Since watching a show called Gondola on the Murray which was broadcast in the late 90s/early 00s, T has been super keen to explore the foodie paradise which he envisioned Mildura to be. Yes, for our family, Mildura became a bucket list destination thanks to a chef by the name of Stefano de Pieri. Food aside, there is actually a plethora of things to do in Mildura with kids so we finally embarked on a mega-roadtrip from Sydney to explore the township ourselves.
Situated in north-west Victoria on the banks of the Murray River and a stones throw from New South Wales, Mildura is a notable horticultural centre, producing at least 80% of Victoria’s grapes as well as cirtus, almonds and dried fruit. Being a somewhat large rural town, there are plenty of good quality hotels, restaurants, cafes and attractions to keep a visiting family comfortably busy.
Things to do in Mildura with Kids
Table of Contents
Orange World
Orange World was one of our Mildura highlights thanks to the ever charismatic Mario, our tour guide of the working 50-acre citrus property. The kids learned all about citrus fruit as we toured the farm on the 70 seat tractor train. Most astonishing, thanks to Marios’ incredible teaching style, all of us have retained the information that he taught us! If you are in the area, we highly recommend visiting this incredible farm as it is one of the top things to do in Mildura with Kids?
Location: 93 Link Rd, Mourquong NSW 2739
Cost: Please call for current tour prices and bookings.
Opening Hours: 9.30 am – 4.00 pm 7 days. February: 9.30 am – 1.00 pm 7 days. Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day
Website: Orange World Website
Australian Inland Botanic Gardens
Showcasing exotic and native Australian plants, the Australian Inland Botanic Garden is an interesting spot to stop when exploring things to do in Mildura with kids. Featuring a Children’s Garden, the kids can climb over theplay equipment which have been developed from recycled materials, enjoy the cubby house and sand pit, and, play the musical instruments.
Location: 1183 River Road, Buronga, NSW, 2739
Cost: FREE. Donation requested to support the garden’s maintenance.
Opening Hours: 7.30 am – 4.00 pm Monday to Friday; 10.00 am – 4.30 pm Saturday and Sunday.
Website: Australian Inland Botanic Gardens
Paddle Steamers
A trip to any big township along the Murray River offers an opportunity to explore on one of the many ships or boats. With our love of history in over drive, we had to secure a paddle steamer experience and were super excited to see that there were a number of tours available to us.
Many Australians are unaware that our country is home to the largest number of side-
The PS Melbourne is perhaps the most appropriate of the tours to take if you are exploring Mildura with kids. It offers a two hour cruise along the Murray River which includes movement through Lock 11. Through much of the story you will be provided a live commentary so you can become familiar with how paddle steamers operate and the history of these majestic boats along the Australian rivers over time. It’s a great thing to do in Mildura with kids.
Location: Hugh King Dr, Mildura VIC 3500
Cost: $88.00 (2a + 2c)
Opening Hours: Twice daily 2 hour cruise aboard the Paddle steamer Melbourne through Lock 11. See website for other tours.
Website: www.paddlesteamers.com.au
Heading to Echuca? Click to read about our Echuca Paddle Steamer adventures.
Lock 11 and Mildura Weir
Whilst you will experience Lock 11 and Mildura Weir if you take a Paddle Steamer trip, seeing both from the shore is also quite an experience. Completed way back in 1927, the Mildura Weir and Lock 11 provide a method of regulating the river’s water supply. These man made constructs have helped to raise and maintain a good river level and pressure which has also assisted farming. I would be keen to learn more about the impact it has had environmentally.
The weir weighs around 1,00 tonnes and can be removed as needed. It has an impressive storage capacity of 36,200 megalitres. The PS Melbourne (read about it above) passes through the Lock over 1,000 times a year! It’s a fascinating engineering marvel to have a look at. Watching the lock rise and fall will be something the kids talk about days later.
Location: Hugh King Drive, Mildura
Cost: NIL
Opening Hours: All hours
Website: Mildura River Website
Mildura Water Play Park
Mildura is brimming with free things to do with the kids! The Mildura Water Play Park is open daily and has no entrance fee. The water jets turn on automatically throughout the daylight hours (and into the evening in summer). It’s a great place to head to cool off.
Location: LOT 1 Hugh King Drive Mildura , Mildura 3500
Cost: FREE
Opening Hours: 10.00 am–9.00 pm daily during daylight savings time. 10.00 am–5.00 pm daily at all other times.
Website: Water Play Park
Perry Sandhills
The Perry Sandhills are situated just outside Wentworth. The sandhills cover around 400 acres and are said to have originated more than 40,000 years ago after an ice-age and are the result of wind erosion. Even today they are continuously moving and shifting.
The idea of body surfing down the Perry Sandhills was enough to get the kids motivated to climb the Perry Sandhills and find a dune both high and steep enough to try their luck. It just proved a little more difficult than we imagined it to be!
It wasn’t until we were leaving that we discovered that the Perry Sandhills are the location of many giant mega-fauna skeleton discoveries. Yes, right under than sand they’ve found the skeletal remains of giant kangaroos, lions, emus and wombats. You can see examples at the Wentworth Pioneer Museum.
Location: Old Renmark Rd, Wentworth NSW 2648
Cost: Nil Cost
Website: Visit Wentworth website
Old Wentworth Gaol
For those who have read the Kid Bucket List for a while, you would know that we love exploring old gaols and regularly add the to our gaol roll so were super excited to stumble upon Old Wentworth Gaol on our trip to Mildura with kids.
Running from 1881 to 1928, Old Wentworth Gaol was designed by colonial architect James Barnett and was one of Australia’s first gaols designed here (we had used designs from overseas previously). After its closure, the gaol operated as Wentworth Central School until 1963.
We did learn that many of the inmates were members of the Salvation Army, incarcerated for short periods of time for their beliefs. Who knew that happened in the past?
Location: Beverley St, Wentworth NSW 2648
Cost: adult $8.00 child $6.00
Opening Hours: Daily 10.00 am – 5.00 pm
Website: Visit Wentworth Gaol website
Mildura Holden Motor Museum
Almost all of our adventures to a new destination include at least one stop at a car themed attraction (have you read about our trip to Da Rod Shop, Count’s Kustoms, and El Rey’s Garage?) so it was no surprise that T quickly discovered Mildura Holden Motor Museum and headed there late one afternoon.
Offering 28-35 Holden vehicles to admire, the Mildura Holden Motor Museum is perfect for motor enthusiast as well as those keen to learn a little more about this iconic car brand.
Location: 58 West Rd, Buronga NSW 2739
Cost: $12.00 adult. Children under 13 FREE. $30.00 family
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Website: www.milduraholdenmuseum.com.au
Mungo National Park
With a budding history buff on our hands, Mungo National Park was a location we knew we could not miss on our trip. This World Heritage site is the very place that Australia’s oldest known Indigenous remains were uncovered back in 1974. Mungo Man, as he was named, is said to be over 40,000 years ago.
The Paakantji, Mutthi Mutthi and Ngiyampaa have called Mungo National Park forever. They are the traditional custodians of the land and offer Mungo Aboriginal Discovery Tours around the park. To explore the Walls of China beyond the boardwalk you will need to access a tour.
Mungo National Park is a site to be seen. If you are happy to drive out to the park on its unsealed road (safe enough for most cars) you will be blessed with a lunar landscape and stories galore.
Location: Mungo National Park is in NSW near the Victorian border. We travelled to Mungo National Park from Mildura, Victoria.
Cost: Mungo National Park has a day use fee per vehicle. The standard car vehicle entry fee is $7 per car per day.
Opening Hours: all hours.
Website: www.visitmungo.com.au
Woodsies Gem Shop
While we didn’t get to visit Woodsies Gem Shop on our visit, we have been told again and again that we missed out on quite an experience. This shop is said to have been around for decades and offers a rather large collection of gemstones and minerals that you can both look at and buy if you like. Sounds interesting, I would love to hear about it if you visit.
Location: 516 Cureton Ave, Nichols Point VIC 3501
Cost: NIL
Opening Hours: 9.00 am – 5.30 pm, 7 days a week
Website: woodsiesgemshop.com
Where to Eat with Kids – Top 3 Resturants
Mildura offers quite an array of places to eat with the kids. They have most of the big fast food outlets, many cafes and an assortment of restaurants. All budgets are catered for, so your choice of where to eat will most probably be led by your wallet. We found ourselves eating on Langtree Ave most nights.
The Bistro – Stefanos
Mildura was really on the map for us due to Stefano de Pieri. Both T and I had spoken about eating at his restaurant for years, but we decided that the degustation menu would perhaps be unsuitable for the kids. We were pleased to discover the Stefano owns a number of establishments in Mildura including The Bistro whose menu is quite child friendly.
While The Bistro does not offer a child menu, it does offer the choice of any main dish for the kids at a suitable portion size at half price. As my kids rarely order off the children’s menu these days as their tastes have matured, this was perfect for us.
I asked the waitress for a recommended dish and suggested the pork with crackling. OH MY GOSH! It was succulent, delicious and with the perfect crack to its crackling.
Address: Seventh St & Langtree Ave, Mildura VIC 3500
Average price per main: $30.00
Mildura Brewery
It may seem odd to eat at a brewery with kids but we have found that these establishments typically go the extra mile to cater for children. This was the case at Mildura Brewery which offers a great range of meals, boutique beer (not that I drink!) and a cosy atmosphere.
The Mildura Brewery has a dedicated children’s menu but my kids were keen to order from the entree menu. They were so impressed with the $3 milkshakes that we returned the next day for more!
Address: 20 Langtree Ave, Mildura VIC 3500
Average price per main: $25-30.00
Pizza Cafe
Kids never say no to a pizza! We observed the huge crowds inside Pizza Cafe almost every night we were in Mildura and decided that we had to eat there and be a part of it. We were rewarded with yummy pizza and handmade pasta. It’s pretty laid back and it is super busy, but at under $20.00 a main, it’s a great treat.
Address: 18 Langtree Ave, Mildura
Average price per main: around $20.00
Where to Stay with Kids
Quest Mildura Apartments
We loved the idea of self catered accomodation that also offered room service, daily house-keeping and some of the other little luxuries that you generally get when you stay in a Hotel. We booked the Quest Apartments in Mildura.
Quest Apartments in Mildura offer two and three bedroom apartments which are perfect for families. They offer a kitchenette with full size fridge, laundry facilities within your hotel room, king size beds and lovely toiletries. We loved it!
Getting to Mildura
Car
The cheapest way to get to Mildura is by car, although it is one of the longest ways to get there. We incorporated our trip within a larger Outback NSW adventure (details listed at the end of this post).
Coming from Sydney
The quickest way to get to Mildura from Sydney is via the Hume Highway to the Sturt Highway and direct from there. It is a distance of just over 1,000 kilometres and around 10 1/2 hours.
Coming from Melbourne
Heading to Mildura from Melbourne will take you just under 6 hours with a distance of 540 kilometres. Take the Calder Highway straight there.
Coming from Adelaide
Adelaide is the closest capital city to Mildura with only 400 kilometres separating them, a good 4 and a half hours drive. The drive is a mix of the National Highway and the Old Sturt Highway.
Plane
Virgin Australia, Rex and Qantas all offer flights to Mildura from Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Train
Daily trains from Melbourne to Mildura ceased in 1993. V/Line tickets cover a train journey between Melbourne and Swan Hill, which links with a 2½ -hour bus trip between Swan Hill and Mildura. You will need to head to V/Line for frequency.
Planning an Australian Outback Adventure
Our Australian Outback Adventures covered over 3,000 kilometres in just under a fortnight. Our route covered:
First Leg: Sydney – Mudgee – Dubbo – Nyngan.
Distance: Approximately 555 kilometres or 6 1/2 hours.
Read about Nyngan with kids
Read about Dubbo with kids
Read about Bathurst with Kids (alternative route)
Mudgee with Kids coming soon
Second Leg: Nyngan – Cobar – Emmdale Roadhouse – Wilcannia – Little Topar – Broken Hill (with a trip to Silverton)
Read about Cobar with Kids
Read about Broken Hill with Kids
Distance: Approximately 590 Kilometres or 6 hours
Third Leg: Broken Hill – Wentworth – Mildura (with a trip to Mungo National Park)
Distance: Approximately 300 Kilometres or 3 hours
Fourth Leg: Mildura – Swan Hill – Deniliquin – Jerilderie – Wagga Wagga
Distance: Approximately 630 Kilometres or 7 hours
Fifth Leg: Wagga Wagga – Coolamon – Junee – Gundagai – Canberra
Distance: Approximately 260 Kilometres or 3 hours
Final Leg: Canberra – Goulburn – Sydney
Distance: Approximately 286 Kilometres or 3 hours
We will update this post with coverage of each leg as they are uploaded. Stay tuned for more Australian Outback Adventures.
We self funded our visit to all attractions, accomodation settings and restaurants listed in this article. All opinions are our own.
Pin this
