Mungo NP Trip Day 7 - Arumpo

 The area in which Mungo NP is situated is called Arumpo. Hence the name of the road from Mildura that we followed in. We got up at about 6:30 to a very icy morning wind. I had to get up twice in the night to traipse across the camp ground to the loo. Much further to walk than at Underhill.

Breakfast with the bikers then a chat to a couple who had an RV and were staying in the camping ground a little further along the road past the Lodge. They recommended a few more interesting places to go for our afternoon activities.

This morning, because the Loop Road around the park is closed, we decided to book a flight to see everything from the air. Jack arrived with his tiny plane just on 11am.

Because Jack had never flown over Mungo Lake he was very interested to see it all and to fly in a direction that we could see well and get good photos. So we went straight along the inside curve of the lunette (sand dune) to the top end of the lake then made our way back zig-zagging across the dune as we went.

We particularly wanted to see the far side of the dune that we did not really see on last night's tour.

Some of the views were quite impressive.

After the end of our nearly 3/4 hour flight we returned to the Lodge dining room for some lunch then headed out again back to the National Park.

Our first drive was the first bit of the Loop Road to Red Top Lookout beyond which the road is closed.

Kerrie and I love trying to find the tiny flowers that are out at the moment so the first view of the lookout is of Kerrie with her camera down and bum up trying to photograph a tiny flower in the wind.

But beyond the tiny treasures was the huge vistas of eroded dunes.

On the way back we saw dozens of emu very well camouflaged in the saltbush plain.

We then left the NP and came back in about 5 km further on to visit the Homestead on the other end of the closed Loop Road. On our way in we stopped to look at some Spinifex (Triodia) rings. I suggested Kerrie touch it. Now she understands why it is such good protection for tiny animals. Ouch!

At the Homestead we were quite impressed with the dugout home and the horse stables.

On then back to the Lodge to sort things for the night and claim our table in the dining room ready for our dinner after catching up on all our journaling. Tomorrow we'll be leaving early to get back to the bitumen before the expected rain really sets in.