Wentworth

• Population 1500
• Distance from Mildura 34km
• Oldest town in the district

No visit to the Mildura region is complete without spending time exploring the historic port of Wentworth, the oldest town in the district.

Visit Wentworth to see the confluence where the Darling and Murray rivers meet, board an old riverboat, take a drive or walk tour around the town, and explore the historic Wentworth Courthouse, Old Gaol and St John's Anglican Church (all National Trust-classified).

Wentworth has a strong community spirit, well-preserved historic buildings, green and leafy streetscapes, and a village atmosphere.

Things to do in Wentworth

• Explore the Old Wentworth Gaol.
• Discover local history at the Pioneer Museum.
• See the ‘Fergie' Tractor Monument that acknowledges the role these machines played in saving the town from flood.
• Wander through the historic cemetery and historic buildings.
• Board the recently restored paddle steamer P.S. Ruby.
• Visit Murray and Darling River Junction Park and climb the platform to look out at the confluence of the Murray and Darling rivers.
• Explore the Junction Island Nature Reserve and Thegoa Lagoon Reserve.
• Drive to the remarkable Perry Sandhills (6 kilometres from the Wentworth post office).

History

Once the busiest inland port in New South Wales, Wentworth was one of the locations considered for the Australian capital at the time of Federation (1901).

With the arrival of the river steamers in 1853, the small settlement made an ideal administrative and commercial centre for the untapped wealth of the vast outback.

Throughout the prosperous river-trade days, the area enjoyed the good times of huge wool clips, but also suffered floods, droughts, rabbit plagues and overstocking, yet the settlements continued to thrive and grow at a rapid pace.

By 1929, a series of locks and weirs to help navigation and pumping had been completed on the Murray River.

Wentworth Visitor Information Centre

66 Darling Street

Wentworth NSW 2648

Phone: 0350 273 624

Fax: 0350 272 403

Email: tourism@wentworth.nsw.gov.au  

Website: www.wentworth.nsw.gov.au

Facilities in Wentworth

• Banks - Community Branch of the Bendigo Bank (with ATM)
• Fuel
• Accommodation
• Visitor Information Centre
• Police
• Public library
• Taxis
• Outlets for fishing tackle and licence