Wentworth, New South Wales

I picked up a very useful brochure from one of the tourist information centres and it was named Wentworth Trail and Top 10.  Out of the top 10 we got to see 8 as we completely missed the Model Paddlesteamer Display and the Pioneer Museum was closed due to volunteer sickness :-(

The first thing is the Junction Island Reserve & Walk.  Junction Island is the shoal of land between the Darling and Murray Rivers that join to become the Mighty Murray River.  Sadly, the island walk is closed.  We should have realised this as once again flood damage has washed away most of the walk.  It is now a work in progress to bring it back to its original state.  The reserve, however, has been repaired and it is interesting reading regarding the confluence of the two mighty rivers.  

Standing in the centre of the reserve is what is called a "Canoe Tree".  It clearly shows the scar left by the aboriginals when they cut out a section of the tree to form the canoe.

It is a short drive into Wentworth and we park the car at the Visitor Information Centre so that we can walk the Wentworth Trail, stopping at the places we find of interest.  The first place is the Wentworth Military Collection.  As you enter the museum you are handed a headset so that you can take a self-guided walk through the many war eras.  It is a small museum that is chock full of interesting memorabilia.  Even though I am not a lover of war museums, I still enjoyed this informative tour.

It is around a kilometre or so to our next stops the Old Wentworth Gaol and Wentworth Pioneer Museum where I am hoping to see some of the replica fossils of the mega-fauna that has been found at the Perry Sandhills.  Both of these places are run by volunteers and unlucky for us the Wentworth Pioneer Museum was shut and we decided against going inside the Old Wentworth Gaol.  We have been inside enough of these old gaols to last us a lifetime and I am always saddened by the tales they tell.

We make the decision to have a late lunch back at the van so to keep the hunger pains at bay we make our way back into the town centre for coffee and biscuit.  Wentworth is a lovely town and the residents have turned the town into a great tourist destination.  As we walk the streets we love that the parks and gardens look so beautiful in spring.

Even our coffee shop is very quaint with its hanging lanterns intertwined with cutlery.........

After we have drunk our coffee, one of the best I have had on this trip, it is a short walk to the Wentworth Wharf that was originally built in 1879 and was the third busiest inland port within NSW.  During one week a record 31 steamers were docked at the wharf.

Across the river from the wharf is the Paddlesteamer Ruby.  She was originally built in 1907 and transported passengers between Echuca, Mildura, Wentworth and Goolwa. She gradually fell into disrepair but was purchased by the Wentworth Shire Council and in 1996 a restoration committee was formed to restore this beautiful ship.  On certain days visitors are welcome aboard, but not today.

Our last stop today, and around 6km from the Wentworth township, is the Perry Sandhills.  According to geologists the Sandhills originated almost 40,000 years ago and were formed by wind erosion over thousand of years.  Skeletal remains of giant mega-fauna (kangaroos, lions, emus, wombats and giant goanna) have been found here, and as the sand drifts, more is being uncovered.  We walked across the dunes to the God Tree that is said to be hundreds of years old and has been almost buried by sand.

Our tour of Wentworth has ended so it time to head back to Mildura, travelling a different route this time, that takes us across the Murray River back to Victoria via a single lane bridge.  We pass many acres of grapes and did you know that you can tell the difference between table grapes and wine grapes from the frame that is supporting them.  Table grapes are supported by a V and wine grapes grow on a trellis without the V.

Another perfect day of being a tourist.......