plenty of water plus a hat and sunscreen, no matter what time of year it is.

• The Mungo Track self-guided tour is about 70 kilometres long – pack some lunch and make a day of it.

• Book an official tour of Lake Mungo in advance – you'll be able to walk on the lunette at the Walls of China and you'll learn more about the place's fascinating history.

• Meals and alcoholic drinks (no takeaways) are available at Mungo Lodge.

• Pack the binoculars – there's plenty of wildlife, from lizards to bird life to kangaroos and emus.

• For the same reason, avoid travelling at dawn, dusk and after dark.

• The shoulder seasons are ideal for a Mungo visit. Summer is blisteringly hot and winter nights can be freezing.

• The main campground is located between the visitors' centre and Mungo Lodge, but for a real sense of isolation try the remote Belah campground, on the north-western side of Lake Mungo.

• For more details head to www.visitmungo.com.au and www.mungolodge.com.au.

Travel: Mungo National Park, NSW

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