Travellers are constantly drawn to this area, its warm sunny climate makes it a great place to stay, along with so many things to do and see.

Mildura is five hundred and forty five kilometres north of Melbourne, on the Murray River.

It’s not hard to see why visitors return here time after time.

We thought first off we would take a cruise on one of the many paddle steamers that ply this great river.

We chose the PS Melbourne because of the history behind this great queen of the river.

Her engine was built in England, and has a Loco type boiler and a maximum steam pressure of 150lbs and is still fired by wood.

A twin cylinder compound engine turns at around 60 turns per minute at normal cruising speed.

And being a leisurely old girl, her maximum speed is 11 miles per hour, nice and sedate, giving you the chance to take in a little of the history of the area via the running commentary and to enjoy the ride down the Murray.

She was originally launched at Koondrook in 1912 and was built for the Victorian Government as a work boat.

And indeed she did spend time working hard, clearing the river of debris to keep the channel clear for the other paddle steamers.

She also used to carry wool which was brought up to the river from central Australia.

The PS Melbourne is one of the few original Paddle steamers still cruising the Murray on a daily basis.

Robinvale is a peaceful little town situated between Mildura and Swan Hill. This area is well irrigated by the Murray which it is such a prolific grower of citrus fruit, vegetables, nuts, olives and grapes.

We thought it would be a great idea to sample some of the olives in the area, and discovered Robinvale Estate.

They grow and harvest their own olives and the results are delicious.

A variety of olives can be tasted; including marinated olives, pickled olives and stuffed olives, to name but a few.

And when it comes to olive oil they know their stuff and make award winning oils with a selection of olive varieties to produce their excellent products.

If you love your olives, Robinvale Estate is the place to go, pop in and taste some of what they have on offer.

Well we were off and running again this time to Irymple about a 12 km trip from Mildura.

We found a wonderful garden here, nurtured and tended by two very passionate gardeners, Mary and Greg.

Farm Gate Gardens is a series of interconnecting garden rooms, created with a wide variety of plants.

There are pathways which take you from garden to garden, with flowers and plants springing up seemingly at random, but a great deal of time and planning has gone into these gardens.

With curious birdfeeders and rose covered archways, comfy garden seats for resting awhile, sculptures and plaques, makes it an eclectic mix .This is not just for passionate gardeners but for lovers of all things beautiful.

And the secret to a stunning garden during times of drought is to mulch and mulch and more mulch.

It certainly has worked in this garden.

And onto an another garden of a sort, only this one is slightly larger. The Hattah Kulkyne National Park covers and area of around 50,000 hectares, and is just an hour and fifteen minutes south of Mildura.

This national park boasts a huge range of wildlife, the sandy soils and very hot summers make it a perfect habitat for birds and animals who over thousands of years have adapted to the harsh environment.

Over 200 species of birds make this park their home, from Apostle Birds to Mallee fowl and White-Winged Choughs.

Red and Western Grey Kangaroos and goannas are common here.

Majestic river red gums line the lakes of the park and water birds include ducks and pelicans.

This park caters well for tourists with a variety of activities on offer.

There are many tracks suitable for cycling, a six kilometre discovery walk, and nature drives through the park.

Camping is available at Lake Hattah and Mournpall.

Well we had a great time exploring this area of Victoria and met some great people along the way.

Don’t forget Discover Downunder Saturday’s at 4pm on Channel Nine.

And until next week happy trails.

 

CONTACTS & PRODUCTS EP 16

1. RV SHOWCASE : JAYCO OPTIMUM
   
   Head Office
   P.O. Box 636
   1 Jayco Drive,
   Dandenong South
   Victoria 3175
   
   Ph: (03) 8792 2000
   
   Fax: (03) 8792 2192
   
   
   
2. TRAKMASTER
   
   (03) 9720 0822
   
   874 Mountain Highway
   Bayswater
   Victoria 3153
   
   www.trakmaster.com.au
   
   
   
3. GALAXY CARAVANS
   
   828 Cooper Street
   Somerton
   Victoria 3062
   
   Ph: (03) 9308 5511
   
   
   
4. DESERT CITY HOLIDAY PARK
   
   832 Fifteenth Street
   Mildura Victoria 3500
   
   Freecall: 1800 221 533
   Fax: (03) 5021 3100
   
   www.desertcity.com.au
   
   
   
5. ALL SEASONS HOLIDAY PARK
   
   818 Calder Highway
   Mildura Victoria 3500
   
   Freecall: 1800 223 375
   
   www.allseasonsholidaypark.com.au
   
   
   
6. CALDER TOURIST PARK
   
   Calder Highway
   Mildura 3500
   
   Freecall: 1800 231 310
   Fax: (03) 5023 1310
   
   
   
7. PS MELBOURNE AND ROTHBURY
   
   (03) 5023 2200
   
   www.murrayriver.com.au
   
   
   
8. FARM GATE GARDENS
   
   75 Carwarp Avenue
   Irymple
   Victoria 3498
   
   Ph: 0429 017 387
   
   www.farmgategardens.co.au
   
   
   
9. ROBINVALE OLIVES
   
   Tol Tol Road
   Robinvale
   Victoria 3549
   
   Ph: 5026 3814
   
   
   
10. HATTAH-KULKYNE NATIONAL PARK