Dareton-Wentworth-Merbein – Touring itinerary

Arm yourself with the right information - start your day of touring the region by car at the Mildura Visitor Information and Booking Centre.

Travel along Deakin Avenue towards the riverfront and turn right onto Seventh Street, then at the roundabout turn left to travel over the George Chaffey Bridge.

Explore Gol Gol

Once over the bridge veer right at the roundabout along the Sturt Highway to the Gol Gol Pub where you can enjoy a cold beer and magnificent river views. Continue to the Gallery of China and Ceramics featuring all hand-painted work by Margaret Ruddick. Back to the highway and continue on to Trentham Estate Winery with wine tasting and sales available, a restaurant and barbeque facilities, open daily.

All things citrus

Retrace your route along the Sturt Highway and continue along Silver City Highway to Orange World. Take a one-hour tour on the tractor train through the orchards and learn about all things citrus.

Wander through unique gardens

As you leave Orange World, turn right to head to the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens, the first semi-arid botanic gardens in the Southern Hemisphere. Call in to see rose gardens, exotic plants and salt-tolerant native plants or time your visit to coincide with the Sunraysia Farmers' markets.

Visit Dareton

Driving through Dareton you come to the Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club, which is open every day for lunch and dinner. Call in at Coomealla Golf Course to play a round by the river.

Historic Wentworth

Continue on, and drive through Curlwaa then continue along the Silver City Highway 7 kilometres to Wentworth. After crossing Tuckers Creek Bridge, Fotherby Park is to your left. In the park you will find McClymont House, a drop log cottage that was once used as a courthouse, as well as the P.S. Ruby, and the statue of 'Possum', a well-known local identity.

Crossing the Darling River, we see the Wentworth and District Services Club, one of the regions largest clubs, which is open every day of the week. Take a moment to call at Wentworth Tourist Information Centre at 66 Darling Street, Wentworth, for a copy of your guide to Wentworth.

Continue to the Ferguson Tractor Monument, and then travel along Cadell Street past historic churches and St. Ignatius High School (built in 1912 and restored by the National Trust), arriving at Junction Park, where the Murray and Darling rivers meet.

This lovely parkland area has a viewing tower for a bird's-eye view of the Murray-Darling Junction. Take the short walk along the river to the Weir and Lock 10, which was constructed between 1925 and 1929 and helps maintain constant river heights all year round.

Drive back along Cadell Street, and turn left into Beverly Street to the Old Wentworth Gaol, which was built in 1879 and was in use until 1927. Explore the cells, guards' quarters and exercise yard and buy souvenirs.

Ancient landmarks

Make your way back out onto the Silver City Highway to the Perry Sand Hills, spectacular red sand dunes dating back thousands of years, once a part of the Willandra Lake System.

Drive back towards Wentworth and along Perry Street into Darling Street, passing many historic buildings until you come to the Port of Wentworth from where the Paddleboat Coonawarra departs on Sundays.

Head back towards Mildura over the Murray River and through Yelta, where you will notice the irrigation wheels at the front of the fruit blocks. They measure water usage by district farmers. Continue past the Yelta sale yards on your left towards Merbein.

Merbein

Follow River Road past the stretch known as 'the mad mile' to Pump Hill, where you can see on the right the Merbein Pumping Station, which supplies Merbein with its water.

At the top of the hill on the right is Hill Corner, an historic building that was once the home of William Herbert Chaffey, a son of W.B. Chaffey, one of Mildura's founders.

We come to Commercial Street and the main shopping district of Merbein. At the Calder Highway turn left. Continue along the highway and you will approach a multiple intersection at Birdwoodton, and the highway will veer left to bring us past Lake Hawthorn.

Continue until you reach Deakin Avenue and turn right. Travel along Deakin Avenue and you will reach Oak Valley Estate Winery. Fred and Joanne DeBlasio have great boutique wine and Italian condiments and preserves for your tasting. Turn right onto Deakin Avenue from the winery and continue along until you reach the city centre.