Menindee: The Town of Great Lakes

Drastically affected by the 2019 drought, Menindee is the definition of a true blue Aussie town filled with great people who band together to push through the worst of times.

Our drive on the dirt road from Wilcannia to Menindee.

Getting there

Cobar to Menindee took a total of 4 hours, but was such a beautiful drive. Cobar to Wilcannia was on bitumen, but Wilcannia to Menindee is a dirt road which took a little longer. The scenery was beautiful, and surprisingly green! Storm clouds rolled over the top of us, and our view on the horizon was was flat with no mountains or hills in sight for as far as we could see.

About the town

Menindee has a population of 500 (very friendly) people, who will always say hello as you drive or walk past. We stopped by the local coffee shop and were greeted by a friendly local sitting outside having a coffee. He politely invited us to sit down with our coffees and have a chat. I soon learnt that this would be a recurring theme throughout our trip, as locals in all the towns we visited were so welcoming and willing to have a chat.

The local man worked in the national park and told us “I’ve been a local for 11 years, but you need to be here for 50 years to be considered a local!” With over 60 years of living in Menindee under his belt, he was very passionate about his town and the great lakes surrounding it. The town relies on these lakes for their water supply and last year they were almost entirely empty during the drought. He also told us how the Chinese government have also purchased large areas of their great lakes for farming and if any locals fish or take any water from these parts, the fines can be in the millions. 

An old bus written on by locals during the drought and water crisis in town.

His passion for the town was really genuine when he was speaking to us and it was clear how determined the people of the town were about protecting their lakes and water. I remember hearing about this issue on the news last year and the fight to protect the lakes (see here), but being in the town, seeing it for myself and hearing the locals talk about it definitely made it hit closer to home.

What to do

Luckily, after the rain the lakes are in much better shape. If you visit, you have to drive around them to get a true feeling of the size of them. They were incredible! 

You can also view the lakes by boat with River Lady Cruises.

Where to stay

There are a multitude of free camp sites along the river and the lakes around the town. Download Wikicamps to see some of the most frequented spots. This app is the best $7 you’ll ever spend - we call it our camping bible. You can even use it offline for maps when you have no internet or phone service.

Menindee was a fantastic introduction to outback NSW. The landscape, the lakes and the locals are all what makes this town one that should be on your next road trip.