Mildura to Narrandera

It is a pretty straight forward drive to  Narrandera, a bit under 500 km of flat straight roads, through lots of broad acre farming, and grazing.

We stopped in Hay for lunch and were surprised how little activity there was there. The town was looking pretty unloved and probably finding things tough under Albanomics. The cafe we had lunch in will not get rich on the clientele going through when we were there.

Now that we are back in NSW we struggle to understand why diesel, or other fuel, costs more than in Vic , or SA (which had the lowest prices).

Narrandera looks prosperous compared to Hay, the town is relatively busy, buildings are well kept and there are people on the streets. However, there are closed pubs and empty shops as well


This lovely old pub is currently closed


This one, The Murrumbidgee Hotel is doing well


The main street


Shire Council Building


This ceramic fountain near the council chambers is one of only 2 made in this design by Royal Doulton, the other one is in India.

Having investigated the main street, studied some local history, and checked out potential dinner venues, we wandered back down the street past our motel to see if we could walk down to the river. Right behind our motel, is the Main Canal, a major irrigation canal in this region.


There is a pedestrian bridge across the canal that allows us to continue on towards the river

We pass a large free camping area with about half a dozen caravans/ campervan settled in there, and reach the river at a boat ramp.


There is a picnic area with undercover seating and BBQ's and a sign identifyimg it as the headquarters of the local fishing club.

With a bit of research, we learn that this whole area is known as the Brewery Flat Reserve, and an impressive old brick building, on the river front, is the remains of the Old Oakbank Brewery and Cordial Factory. 

It is all fenced off as private property and there are some quite modern building extensions going on so maybe it is being reborn as a future tourist attraction.



We head back to our motel, and do a bit more research on our dining options. We decided to take a great risk, and try Chinese food in a country town. There is a newish Chinese Restaurant, Dong Fu, at the Narrandera Bowling Club, which has good early reviews, but is still getting established. It turned out to be a great choice. It is run by a couple from Sydney who took the risk to move to Narrandera and take this on.

The food was good, the serves generous, pricing reasonable and they are very motivated to succeed.


Another great sunset in the West








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