7. Mildura / Gol Gol

Leaving Broken Hill, we headed south to the border of New South Wales and Victoria. There on the Murray River we would find the twin towns of Mildura and Gol Gol.

This area was very rich for activities for young and old alike and they were all great. Our caravan park was located right on the Murray River. I took this photo from our front doorstep. In this park the cabin was separate from the adjacent toilet and shower block. This was the smallest cabin we stayed in during the whole trip and it was still very spacious. The toilets and shower being just next door did not post any inconveniences.

Woodsies Gem Shop was a fun stop for the kids. They have a fantastic indoor 'Aladins Cavern' filled with all sorts of gems, stories and black lights - all great fun for the kids to explore.

We found our traditional vacation cruise opportunity on the Paddle Steamship Melbourne which steamed us up and down the Murray River and through the lock system. We learned how the locks worked to raise the ships between different levels of the river so that goods could be traded far inland along the NSW / Victoria border. You could feel the heat from the old steam engine boiler and a real boiler man stoked the fire with wood and oiled the various joints and bearings of the engine. The kids even had a chance to pilot this ship for a few minutes.

Just across the river from where the steamship docks was a little snack bar and activity center. We just stopped for lunch but you could also rent various watercraft for a do-it-yourself adventure on the river. The dining patio is over the water and has a steel mesh floor so you can see the multitude of Murray River Cod and other fish that gather there for scraps of food that are dropped. You can also purchase fish pellets from the kiosk.

Sunraysia

Gol Gol Fisheries was a favorite stop with the kids. They have an aquarium with what must be an ancient Murray River Cod in it - it was about 3 feet long no kidding.

The real reason for stopping here was for the kids to catch some yabbies. Yabbies are a kind of Australian crawfish or fresh water lobster. They seem to prefer brackish water and dig into the sand or mud bottoms.

How to catch a Yabbie

First, you'll need a length of string long enough to reach the bottom of where ever you are fishing. Tie a knot about a foot (1/3 meter) from the end and a slipknot on the end. You'll also need a net, a bucket, and some meat.

Fasten a bit of meat on the slip knot and lower the line until you can feel it touch bottom. Then pull it up so the meat is just off the bottom. The yabbies don't eat the meat, they just find it offensive and work to remove it from their patch of the pond.

When you feel the yabbie tugging on the meat, gently pull up the line until you see the knot. You know the meat (and the yabbie) are just 1 foot below. Use the net to get under the line to scoop the yabbie out. If the yabbie sees daylight (the water is muddy), they'll just let go and drop back to the bottom.

Once the yabbie is topside, mind your fingers - they have pincers and are pretty mad about being caught. The very small ones about 1-2 inches in length are clear or whitish translucent. Dad and Nic caught some of these. Mikalya showed us all up by catching a big one about 5 inches in size with bright blue and red colors. Mikayla caught the biggest yabbie.

Dad then proceeded to show off to the kids and some other visitors how to hypnotize the yabbie and get it to stand on its head. After a few minutes of yabbie humiliation, we carefully released them back into the ponds for another family to discover.

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