Interesting Places to Explore in the Mallee

Bendigo – Viva Bendigo

Mount Korong – Mount Korong Nature Conservation Reserve

A little further up the Calder Highway on the way to Wedderburn, we spotted an interesting-looking mountain. It was Mount Korong, which is an interesting diversion. Mount Korong is made of heaped granite boulders. Located in the Mount Korong Nature Conservation Reserve.

If you fancy your luck, you can event have a look at getting a prospecting licence and try your hand at finding gold!

Mt Korong Camping and Accommodation

If you want to stay at Mount Korong, you can Free Camp at the Mt Korong Scenic Reserve, which is free, there are very limited facilities there.

For another option stay in a hotel locally at either the Wedderburn Goldseeker Motel or the Inglewood Motel & Caravan Park. Both options are within 30 minutes of Mount Korong.

Wedderburn

Wedderburn was the next planned stop on our agenda, we had heard about the street art and stopped to grab a drink.

Hotels in Wedderburn

You can stay locally at the Wedderburn Goldseeker Motel.

Local Accommodation in Wedderburn and Mount Korong

Nallawil Silo Art – On Victoria’s Mallee Silo Art Trail

Our last stop on the way to Mildura was actually at the Nallawil Silo Art. Which is part of Victoria’s Mallee Silo Art trail, we planned to visit the whole trail on the way home encompassing Sea Lake and Lake Tyrrell for some Sunset and Sunrise photography.

You can read about Lake Tyrrell and the Sea Lake Silo Art here, for where we ate, stayed and even rented Gumboots from! There are also options for camping in that article.

Where to Stay in Mildura – Hotels and Motels

We arrived in Mildura pretty early in the afternoon, so the first thing we did was go and check out the waterfront and Jaycee Park along the Murray. Mildura has a nice setup along the river, perfect for chilling out in the afternoon, or you can check out one of the restaurants/cafes down there with views over the river.

We did not hang around long though, we checked into the Central Motel Mildura, which was basic and fine for our purposes, i.e. just sleeping. We spent our days sightseeing and our evenings at the local restaurants. So sleeping was not a priority.

We had plans the next day…

Places to Stay in Mildura

Find local places and hotels to stay at in Mildura below:

Things to Do in Mildura, Wentworth and Renmark

Since you are in the area, these are the things we did in the area, which were mostly free and give you an ideal opportunity to explore local attractions.

Perry Sandhills

The best place to see a sunrise is to check out Perry Sandhills. These are located just outside Wentworth and are really worth making an effort for. The colours are fantastic in the early morning light.

We had a laugh, running around and exploring for an hour or so, before heading off to Renmark, via the unpaved road.

The Perry Sandhills are used to host the annual Music Under the Stars as part of the Mildura arts festival, famous people such as Paul Kelly have performed here.

The interesting thing about the Sandhills is that because they are constantly shifting there is occasionally a discovery of prehistoric animals, which is only uncovered by the shifting sands of the dunes. Also in the past, the RAAF used the area as a bombing range, during World War II

Wentworth

Wentworth is famous, as the point where the Murray and Darling rivers meet. We took a drive out to Junction Island and did the short walk to the confluence of the two rivers.

The walk was great, in that it had lots of interesting information about the Indigenous history in the area. There are scar trees which were used to make canoes and also information about the foods and mussels used locally.

Afterwards, we tried to visit the old goal, but we were too early! We hear that the goal is well worth a visit, so we will have to leave it until next time.

Getting to Renmark – The Old Road, Off-Road Track

We took the unpaved Renmark Road to continue our journey to Renmark. The road is closed in the wet weather, so we got lucky we just missed the rain. At 128 km long, it could have been tricky in the Subaru if it rained too much.

In the dry, the road is worth taking in almost any car. There are patches of light sand, but you’ll be right. Along the track, you can get access to various camping spots and also to Lake Victoria before crossing into South Australia.

We had to stop at the fruit quarantine bin and eat all of our fruit. I was not going to waste it!

There are literally loads of opportunities to see wildlife along here, we saw birds of prey, kangaroos and emu. The landscape is beautiful.

Renmark and the Paringa Lifting Bridge

We arrived in Renmark for breakfast/brunch and ended up at the Smokehouse for a feed and coffee, the owners of this family business were great to chat with and gave us a few pointers.

Because it was a public holiday, there was not a lot open in Renmark, and it was so quiet.

The town itself is stunning, so we decided to do a short walk about 5km to Paringa bridge which is a lift bridge across the Murray which is still operational.

On the Paringa side, be sure to check out the Silo Art…

Headings Cliff Lookout

Next, we moved on to Headings Cliff Lookout, if you want to see the scale of the Murray and beautiful golden red limestone cliffs, this is the place to go.

Woolshed Brewery – Murtho

When we went into the Renmark Information Centre they highly recommended that we check out the Woolshed. We must have fitted the demographic.

We are so glad we stopped at the brewery! By the time we got there, it was raining, and the brewery was not only interesting, had good beer and local food platters, but was also warm and the guys that run the place were in really good spirits.

The place is blessed, check out the views from their deck over the Murray River.

We stayed for lunch, which was a “build your own” platter of local produce, warmed up and grabbed a six-pack before hitting the road again.

Werrimull Pub – Victoria’s Outback Pub

On the way back from Renmark and the Woolshed Brewery, we wanted to check out the Werrimull Hotel, which is notoriously Victoria’s most outback pub. Unfortunately, it was closed because it was a public holiday. Next time perhaps, here is what we know.

Nestled in the heart of Victoria’s vast Mallee region, the Werrimull Pub stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of the Australian outback. Established in 1902, this iconic corrugated iron pub has witnessed the triumphs and challenges of life in this remote and arid land. Once a vital watering hole for drovers and travellers navigating the dusty stock routes, the Werrimull Pub continues to serve as a social lifeline for the scattered communities of the Mallee.

Today, the pub’s walls echo with the laughter and stories of locals, farmers, and intrepid adventurers who venture off the beaten path. It’s a place where time seems to slow down, where cold drinks and hearty meals are shared, and where the rich tapestry of outback life unfolds. The Werrimull Pub remains a cherished landmark, a symbol of resilience, and a must-visit destination for those seeking an authentic taste of Australia’s remote and rugged beauty.

Murray-Sunset Pink Salt Lakes – Outdoor Museum

The Murray-Sunset is a National Park located in the Mallee region of Victoria, it is a must-see stop on your road trip.

It is the second-largest National Park in Victoria and was proclaimed in April 1979. The Sturt Highway runs through the park, and most of the park is located north of the Sturt, between the Calder and the Mallee Highway.

The Pink Lakes were included in the National Park in 1999. Until 1975, the lakes were home to a major salt industry, and lots of the equipment is still around in the form of an outdoor museum.

Around the park, there are various camping spots and in the local towns you can stay at motels.

The park, and specifically the area we visited around the Salt Museum, has lots of bush walks of varying lengths and difficulty, giving loads of photo and wildlife spotting opportunities.

Sea Lake – Lake Tyrrell – Sunset and Sunrise Photography

On our way home we decided to break up the journey so that we could create some opportunities to practice our sunset, night and sunrise photography.

According to Dark Site Finder, Lake Tyrrell is one of the best places to take night sky photos in Victoria.

Regardless of whether you are a photographer or not, take some warm clothes and go checkout the Sky Lounge, which provides a nice comfortable spot to sit back and relax whilst you stare at the stars. Maybe take some beer or wine too!

Sea Lake Hotels

You can read about Lake Tyrrell and the Sea Lake Silo Art here, for where we ate, stayed and even rented Gumboots from! There are also options for camping in that article, in summary below too.

We stayed at Lake Tyrrell Accommodation, which seems to be set up for the main attraction of Sunset at Sea Lake, or even Sunrise on the lake, you’ll hear people setting off to catch the Sunset, or to do a spot of star gazing at the Sky Lounge. Likewise in the morning, you’ll sense people setting off to catch the sunrise.

The accommodation offers modern, clean and very simple but pleasant rooms, with loads of parking. Which we highly recommend.

Other options around Sea Lake for Accommodation are the Royal Hotel, which has the Pub and The Juke restaurant downstairs and then the Sea Lake Motel, both of which offer decent rooms and have great reviews.

Sea Lake (Free) Camping

If you are looking for free camping around Lake Tyrrell, you may be out of luck, there are however a couple of options for camping. So do not despair.

The Royal Hotel in Sea Lake has a parking area out the back for self-contained campers, such as caravans and campervans. This was free, subject to permission at the time of writing. So give the Royal Hotel a call prior to arrival to check out that option on Lake Tyrrell’s and the Pub’s doorstep!

Another option is Green Lake, located around 10km south of Sea Lake on the road to Birchip, camping here is by Honesty Box at around $20/night. The sites are powered and there are facilities.

Where to Eat – Best Restaurant

That night we ate at the Juke Restaurant, which is located in the Royal Hotel. The Juke is run by a bloke called Dylan and the food was excellent. You can also eat in the Bar at the Royal Hotel and the Juke will bring the food to you. The Royal is a great place to chill after a cold evening of photo-snapping. Highly recommended.

What would we do differently and what did we miss?

We would have liked to have had more time in the area, our short visit only touched the surface and we had some weather issues to contend with.

In the end, we did not make it to Mungo, the weather prevented us from visiting Mungo National Park, which itself would have warranted a few more days.

What did we miss? Let us know in the comments…

Road Trip in Victoria, NSW & SA – VLOG

Below is a short video of our road trip through Bendigo, Mount Korong, Perry Sandhills, Remark, Red Cliffs, and Murray Sunset Park Salt Lakes. YouTube account of the journey here.

Looking for your next Road Trip idea?

If you would like more ideas on places to explore in Victoria, why not check out this post where we explored a different area of the Mallee. On this trip, we visited Mount Arapiles in the Tooan State Park, Little Dessert and Dimboola Pink Salt Lake. On the way home we even incorporated a little silo art to break up the journey.