Mungo National Park – The Hidden Gem

The Mungo National Park is an Australian National Park. It is located closer to the nearest city of Pooncarie. Furthermore, the park was established in 1979. Let’s get into the article below for more amazing facts and information about the Mungo National Park.

1. Introduction To Mungo National Park

The Mungo National Park is established in the southwest of New South Wales. It’s a protected national park that lies in eastern Australia. Further, the park occupies an area of 90,256 hectares. For the indigenous Australian people, the park was the traditional meeting place. These people are Muthi Muthi, Barkinji Aboriginal Nations, and Nyiampaar.

Since strict rules are enforced, people are prohibited from climbing the sand dunes. For accessing sand dunes, a tour guide should be designated for a group of visitors. The Mungo National Park is listed in the Willandra Lakes Region as a UNESCO World Heritage. This region has 17 dry lakes in the 2,400 square kilometres of area.

These 17 lakes are not known as Mungo but have been announced as World Heritage Sites. A creek that initially flows into Mungo is now being conserved as a sacred site. It is located seventy-five kilometres from Pooncarie, one hundred and ten kilometres from Mildura city, and one hundred and forty-five kilometres to the west of Ivanhoe town.

The council closes the roads to the park in wet weather. These roads are usually accessible by two-wheel drive.  

2. Features Of Mungo National Park

There are many amazing features in the Mungo National Park. You will find different exciting things here to view or wander around.

Lake Mungo is the primary feature of the Mungo National Park. This lake is the 2nd largest lake among the ancient dry lakes.

It is best recognizable for the archaeological remains that were discovered here.

These remains include the remains of a Mungo Man and a Mungo Lady. Mungo Man is the oldest human remains found in the country of Australia. Meanwhile, Mungo Lady is the oldest human remains considered to be cremated. Remains were found within the Mungo National Park. They were deposited on the verge of the Mungo Lake. It was underneath the “Walls of China”.

The Walls of China is a series of fenestras located on the south-east edge of the lake.

There is also a visitor centre inside the park. Here, you will get more information regarding the park and a map. Also, it is located towards the entrance of the park, near the old Mungo woolshed.

Visitors can drive to take a fascinating look around the Walls of China and lakes via a clued circular vehicle track. However, this track is 70 kilometres long.

You can get Shearers’ Quarters for a fee on a daily basis. Here, you will get shelter with a communal kitchen.

Further, the park access fee and camping fee may need to be paid at the visitor centre.

3. Amazing Facts About Mungo National Park

Given below are the facts in numbers of the Mungo National Park:

• In 1979, the park was acquired for the National Reserve System by the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife.
• 101,000 dollars were raised as funds by the organization to buy a property.
• From 1979 to 1983, the organization’s fundraising foundation funded a native archaeologist to work on the new site.
• In 1979, the foundation inaugurated the Mungo Visitors Center and Laboratory. Dick Smith donated funds to the foundation by which this centre and laboratory were established.
• Furthermore, in 1990, the organization established a guided vehicle drive with the help of a sponsorship. This sponsorship came from BHP Group Limited. The drive is known as Mungo National Park Drive and is 60 kilometres long.

4. Tours of Mungo National Park

There are many guided tours that you do not need to organize the adventure for yourself. You just need to enjoy the adventures at the Mungo National Park.

4.1. The Guided Day Tour at Mungo

The Mungo National Park is the most precious and ancient site in the world. After taking this day tour around Mungo, you will be able to watch all the spectacular sites here. A guided day tour is the best option when you are low on time and want to explore more. However, the tour is specially designed for the visitors to spend a wonderful day out in the outbacks of Australia.

You can access many areas here, either accessible or inaccessible, as Mungo Man and Mungo Lady remain.

They will pick you up at the Mildura Information Center at 9 AM from March to November at the Mildura Grand Hotel. From December to February, the time of picking will be 8 AM. Your coach will take you to the Mungo Lodge. Here, you can have morning tea with snacks.

The guided tour will be provided to you for Mungo Woolshed, Mungo Walls of China, and Mungo Visitors Center. Afterwards, you will be provided with a mouth-watering lunch at the Mungo restaurants. Later, you will be sent back to the location where you were picked up. 

Also, the usual duration of this tour is 8 hours. Further, they charge approximately 175 dollars per person. It’s not sure if the above-mentioned lunch is also included in this or not. 

4.2. Sunset Tour at Mungo Lodge

For the sunset tour at Mungo Lodge, your guide will be available at the Mungo Lodge reception. The professional guides will help you get to the best places, like the top of the Walls of China, to get the best viewpoint of the sunset. Here, you will see the changes in the colour of the sand with the illuminating light from the sun. You will get amazing light for the best photographs.

There are many places to get the best sunset view. Guided tours will help you get the best places. You can also get to some restricted areas with the guides who have 360-degree sunset views. It facilitates experienced local guides and guided tours towards the Walls of China. Despite everything, they will pick you up and after the tour send you back later.

Also, you can enjoy the beautiful wildlife of birds and kangaroos along the way. However, the tour is 2 hours long. They will pick you up one and half hours before sunset for locating the best view point. Moreover, they charge approximately 65 dollars per person and 32.50 dollars per child.   

4.3. Morning Guide Tour of Walls of China

The morning guide tour for Walls of China departs on weekdays at 10 AM. It departs from the Mungo Lodge Reception. This will provide you with an adventurous guided tour around the world heritage site of Mungo National Park. Moving on, it includes tours of the historic Woolshed, Walls of China, the visitors centre, and a few restricted areas.

Here, the experienced local guides will take you to the best-renowned places in the park. The tour is available for 2 hours in the morning to see great views. Besides, they charge approx. 59 dollars per person and 29.50 dollars per child.

4.4. Zanci Homestead & Mungo Lodge Sunrise Tour

The tour departs from the Mungo Lodge reception. It takes you to the best sunrise point located across the dry lake bed. However, the Mungo Lookout also provides impressive desert views across the ancient Walls of China at Mungo. After taking the scenic and beautiful views of sunrise, they head towards the Zanci Homestead.

The Zanci Homestead is a site composed of a variety of buildings. Some of the ancient buildings are standing in their former position with some refurbishments. However, the rest are the ruins of these buildings.

Furthermore, the former homestead had two rooms built with flattened kerosene tins and iron. It also had a small kitchen. Also, it is a brilliant historic site where you can also capture the ruins and original buildings as well. Moreover, the tour is designed for 2 hours. They charge around 75 dollars for an adult and 37.50 dollars per child.

5. Summing Up

The Mungo National Park is an ancient, renowned world heritage site. It has amazing features and places to wander around. You can do various different things and activities here. This is a spectacular place to visit. You can get an awesome experience here. Furthermore, it also facilitates many guided tours for visitors. So, the visitors can enjoy themselves at ease without finding the best locations.

There are many of the best sunrise and sunset points for exploring in the morning and evening. Exploring the remains of Mungo Man and Mungo Lady is another exciting activity.

You can also visit this park with your family, friends, and kids. Lastly, it is an impressive place to visit in Australia’s outback.