Mourquong: Gardens and salt history

Plant diversity and tractor train ride

The Australian Inland Botanic Gardens give Mourquong a clear botanical focus. Australian plants from arid and higher-rainfall regions grow alongside exotic plantings arranged according to their region of origin. This brings together two organising principles: rainfall conditions play a role in the arrangement of Australian plants, while the exotic plantings are arranged according to their respective regions of origin. This contrast makes different planting approaches easy to understand and gives a visit to the gardens a specific thematic framework.

An educational tractor train ride lasting about an hour adds a guided activity to a visit to the gardens. It runs on Saturdays at 11:00 am and on every fourth Saturday of the month at 10:00 am and 11:00 am. Its approximate duration helps you fit this activity into your day. If you plan your visit around the ride, the stated times are especially important. Timetables and booking arrangements may change, so check the schedule in advance if the tour is important to your plans.

Visitor centre, art and chapel

Garnpang Homestead is a historic building in the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens and serves as a visitor centre. It is also a shop selling gifts, paintings by local artists and local handicrafts. Snacks, coffee, dessert and ice cream are also available there. This place therefore brings together visitor information, local art and handicrafts, and food and drink. These different functions are combined in the historic building.

The gardens also include a bush chapel. It is another distinct part of a visit to the gardens, complementing their botanical focus with a cultural point of interest.

Salt-tolerant plants and salt harvesting

A dedicated area of salt-tolerant native plants has significantly lowered the water table. Its effect on the water level gives this part of the gardens a different emphasis from the plantings organised according to regions of origin and rainfall conditions. In addition to plant origins and growing conditions, salt tolerance is another garden theme.

The Mourquong salt mitigation basin offers a different approach to salt. Concentrated brine is evaporated there by the sun, and harvesting takes place in summer. Murray River Salt began producing salt flakes at this basin in 2000. These details mark different points in time: summer is the harvesting period, while 2000 marks the start of salt-flake production. A tour of salt harvesting at the basin can be booked through Discover Mildura; confirm before your trip whether it is available.

The distinction is useful when choosing what to focus on during your visit: the planted areas offer a comparison of origin, rainfall and salt tolerance, while the basin is about solar evaporation and summer harvesting. The tractor train ride, by contrast, is an activity with a defined duration of about an hour and specified Saturday times.

Discover more destinations: Newcastle, Mandurama, Clarence Town, Tyringham, Lake Cathie, Gundaroo, Prestons, Mount Colah

For the broader travel overview: New South Wales.