Linga - Murray-Sunset National Park
Murray-Sunset National Park, in Victoria's far north-west corner, is in one of the few remaining semi-arid regions in the world where the environment is relatively untouched. With its wide open landscapes, breathtaking sunsets and starry nights, its vastness and isolation will take more than a day to explore.
This is a great park for four wheel drive touring, bushwalking and camping.
Enjoying the Park
Touring for cars and 4WD
Unsealed roads from the Mallee or Sturt Highways are suitable for two-wheel drive vehicles. Four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended for most tracks and especially for the more interior tracks in this remote park.
Warning - Tracks in the park require vehicles with good ground clearance. Most tracks have areas of deep sand with wide wheel ruts. Some tracks become impassable in wet weather and others are recommended only for 4WD. It is important to check current road conditions with park staff before visiting.
Pink Lakes - Lake Hardy, Lake Crosbie, Lake Becking and Lake Kenyon
The Pink Lakes are picturesque at most times of year, changing in colour from a deep pink to a glistening white. There are excellent walking tracks in the Pink Lakes area, along with a campground.
The Pink Lakes are so named because of their colour during late summer. A red pigment, carotene, is secreted from the algae - best seen early or late in the day or when it is cloudy. The lakes evaporate over summer leaving concentrated salt crusts over black mud.
The intensity of colour varies throughout the year and is strongest after rains wash in fresh nutrients, triggering increased growth of the algae.
Commercial salt harvesting began in the Pink Lakes area in 1916, using shovels and wheel-barrows. For more than twenty years camel teams transported the salt away from the area. Today old salt stock piles and machinery used in harvesting can be seen on the edge of Lake Crosbie.
Access by 2WD vehicles via a gravel road from Linga. For those with limited time, a drive around Pioneer Drive is a must.
Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla Islands
All tracks are dry weather only. See separate park notes below.
Located in the far north-west corner of the state, Lindsay Island is intersected by a number of small creeks carrying floodwaters from the Murray River into swamps, billabongs and flood plains. The Island is home to an array of plants and animals and has a rich heritage.
Walking and Wildflowers
There are short walking tracks in the Pink Lakes area. The wildflower display during spring is impressive.
Remote areas offer good bushwalking for people who are experienced, well prepared and self-reliant.
Pink Lakes Walk
The walk, beginning at the Pink Lakes picnic area, reveals why Victoria's second largest national park is so popular. In spring, four of the Murray-Sunset National Park's lakes - Becking, Crosbie, Roulton and Kenyon - turn a vivid pink. This effect is caused by the release of a red pigment called carotene by algae in the water. The brilliant colour is best viewed at dawn, in the late afternoon or under a cloudy sky.
Walk distance: 2.5 km
Duration: 1.5 hours return
Grade: Gentle
Start and Finish Point: Pink Lakes picnic area, Murray-Sunset National Park
Best time: Late autumn-spring
Camping
Camping areas in the park have basic facilities. There are no designated camping areas on the islands.
The Shearers' Quarters
This historic building was once the home of the lessee of Sunset Pastoral Co and today offers hostel-style accommodation. The Shearers' Quarters can be booked.
Access for Dogs:
Dogs and other pets are not permitted in the park.
Location and Access
The Murray-Sunset National Park is located in north-west Victoria, about 550 km from Melbourne. The park can be approached from Murrayville and Ouyen in the south and Red Cliffs, Mildura and Renmark in the north. Pink Lakes can be accessed by two wheel vehicles along a gravel road from Linga on the Mallee Highway.
Note: Photos from Parks Victoria
Location
Mallee Highway, Linga 3509 Map
Web Links
→ Murray-Sunset National Park (Parks Victoria)
→ Park note - Murray-Sunset National Park (PDF)
→ Park note - Murray-Sunset National Park - Lindsay Island (PDF)
→ Park note - Murray-Sunset National Park - Pink Lakes (PDF)
→ Park note - Murray-Sunset National Park Wallpolla Island (PDF)
