History, art and riverside charm come together in Mildura, where a stylish new caravan park offers the perfect base for exploring.
I’m standing on the bow of a 145-year-old paddle vessel and she’s sinking. The riverbank edges up the side of the boat as she drops deeper into the river, eddies of murky water sucking at her hull.
The captain is calm. No cause to abandon ship; this old girl is simply passing through a lock on the mighty Murray River. The lock master has closed the chamber’s 18-tonne steel gates and opened the valves, much like pulling the plug from a bathtub. When the water level drops about 3.5 metres and the vessel is level with the water downriver from the weir, the gates heft open and off we chug.
Lock 11 on the Victorian border town of Mildura is unique. Built in 1927, it’s the only human-built lock on the Murray that’s separated from the weir by an island. The Murray’s 14 weirs (and 13 locks) were installed during the 1920s and ’30s to provide year-round passage for boats (and consistent water supply). Contrary to common belief, Australia’s longest river did not historically flow throughout the seasons.
I learn this fact and more on a two-hour scenic cruise aboard the Rothbury, an 1881-built paddle steamer (now a diesel-powered paddle vessel) that began life as a towboat, hauling wool and timber barges between river towns. It’s a tranquil journey that sees us meandering downriver past towering gum trees, large birds’ nests belonging to industrious whistling kites and the golden sweep of Apex Park beach, home to Australia’s only inland lifesaving club.
Mildura, meaning ‘red earth’ in Latji Latji language, is a town built on water. It owes its prosperity to the Chaffey brothers – Canadian entrepreneurs who, from 1887, established Australia’s first irrigation colony, developing steam-driven pumps to harness water from the Murray River. Hailed the greatest private enterprise of its time, the scheme laid the foundations for the agricultural powerhouse Mildura remains today. The region produces almost all of Australia’s dried vine fruit, three quarters of the country’s table grapes, and almost a quarter of its citrus fruit.
OF LEGACIES AND LIGHT
The Chaffey Trail provides a snapshot of how it all began, linking 12 historical sites around town, including the Victorian heritage-listed pump station, still in use today at Psyche Bend, and Mildura Weir and Lock 11. The highlight is Rio Vista, the sprawling Chaffey mansion built in 1892 at the height of the brothers’ success. Rio Vista, meaning ‘river view’, adjoins the Mildura Art Centre and is free to visit. The rooms have been restored to their original grandeur, complete with Italian tessellated tiles, Lincrusta wallpaper, marble fireplaces and handmade stained-glass windows imported from England. The dining room, with its Murray pine and kauri-panelled ceiling and mahogany furniture, looks like it’s been set for a dinner party of the colony gentry.
Next door, the arts centre has five gallery spaces showcasing an impressive permanent collection of bequeathed artwork by notable 19th century painters, as well as rotating exhibitions of local and touring artists.
The urban streets of Mildura are a canvas, too. Among the heritage buildings and palm-tree lined boulevards are more than a dozen colourful murals. If you pick up a mural map from the Visitor Information Centre, you can tour them all on foot in about 40 minutes (longer if you want to browse Langtree Mall or stop for a pint at the Grand Hotel, site of the former Chaffey offices on the main drag).
For me, the most captivating artwork comes to life after dark. Lock Island on the Murray is the site of Trail of Lights, an immersive installation by world-renowned light artist Bruce Munro. Accessed via a bridge crossing Lock 11, the art trail turns the small island into a galaxy of 12,500 ‘fireflies’. I arrive at sunset, as flocks of birds silhouette the sky and kookaburras cackle their swan song. Long shadows tug at golden branches. Stars prick the heavens and a crescent moon emerges. Beneath them, the bush is awakening as hundreds of colonies of fireflies flicker to life.
More than 500 ‘pods’ of 25 solar-powered light strands illuminate the island, like electrified jellyfish bobbing in the bush. There are five intersecting trails weaving through the installation, ranging from 900 metres to 2.2 kilometres (all accessible). The longest routes trace the island’s perimeter, where 22 illuminated fishing rods fan in clusters by the riverbank. The Gone Fishing installation is a playful take on a favourite Aussie pastime. With the roar of the water rushing over the weir as a backdrop, it’s a good spot to pause and take it all in.
Trail of Lights was designed for quiet contemplation. Unlike Munro’s neighbouring installation, the Fibre Optic Symphonic Orchestra (FOSO), which is big, bold and brash. Located just over the border at Wentworth, not far from where the Murray and Darling rivers meet, FOSO is an orchestra pit of giant ghost mushrooms meet Australiana, plonked in the middle of the outback. Against the backdrop of the Perry Sandhills stand 80 Hills Hoist clotheslines illuminated in a shower of fibre optic lights. The lights pulse and change colour in harmony with an orchestral score.
The show starts at sunset, watching nature’s own illuminations light up the horizon before the music – and the lights – begin. From a viewing platform above the plain, the installation looks like a squadron of hovering spaceships with “beam me up, Scotty” vibes. The columns of light shimmer and pulse with the tempo of the orchestra. “The kangaroos will be wondering what’s going on,” remarks one old bloke. But the bisensory experience is just as Munro intended. The artist was inspired upon learning about a curious neurological condition where people ‘see’ patterns of colour when they hear music.
ONE STYLISH STAY
The playful interaction between the natural environment and the built landscape is also on show at the brand-new Trentham Waters Resort, where the concept of the humble caravan park is turned on its head. This Palm Springs-inspired park is elegant beach-club-meets-luxury-resort that defies the simple pitch-and-unhitch mould. Opened by V8 Supercar Champion and keen caravanner Rick Kelly and his family in December 2025, Trentham Waters is an expansive resort village of swaying palm trees and landscaped lawns set back from the Murray riverfront. The centrepiece is a 48-metre lagoon pool and splash park, fringed by cotton-candy beach umbrellas, beanbag loungers, hammocks and swing beds.
The villas here are exquisite (you can even move in permanently), while RVers are catered for with the kind of attention to detail only borne from lived experience on the road. The 91 sites – 77 drive-through and 14 ensuite – have dimensions unheard of in a typical caravan park. Think synthetic grass pads, metal anchor points for guy ropes and awning tiedown straps, and hedges separating you from your neighbours. The largest site is 225 square metres – larger than an inner-city flat.
The amenities, set in blushing pink, have glass shower screens and hung vanities with geometric mirrors and salad-bowl basins. The adjoining camp kitchen is equipped with all the cooking gear – including crockery and cutlery – and you can even get your pantry staples delivered to your RV from the local ‘click & deliver’ IGA. One night I can’t be bothered with any of that and dine in at the poolside restaurant and bar, Kokomo. Next door are the gym, games room and function space, which doubles as a kids’ movie room. There are also basketball and tennis courts and a pump track, with mini-golf and a jumping pillow coming soon.
Down by the Murray, a little walk away (or you can catch a ride in the buggy with Tango the resident macaw), there’s a private jetty, with more riverfront facilities in the pipeline. For now, the pool is the heart of the resort with its bougie cabanas and waiter service. And when the heat gets too much, you can just dive in. There’s that sinking feeling again…
JOURNEY PLANNER
Mildura is on the Victorian-New South Wales border, about 550 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, or 400 kilometres west of Adelaide.
DO
EAT AND DRINK
Mildura is part of Victoria’s food bowl, and the cuisine lives up to its reputation. For fragrant curries and contemporary Asian dishes in a central location, book a table at TikTek. Watch the world go by with a glass of wine and a wagyu slider on the river at Mildura Boathouse, or enjoy a refined lunch and wine tasting on the verandah at Trentham Estate. The winery is just up the road from Trentham Waters Resort (transfers can be arranged). A little further west on the Sturt Highway, family-owned small-batch winemaker Monak Wine Co is worth the detour.
STAY
Trentham Waters Resort is about 15 minutes east of Mildura on the New South Wales-side of the Murray. The pet-friendly park has all the bells-and-whistles holiday park facilities and more.
For a spot on the riverfront, Discovery Parks – Mildura, Buronga Riverside has sites overlooking Mildura Wharf within walking distance of town, via the bridge.
