Fast facts
- Considered the gateway to Mungo National Park, the first area in Australia to gain a World Heritage listing
- Where the Sturt Highway crosses the Murrumbidgee River in western NSW
- 852 km south-west of Sydney, population 1,300
Why go there
150 kilometres north-west of Balranald is the World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park. Much of it covers an ancient dry lake bed featuring crescent-shaped dunes.
Here evidence has been found of human settlement going back 60,000 years. Recently the oldest human footprints in Australia, estimated to be up to 23,000 years old, were uncovered.
History
Various early explorers – including John Oxley in 1817, Charles Sturt in 1830 and Sir Thomas Mitchell in 1836 – visited the area. It was Mitchell’s enthusiastic comments about the quality of the land in the region that encouraged settlement, and Balranald was gazetted in 1851.
As a crossing point on the Murrumbidgee River, Balranald prospered throughout the second half of the 19th century.
Things to do
- Step back in time at the Heritage Park in Market Street, with the old gaol and school house, visitor centre and museum.
- Wander along the Historic Walk with a map available from the visitor centre.
- Picnic on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River and try your hand at catching the evening meal.
Events
Don’t miss
- The Art Gallery, located in a 120-year-old Masonic Lodge.
- Greenham Park, the recreational heart of the city.
- The five rivers that are within 30 minutes of town. Don't forget your fishing rod.
- Bird-watching on the Ben Scott Balranald Common Bird Trail.
- Yanga Lake and Yanga Station, soon to be a national park.
