Trip from Sydney to Mildura

My trip began with a fifteen-hour marathon by train and coach to Mildura. I’d chosen this over flying partly to save money and partly for the flexibility to change my dates, though I did wonder whether I’d made the right decision. Fifteen hours is a long time to spend getting somewhere! But, to my surprise, I really enjoyed the journey. There is something wonderfully relaxing about travelling by train, watching the scenery change through the window while having absolutely nothing you need to do. It gave me time to unwind, let go of the usual busyness and simply be. The journey became part of the holiday itself.

One of its loveliest moments was a conversation with an elderly lady who had been a nurse and had recently lost her husband. We really connected. There was something quietly special about meeting a stranger in transit and finding ourselves sharing a little of our lives. That encounter alone made me glad I’d taken the slower route.

I arrived in Mildura at around eleven that night. Thankfully, I’d had the foresight to book a motel rather than attempt to set up camp in the dark after such a long day. Camping could wait. For that first night, a comfortable bed was exactly what I needed.

Train & coach route

As you can see from the map, my journey included a change at Wagga Wagga, where I got off the train and boarded a coach for the next leg to Mildura. It was only a brief stop, so my glimpse of Wagga Wagga was limited to the railway station. A little taster rather than a proper visit—perhaps something to remedy another time!

Boarding the train at Central Station

The train departed at 7.40 pm, a relatively civilised hour compared with the 4 am departure from Mildura for the journey back to Sydney. By then, though, I was well rested and raring to go, so even that decidedly uncivilised start didn’t bother me.

Views from the train

The canola was out in force, its brilliant yellow flowers turning whole fields into swathes of gold. Watching those luminous stretches of colour pass by the train window was a lovely part of the journey.

Mildura

Mildura makes an ideal gateway to the NSW outback, with Mungo National Park around an hour and a half’s drive away and Broken Hill about three hours to the north. I didn’t spend too much time here, as I was keen to head out into the outback proper, but I found it a very pleasant town. For me, it was at its most beautiful down on the banks of the Murray River, where the water and riverside greenery invited me to slow down and linger a little.

The highlight of my time in Mildura was an early morning visit to Kings Billabong—a lovely introduction to the natural beauty of the region, and an experience deserving of its own separate post.

7th Street Motel 

I bookended my trip with nights at the 7th Street Motel in Mildura—a comfortable place to land after the late arrival from Sydney, and a convenient base before the very early departure back. For the rest of the trip, I camped. The motel was a good spot and even had a pool, which I made use of on my final day to wash away some of the outback dust. After all those days of camping and exploring, a swim and a proper bed felt quite luxurious! 

Walking into town to collect my rental car

On my first morning, I walked through town to the Avis rental depot to collect my hire car. It was a pleasant half-hour stroll and a lovely way to get a first feel for Mildura, with time to look around and stop for a few photos along the way. After the long journey the day before, it felt good to stretch my legs. The outback adventure was about to begin!

Mildura on the Murray River

It was only at the end of my trip that I got to explore Mildura Wharf and stroll along the banks of the Murray River. It was a beautiful spot and a lovely place to slow down after my outback adventures. There were several boats moored along the river, including a paddle boat—always a favourite subject for my camera. There is something wonderfully evocative about these vessels, so perfectly at home on the Murray.

Like Wentworth, Mildura owes much of its early development to river transport. Paddle steamers brought supplies to the growing settlement and carried produce away, making the Murray a working highway. The wharf was built in 1892, during the heyday of river trade, before the arrival of the railway in 1903 began to diminish its importance. Looking at the paddle boat, I could imagine a much busier waterfront, with cargo being unloaded and boats preparing for long journeys along the river. It added another layer of interest to an already lovely setting.

Paddle boat Coonawarra

I noticed that the paddle boat was for sale and looked in need of some tender loving care. It reminded me of the PS Ruby at Wentworth, another beautiful old vessel now sitting idle rather than plying the river. Keeping these historic boats in working order is a costly undertaking: Ruby’s future has involved council deliberations over whether to preserve her as a static attraction or fund a much more expensive return to cruising. It felt quite sad to see them like this. They are so deeply woven into the history of these river towns, and there is something particularly special about heritage that still moves, steams and carries people along the waterways that gave it life.

Brunch at the Mildura Boathouse

I treated myself to the most delicious mushroom toast for brunch at the Mildura Boathouse. After so many days of simple camp food, it tasted positively heavenly, and I savoured every mouthful. The setting was just as lovely, right on the banks of the Murray River. Good food, a beautiful view and time to linger—a delightful little indulgence at the end of my trip.

Kings Billabong (Mildura)

A short drive from central Mildura, Kings Billabong is a lovely wetland known for its peaceful setting and abundant birdlife. I visited early in the morning to catch the birds at their most active, and it felt like a wonderful way to ease into the trip. It was also a welcome opportunity to brush up on my bird photography skills before heading to Kinchega National Park.

The historic Billabong Pumping Station

I parked on the street and walked down to the billabong beside the historic Billabong Pumping Station. The old building was wonderfully photogenic in the soft early morning light, with the water providing a lovely setting. Built as part of the Chaffey brothers’ pioneering irrigation scheme in the late nineteenth century, the station pumped water from Kings Billabong up into a network of channels supplying Mildura’s farms and orchards. Water first reached the billabong from the Murray via the separate Psyche Bend pumps—a remarkable system that helped transform this dry region into a thriving agricultural district.

Walking into Kings Billabong

I was very glad I’d chosen to walk into Kings Billabong. After all the rain, the roads were thick with mud, and negotiating them in my little two-wheel-drive hire car would have been decidedly stressful. It did make me wonder what lay ahead on the more remote roads, and whether the national parks I was so keen to visit would be open. Thankfully, those worries never became the obstacles I feared, but at the start of the trip there was still some uncertainty.

For now, though, I had a lovely walk along the billabong, with the sun rising over the opposite bank and the morning light spreading across the water. It was easy to pause, enjoy the view and let the rest of the journey take care of itself for a while.

Birds I saw along the way

I managed to get some bird photos, though there was nothing like the abundance I would later encounter at Kinchega. The highlight was a beautiful black swan. I always find them evocative, with their dark feathers and elegant necks. Europeans once assumed that all swans were white, until seeing black swans in Australia overturned that belief. Today, a “black swan event” means an unexpected event with major consequences. This one was simply a pleasure to see and photograph.