We have been to Menindee several years ago. At that time, it was in flood for the first time in years and we were forced to make a lot of detours just to get there due to local flooding. The memories of that trip (mainly the prolific and diverse birdlife which appeared just after the flooding) are what brought us back here as we felt we did not have enough time before.
Travel time from Cobar is 4hr 32 min (395 km) via Barrier Hwy/A32 and Wilcannia-Menindee Rd. The latter is a dirt road which I deliberately choose as I wanted to test our new camper in the dust. One of our earlier caravans gave us a lot of issues due to dust ingress which can make a trip very uncomfortable as dust in the van accumulates in unimaginable ways. Sleeping in a dusty van is no one’s idea of a great holiday so our new Complete Campsite was purchased with this in mind.
As we turned off the Barrier Highway onto the unsealed Menindee Road, we met a vehicle coming the other way. They had pulled up just short of the Highway and the driver was pumping up his tyres. I stopped just beside them and said hello. The Driver sauntered over and said Hi. They had just come over the unsealed road and advised the road recently open after the local flooding was reasonably ok. They had let air out of tyres for more traction and avoid soft spots. The drive from Menindee had taken them approximately 3 ½ hours which I found surprising as it really was not a shortcut.
“You should be able to get up to around 60km/hr he advised but most of the trip will be slower due to the conditions.” Perfect, I thought this was exactly what I wanted, and it should give us a good idea of how this van will stand up to our future trip to the Kimberley’s next year.
We said goodbye and set off. The weather was fantastic and the road although a bit rough in places was good. I don’t believe we passed another vehicle during the next 3 hours and assumed some may have been influenced as the road had only been recently opened and could have proved risky. I engaged four-wheel drive on the truck and we cruised the whole way without incident.
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| Lake Pamamaroo Campground |
On the advise from the people we met earlier we choose not to camp at the campground and instead sought out a more remote location. The road in turned out to be bone jarring and very rutted. We finally found a place we both liked which was quite elevated and overlooking the lake. The area sloped down directly into the lake and the views were simply amazing. I set up camp and finally got to use our recently acquired Kings firepit which I have been dying to use.
That evening we settled in and watched the sunset over the lake and I felt we were finally starting to chill out and relax from life for a while. This location is quite remote with no facilities. There are toilets further along at Burke & Wills Campground if needed however we were self sufficient and this was the prefect place to trial our independence.
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| Beautiful sunsets |
Menindee was a 3 day stopover and although the weather turned foul and very windy it was still quite enjoyable. The birdlife was disappointing and I am not sure why, perhaps we were a bit early as I only saw Cormorant’s on this visit and the more exotic birdlife we experienced on our previous trip were not evident.
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| The fading sunset as Sharon prepared dinner |
In hindsight I would recommend camping at the designated campground (only if you are happy to share with public) as it is closer to facilities and is a bit more hospitable. The lake is simply beautiful and if you manage to time it with the birdlife it is one of the most memorable places you will ever visit
