Erosion cuts into the sand dune, Lake Mungo National Park

Lake Mungo
Archaeologically significant part of the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area
Located 987 km west of Sydney via the Hume and Sturt Highways and 128 km north of Balranald, Mungo National Park is a 27847-ha archaeological and geomorphological site of world importance. Lake Mungo is one of 17 dry lakes which constitute the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area, declared in 1981. The stark, silent, desolate and sometimes eerie landscape of sand, sparse but resurgent vegetation, and spiny, hard, pitted, crinkled and fluted dunes and ridges can look more like a moonscape.

25 000 to 45 000 years ago the lake covered 135 square kilometres and was about 10 m deep. It was one of a series of freshwater lakes along Willandra Creek, which was then a major branch of the Lachlan River. The lakes dried up about 14 000 years ago. They are, however, an extraordinarily rich source of fossils. Indeed the quality and quantity of evidence pertaining to the landforms, animal life and environmental conditions during the last ice age are of the highest calibre, in part due to the alkaline rather than acidic quality of the soils.

The remains of extinct creatures - Tasmanian tigers, giant, short-faced kangaroos and a strange oxen-sized animal called a zygomaturus - have been found. Crucially, carbon dating has indicated that Aborigines inhabited the area 40 000 years ago, making it the site of the oldest known human occupation in Australia. From the lake they gathered mussels, Murray cod and golden perch. They also hunted wallabies and rat kangaroos and collected emu eggs.

Findings of ochre in the area, dating back 32 000 years, constitute the earliest evidence in the Pacific Basin of the deliberate selection of pigments. As there was no local source it has been deduced that the material was carried there for aesthetic purposes. Moreover, a 28 000-30 000-year-old burial site reveals that the body was covered in red ochre. A 26 000-year-old grave contains the earliest known human example of cremation. After the ritual incineration the bones were smashed and deposited in a hole by the pyre. These practices clearly suggest the presence of spiritual considerations.

Convex flake tools made from local material dating back 20 000 years have been found, while sandstone grinders from 10 000 BP (before the present) or earlier suggest the inhabitants adapted to the arid conditions which later prevailed by grinding wild grass seeds, making them among the first people in the world to grind flour. The sandstone came from at least 100 km away, suggesting patterns of seasonal migration. A number of the finds indicate practices parallel with recent Tasmanian Aborigines.

Prior to being declared a National Park in 1979 this land was part of Mungo sheep station, created when the Gol-Gol station was subdivided in the 1920s for returned soldiers. It was named by the Cameron Brothers after a picture they saw of St Mungo's Church in Scotland. The park still contains a 45-m woolshed, built by Chinese labour of local pine logs in 1869. There are other buildings, including a former homestead, relating to the sheep station. Squatters first arrived with their sheep in 1840. Considerable conflict ensued with the indigenous tribes - the Barkindji, Ngiyampaa and Mutthi Mutthi, descendants of the area's ancient inhabitants. However, many were decimated by European diseases and forced to live on a mission at Balranald. Today they are involved in the management of the park and their wishes concerning the handling of their dead ancestors are now respected.

Today the vegetated dry lake basins are situated within a dunefield stabilised by mallee-type vegetation. Tall, steep escarpments abut the western perimeters of the lakes with crescent-shaped dunes called lunettes to the east, formed by quartz sands and pelletised clay, blown from the lake by the westerly winds. The most famous example of a lunette in the park is the the 'Walls of China' which rises to 30 m above the plain and runs for some 30 km around the old lake's eastern shore.

The area has been relatively free of clearing and pasture improvement although introduced animals destroyed the native vegetation, particularly along the Walls of China. Ironically it is this stripping of the flora which exposed the dune's top soil to erosion and hence uncovered the archaeological finds. Today the pre-European vegetation is returning. Birdlife is increasing, particularly pink cockatoos and chats and the striking mulga parrot. There are also kangaroos, emus and plenty of lizards.

Things to see:  

Tour group listening to Graham Clarke from Harry Nanya Tours near the Walls of China sand dune

Visiting the Park
The park's visitor's centre, open every day, is located near the park entrance. It has extensive displays of local Aboriginal culture and of the area's geomorphology and archaeology, plus an audio-visual room. There are two camping areas, as well as self-contained accommodation in the old shearer's quarters for groups of up to 24. There are barbecues, a picnic area, pit toilets and tank water. Tours of the Walls of China are conducted by rangers in the school holidays. The Grasslands Nature Walk (1 km) is a signposted track suitable for wheelchairs. The Foreshore Walk (2.5 km) starts adjacent the visitor's centre.

There is also a 65-km, self-drive tour through the park, easily managed by family cars. It includes 15 stops, each with signposted information. It takes you to the Mungo woolshed, the Walls of China, the 'Grand Canyon', Belah campground, an old squatter's hut, the remnants of Cobb and Co. coach tracks at Vigars Wells where the teams stopped for water, the viewing area at Lake Leaghur and the ruins of Zanci station.

The park entrance is off the road which runs along the western boundary of the park. It can be accessed from a number of different directions. From Mildura take the road to Wentworth and just past the Buronga limits turn rignt into Arumpo Rd (unsealed) and follow the signposts. Alternatively head north from Balranald via Penarie and Bidura. Or you can take one of two turnoffs from the Wentworth-Pooncarie road.

Graham Clarke from Harry Nanya Tours explains some ancient bones

A warning: be sure to obtain a comprehensive map from a major tourist centre or from a district office of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Furthermore, all approach roads are gravel and while they present no problem in dry weather they are closed when it is wet so it is advisable to phone the Buronga office of the NPWS before departing: (03) 5021 8900.

The park has limited drinking water available upon request and precious little else so come fully prepared and self-sufficient. Bus excursions to the park are available from Mildura, tel: (03) 5021 4424. The best time to visit is in the cooler weather of autumn and winter.