Mungo National Park is located in the southwest corner of NSW, roughly 100km northeast of Mildura (Vic). The park is part of the Willandra Lakes Region, a ‘World Heritage Area’ incorporating 17 dry lakes and covering 2,400 square kilometres. The second largest of these dry lakes is Lake Mungo - an archaeologist’s place of reverence. Lake Mungo has revealed the 40,000 year old secrets of ‘Mungo Man’, the oldest human remains discovered in Australia, and ‘Mungo Lady’, the oldest known human to have been ritually cremated in the world. They were buried on the shores of Lake Mungo, beneath the 'Walls of China', a series of lunettes on the south eastern edge of the lake.

The 30km plus Walls of China are a significant feature of the Mungo Lake lunette. Slowly weathered over thousands of years; the erosion from wind and water has sculpted the sand and clay into spectacular formations. This erosion has also uncovered extensive Aboriginal artefacts, and the bones of animals commonly referred to as mega-fauna; such as Genyornis newtoni, a flightless bird with legs as solid as a racehorse, and Procoptodon goliah - a towering 3m, 230kg short-faced kangaroo. The fragile carvings in the lunette are a beautiful subject for photography, especially during sunset. Please take note that it is strictly forbidden to climb on the lunette features or disturb artefacts.

Mungo NP provides some interesting attractions like Allen’s Plain Hut and Tank, the Mungo Woolshed, Vigars Well picnic area, and Zanci Homestead site and Woolshed. The Mungo NP Visitor Centre is open every day and there is a self-guided 70km driving tour that includes 15 stops - each with sign-posted information. Tours of the Walls of China are conducted by rangers in the school holidays. You can stay overnight at several locations, including the Shearers Quarters (bookings required), the Main Camp (vehicles and caravans), or Belah Camp (vehicle only). A boardwalk (wheelchair friendly) provides access to superb views of the Walls of China, and the short walks - Grasslands Nature Walk (1 km) and the Foreshore Walk (2.5 km) highlights a variety of interesting features within the park.

 Interactive Route Map

If you are driving into Mungo National Park, then you will need to purchase a Vehicle Day Pass.
Payment is by self registration. Envelopes & information from the front of the Mungo NP Visitor Centre.

Camping fees in Mungo NP also apply. Belah campsite has 12 sites. This campground is a great overnight spot for people taking their time doing the Mungo Drive Tour, or for those looking for a secluded campsite. No fires are allowed.
For more information on fees, please click: Camping in Mungo NP

For more information in general, you can contact the park office in Buronga.

Mungo National Park does not have closing times, but be aware that all roads in and around the park are closed after rain. Please take adequate supplies of fuel, food and water. No food, petrol or diesel is available at or near the park, and water is a rare commodity in a semi-arid environment - so always carry plenty with you. All roads in and around the park are unsealed. Many of them have little traffic, particularly outside holiday seasons. Always carry extra food and water in case of an emergency. If you become stranded - stay with your vehicle.

Consider taking communications equipment such as HF or UHF radios. Mobile phones do not work in Mungo National Park, so in emergencies, a ranger can be contacted on UHF channel 22. Mungo lies in the fruit fly exclusion zone so you can only bring in food bought in from Broken Hill, Menindee, Hillston, Griffith, Narrandera, Shepparton, Swan Hill, Mildura, Waikerie, Renmark or other places within those boundaries.

Fuel Supplies & Usage

		Diesel	4cyl 9 litres	ULP	4cyl 10 litres	LPG	4cyl 13 litres
			6cyl 10 litres		6cyl 12 litres		6cyl 11 litres
			8cyl 10 litres		8cyl 11 litres

Unfortunately, there is no longer any fuel available at Pooncarie.

Best Time To Visit

Outback New South Wales experiences very hot and dry summers. Travel is safer and more enjoyable between March and October. Please note - unsealed roads may be closed after rain.

The crescent shaped lunette, otherwise known as the ‘Walls of China’, is one of the main highlights in Mungo National Park. Standing around 30m high and stretching nearly 30km long, this now dry eastern shore holds secrets of preserved campfires, cooking hearths and burials of ancient Aboriginal people. There are three distinct layers of sands and soil forming the Walls of China. The oldest is the reddish Gol Gol layer, formed between 100,000 and 120,000 years ago. The middle greyish layer and the most archaeologically rich is the Mungo layer, deposited between 50,000 and 25,000 years ago. The most recent is the Zanci layer, which is pale brown, and was laid down mostly between 25,000 and 15,000 years ago.

The Mungo National Park is one of the most historically rich places in Australia. In 1981, the Willandra Lakes region was given World Heritage listing because of its special archaeological and geomorphologic features. One lake in particular - Lake Mungo has provided scientists with some significant discoveries - especially in the last half century. Aboriginal people lived on the shores of the lake for tens of thousands of years, and traces of their occupancy in the forms of: camp hearths, tools, clay-pan workshops, animal bones, and shell middens are giving up their secrets, as the sand dunes of its shores slowly erode away. The most significant discoveries were from the human skeletal remains of Mungo Lady and Mungo Man.