Strong gusts of wind woke us both overnight. Fortunately they eased after around 30 minutes, but for a while the winds were quite willing. It was much milder this morning when we woke – although the wind did pick up again by mid-morning. Even so, the temperature has sat at around 23C for much of the day.
Following breakfast we farewelled our fireside buddies from last night and wished them safe travels as they set off for Melbourne today. We ourselves set off for a walk into town (which was about 3.5kms away) – following a riverside walk from our campsite to the centre of Mildura. There were numerous information boards along the walk that filled us in on the colonial history of the region and how enterprising Americans proposed using the waters of the Murray River for irrigating crops grown in the river floodplains. This was way back in the late 1800s. They also proposed a series of weirs and locks to provide year-round navigable waterways, bringing supplies to the region and transporting wool to local and international markets. All in all, 26 weirs were proposed but only 13 constructed as other forms of transport became available by road or rail.
As we walked the riverside trail we passed Lock 11, that is still functioning close to the centre of town. It is a further 878kms downstream to the river mouth. The river at this point (on the downstream side) is 3.7 metres lower than the upstream side. Fish runs are provided at the weirs to enable the fish to move freely up- and down-stream.
The walk into town was intended to get us out and about, doing something other than sitting in the Prado while we continued our journey home. We also hoped to pick up helpful information about future destinations from the Tourist Information Centre, hitch is attached to the local library, wave pool and fitness centre. We spoke to a helpful young woman who steered us in the right direction, while Chris grabbed copies of brochures covering the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas in South Australia, Mungo and Mutawintji National Parks in New South Wales, along with a map of Far North Queensland. The day was warming up as we walked back to the campsite, further to the west of the centre of town.
Once back at camp, administrative matters were dealt with while we had reliable internet access. Wendy sorted out flights to the USA later in the year, after Qantas advised of changes to flight schedules that made connections in LA questionable. Chris has also booked the Prado in for a service on our return to Melbourne.
The wind remains fresh, but the sun is out and the temperature is an acceptable 16.2C. It will be a cooler night for sleeping tonight.