Mildura, the paddle steamer and the sand hills.

A trip to anywhere near the Murray River must of course be accompanied by a ride on a Paddle steamer. We arrived at the very scenic Buronga caravan park in Mildura on a 37 degree HOT day. We had just about melted on the way there so it was so nice to have a spot right near the river. Mildura itself is similar to towns like Geraldton or Bunbury but with older historic areas and of course paddle steamers. We cruised very slowly (max speed allowed is 4 knots on the Murray) for a mid day cruise. Thankfully it was a much cooler day. It was great to actually see and be part of the boats that were the lifeblood of the towns once upon a time. Very smooth and gentle. The Murray has different water levels and so to pass from one level to another the boat must pass through a lock system where it is locked into an area, water drained to decrease the level then the gate is opened and out goes the boat. I will try to show you in pictures so you can see the different levels. There is no sound greater on the Murray than the paddle steamers whistle as it toot toots to let you know it's there. The engine is of course run by steam and they say they use only box wood as it gives the best heat result.

After leaving Mildura we visited the Perry Sand hills at Wentworth. These Sandhills are out in the middle of nowhere and have been there for thousands of years. They have found ancient fossils underneath as the sands shift. The kids like to slide down the edges and they leave bits of cardboard around the place for that reason. I was of course tempted to slide down but didn't want to move the Sandhills. LoL...

I will leave you with a picture of. BIG LIZZIE, the invention to haul wool up the banks of the Murray but at 2 miles per hour was far too slow. Good idea though

Hope you like this Lizzy ha ha Talkies soon Xx Sonia and John