The Murray, Mildura: 1-5 November 2005

I was inspired by the TV cooking series “Gondola on the Murray” on the ABC a few years ago and wanted to cycle amongst the grapevines like Stefano. Mildura is almost completely flat. I found the cycleways close to Mildura a bit disappointing as they didn't really seem to go anywhere but there were lots of more interesting rides, such as touring the wineries, Perry Sand Hills, Kings Billabong. I also wanted to visit Mungo National Park, one of New South Wales most spectacular inland parks and Mildura is the nearest town.


This was my first cycle tour and I wanted to learn as much as possible about long distance touring. Next time I will have a bike rack with panniers, as these are much better then a heavy backpack. Learn to do more basic repairs then just inner tubes, buy a lighter bike, buy better cycle clothing to protect myself from the sun and to reduce chaffing and develop the confidence to be self reliant even when travelling with other people, talk to the locals and find decent maps with proper grid references.

This ride was fun but too conservative, I am planning something much more exciting, longer and much more challenging.

Getting there

I chose to fly to Mildura. Qantas operate three flights a day from Melbourne airport. Rex runs the only daily direct flight to Mildura from Sydney but I chose Qantas because of their schedule and as I was taking my bike, their relatively generous baggage allowance. For those with a car addiction, you just can't leave it at home, the Silver City highway, Calder highway from Melbourne and Sturt highway all converge just above Mildura. Vline have a bus/train service (http://www.vline.com.au/) and of course you could ride there.

Cycleways and roads

There are many good cycleways on both sides of the Murray river however the local tourist information centre didn't have much information on these at the time I was there. I chose to head down to the river and discover them for myself but beware, stay on the cycleway. There are many vehicle tracks off to the side and few signs. Once you loose sight of the river it's surprisingly easy to get lost.

Mildura's roads are wide and straight and form a fairly strict grid pattern and include cycleways. Roads running north west-south east are numbered, for example Eleventh street and roads running north east-south west are named, for example Irymple avenue. Tourist brochures are rarely drawn to scale and most of the brochures I picked up tended to compress distances and leave out road names so buy a good map.

Hazards

I watched constantly overhead for magpies, they're crazy and were still swooping at pedestrians and cyclists in November. Also look out for psycho ute drivers, they're easy to pick, listen for a low revving engine and throbbing bass then get well out of the way.

What you need

Thorns and prickles accumulate on the packed clay and gravel cycleways around Mildura and on the cycleway beside the Silver City highway heading into Wentworth. Always take spares, at least two inner tubes and a puncture repair kit. Mildura has two good bike shops that stock everything you need including prickle resistant and self-healing inner tubes. Don't expect to find spares anywhere else, I couldn't get a spare inner tube even at Wentworth one of the larger towns in the area.

Never cycle anywhere without water. Mildura is hot from the beginning of November and on some of my rides the temperature reached 35+ Celsius. I always plan how much water I going to need very carefully and take my Hydropac/Camelback along for all rides over two hours or when riding on unfamiliar roads. So take about a litre for every hour that you expect to be on the road and include extra for rest breaks. Make sure you replace all lost fluids completely each day! Don't start the day with a deficit.

Day 1, 1 November

I dreaded the thought of packing my mountain bike into a box 30cm wide and 140cm long, the anticipated onlooking cold unhelpful faces as I struggled to pack my bike and baggage handlers that throw things. I prepared my bike the previous day and even rehearsed packing the box so that I had all the right tools and could deal with any problems that might come up on the day of the flight. There were none and Qantas check in staff even offered to help me!

I dropped my things at the motel and went to explore the town. Deakin avenue is wide and shady with a beautiful strip of gums and paper bark trees running down its centre. Small parrots and magpies fought with each other in the trees.

I found Stefano's Grand Hotel restaurant. It's Mildura's largest building at the river end of Langtree avenue. This area has lots of other restaurants and I ate here each night.

The tourist information centre is in the Alfred Deakin Centre, 180 Deakin avenue and have information on most of the national parks and state forests in the area, they organised a sunset tour of Mungo National Park for me with Harry Hanya Tours. (See Day 2 for details)

I put my bike together and headed for the river and rode towards Lock 11 continuing out past Apex park and returning along the same path just as the sun was starting to fade. Had dinner at Fasta Pasta in Langtree avenue, good cheap yummy food.

Day 2, 2 November

Today I rode to Kings Billabong which is about 7 kilometres from the centre of Mildura. Packed plenty of water about three litres and sunscreen. The fastest way to get there is to follow Eleventh street to its end and turn right into Cureton avenue. I stopped at the lookout on the left the view is spectacular. Just follow the signs. I found some interesting little tracks going off to the water's edge along the road into Psyche Bend. I had hoped to take the 4wd track from the pump to Bruce's Bend, however 4wds that use the track have made it impassable. I returned the way I came stopping at Woodsies Gem shop, rare for me. It was a good place to rest.

Harry Hanya tours picked me up from my motel. The bus looked a bit dodgy but it was the survivor of many bumpy journeys to Mungo National Park about 110 kilometres north east of Mildura. Our aboriginal guide took us through the shearing shed built by Chinese settlers 136 years ago. I watched the colour of the sand change on the Walls of China sipping champagne and listened to songs and poems from our guide as the sun went down.

Day 3, 3 November

I planned to tour the wineries on my bike but only made it to Salsbury Winery, Campbell avenue, the temperature climbed today. I returned to Mildura at midday and visited Mildura Arts Centre, 99 Cureton avenue to escape the heat. The Centre is attached to Rio Vista the home built by WB Chaffey in 1891 who founded Mildura's extensive irrigation system. I walked around the sculpture garden on the front lawn. This is no mere regional gallery it contains worthwhile important paintings and sculptures that are well recognised internationally.

I had a good dinner at Stefano's pizza café with a beer from Mildura brewery.

Day 4, 4 November (My Birthday)

I got an early start to prepare for my ride to Perrys Sand Hills 6 kilometres west of Wentworth. I crossed the river on the Stuart highway then veered left onto the Silver City highway at Buronga and turned left into River road. It is approximately 17 kilometres to Dareton along a very flat road. I slowed down to watch whistling kites soaring over the grapevines and orange orchards and for kangaroos hopping by the side of the road. I saw one very small brown snake by the roadside and another that had been squished by a car. If stopping look where you put your feet and don't walk into the bush on the side of the road.

Dareton is a very small older town halfway between Mildura and Wentworth. I stoped to use the shocking toilets. Yuk! It's a town that doesn't expect visitors. No bike spares here remember to get these at Mildura.

Along the road to Wentworth orange orchards and some small mixed market gardens replace grapevines.

After Dareton the road to Wentworth (approximately 12 kilometres remaining) begins to undulate and I came across a few long hills. I turned right at the end of River road to rejoin the Silver City highway, riding on the cycleway on the side of the road for the last 6 kilometres. Avoid this cycleway, it is a source of punctures and I realised when I got to Wentworth and speaking to one of the locals how lucky I was to only get one puncture. I changed the inner tube quickly but didn't have spare for my return trip.

Wentworth is another quiet country town at the junction of the Darling and Murray rivers. I rested under the old gum trees and watched the rivers flow into each other. I also visited Wentworth Gaol which contained many reminders of the cruelty administered to its inmates including the a tree where aboriginal inmates were tied up during the hottest part of the day.
I must remember to follow my own advice and have a few spare inner tubes and learn how to use a repair kit. I returned to Mildura I spent the afternoon buying beer, I was going to try all of Mildura's Brewary's varieties before going home tomorrow.

Day 5, 5 November

I could not leave Mildura without going on a paddle boat cruise along the Murray river. PS Melbourne was perfect and quite cute, this is a very slow way to travel and a good way to relax before the flight home.

I decided to dispose of my bike box at the hotel as the biked box was taking up too much space in the minivan that runs out to the airport. I called the airport the day before to reserve a new box. Packing my bike was easier, it look less than 8 minutes, however at Sydney airport I fumbled for a while.