Wine Country: About 21% of Australia's wine grapes come from Mildura.

**** !!!! BASE-CAMP BUSINESS ALERT & OPPORTUNITY: !!!! ****

This rare premium keyword geodomain, MILDURA.COM, is FOR SALE BY ORIGINAL OWNER for only $7,500 US dollars as of today!

With the continuing growing value of domains in our internet driven world, this domain is PRICED TO SELL, so if you have family or business interests in Mildura, this is your chance to own a piece of domain gold at a rock bottom price.
Serious buyers contact here.

Introduction to Mildura:

Mildura is the name of a region of Australia (also called Sunraysia). In addition, the name Mildura Rural City refers to one of the two main municipalities of this region, a municipality that includes Mildura city itself and several other communities, including Irymple and Murrayville.

The region of Mildura is known for its wineries and citrus groves, its river-centered recreational opportunities, and its proximity to several national parks. The Mildura region sits at the intersection of two states of Australia: Victoria (home to the city of Mildura), and New South Wales, and lies near the state of South Australia.

Trivia & Quick Points:

• Mildura means 'red earth' in Latje Latje.

• Known as the center of Victoria's Food Bowl, most of Australia's dried fruit, grapes, citrus, almonds, pistachios, olives, carrots, and asparagus are grown in the Mildura region.

• Mildura is part of the 'fruit fly exclusion zone'; thus it is illegal to bring fresh fruits and vegetables from outside the region into Mildura. Random roadblocks are set up to detect violations, which can result in fines up to AUS $20,000.

• The first wine grape varieties planted in Mildura included Mataro, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gordo and Shiraz, planted in 1888. The first vintage was established in 1891.

Facts & Information:

History

The original inhabitants of the Mildura region were aboriginals, including Paakantyi, Yerre Yerre, and Latje Latje. Few remained after the Europeans colonized the region.

The first European explorer to arrive was Capt. Charles Sturt in the 1830's. He found the headwaters of the river he called the Darling. Later he found another river he called the Murray. While navigating this river he found what he believed to be the confluence of the two rivers.

After Capt. Sturt's discovery, settlers moved in to graze sheep and cattle. Once boats arrived in 1853, the regional town of Wentworth became a commerce center of the outback.

The settlement of Mildura was founded in 1887, after Americans George and William Chaffey came to develop irrigation infrastructure on an old sheep station. They arrived in response to a seven year drought and after a visit to their irrigation project in California by Alfred Deakin, a minister in the State Government of Victoria and chairman of a Royal Commission on water supply.

After WWI, settlers came from Italy, Ireland, Greece, England, and other countries, bringing their agricultural skills and traditions, and in 1937, Mildura was incorporated as a city.

Culture

The culture of Mildura is experienced through its food and wine...

Mildura's most famous chef and restaurant are Stefano de Pieri and his Italian restaurant, Stefano's. The restaurant, located in the cellar of the Grand Hotel in Mildura, serves locally grown produce and wine.

Chef Stefano is a well-known proponent of the Slow Food Movement, which was created to counter the pervasive fast food culture and link food, tradition, culture, ecology, animal welfare, and health.

An array of restaurants of many different flavors can be experienced in Mildura's Feastreet, located on Langtree Avenue between 7th and 8th Streets.

From the Wine Cafe, where local wines can be sampled, to the local taverns and pizza parlors, Mildura restaurants are known for featuring local produce and wines.

With the Murray River playing a prominent role in Mildura life, it's no surprise that tourists and locals also enjoy dining on the river, with several paddleboats that dock at the Mildura Wharf offering lunch and dinner cruises daily.

Travel & Tourism:

Highlights & Features of the City and Surroundings:

• Mildura is known for its wineries, which produce a most of Australia's Chardonnay, in addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, and several other varieties. Visitors can sample wines at some of the wineries as well as at tasting centers in town.
  
  A list of many of the region's wineries, links to their websites, and a map of several tasting centers can be found here.

• The Murray river offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation, including canoeing, kayaking, cruising on a paddle steamboat or on a chartered houseboat, and watching waterski races.

What to Do & See

• Enjoy Mildura's wines at local restaurants, tasting centers, and wineries. Mildura's Feastreet is a focal point for dining and entertainment in town.

• Have a beer and watch how it's made at a the Mildura Brewery in the former Astor Theatre.

  Rio Vista House, Mildura

• Take in the art and culture of the Mildura Region at the Mildura Regional Art Gallery. The gallery showcases works by local artists and houses a permanent collection of works by anglo-Irish artist Sir William Orpen and a number of important Australian artists.
  
  The gallery is connected to the stately home of W.B. Chaffey, one of the brothers who came from the United States to develop the irrigation structure of Mildura. His home, called 'Rio Vista' was built from 1889 to 1891 and was occupied by the Chaffey family until 1950, when it was offered for sale to the Mildura City Council.

• Watch car and motorcycle racing at the Mildura Speedway.

• Shop at Mildura's many fine boutiques in the town center.

• Stroll through the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens, with its large rose garden, display of salt-tolerent local flora, rock garden, and exotic plants separated into geographical zones. The Gardens are located on River Road, Buronga, just two kilometers from Mildura. Enjoy local produce at the Sunraysia Farmers' Market every other weekend in the Gardens.

• Play golf (or miniature golf) at one of over half a dozen golf courses in the region. Some are near the city center, others lie on the banks of the Murray River. All offer a distinct golfing experience.

• Experience the beauty of Mildury from the air with a hot air balloon ride by the Murray River, a scenic helicopter ride, or a private tour on a twin engine plane. The chartered helicopter or plane may also be used to reach destinations such as wineries and national parks.

• Enjoy one of Mildura's many festivals, races, and other special events.Some examples of Mildura's wide range of special events are listed in this table:
  

Beyond Mildura

Perry Sandhills- (5 km from Wentworth). These red sandhills have provided a backdrop for many films and served as a bombing range for Australian pilots during WWII. The ancient picturesque sand dunes lie at the edge of a floodplain, and once were home to giant wombats, giant kangaroos, and many other native fauna.

They also were inhabited by Aboriginals thousands of years ago. Now they are used for the annual Music Under the Stars Festival, which is part of the Mildura Wentworth Arts Festival.

Murray Sunset National Park- (50 km from Mildura). A wide variety of habitats greets the visitor to this park. The floodplains, grasslands, pine woodlands, saltbush flats, and dunes are home to a many native wildlife, including the Paucident Planigale, a rare marsupial, the Regent Parrot, the Millewa Skink, White-Browed Tree Creepers, and Mallee Dragons.

The Pink Lakes- accessible via a gravel road off the Mallee Highway, turn a striking shade of pink during the late summer as a result of carotene secreted by an algae.

Mungo National Park- (110 km from Mildura) . The Willandra Lakes World Heritage area, of which Mungo is the centerpiece, is the site of 50,000 year old burial grounds and fossils of giant kangaroos, giant wombats, Tasmanian devils and tigers, and aboriginal peoples.

It is also home to the "Walls of China", ancient sand dunes lying where vast lakes existed tens of thousands of years ago.

As the wind has sheared away the sands, many fossils have been revealed. Mungo is currently home to red kangaroos, echidnas, bats, bearded dragons, pink cockatoos, and many other native fauna.

Where to Stay

Figure out where you're going to stay in the Mildura area by visiting our lodging and hotel options section.

Getting There & Away

• By Air:
  From Mildura Airport, travelers can fly to Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney.

• By Car:
  If renting a car, Mildura can be reached from Adelaide or Sydney via the Sturt Highway, and from Melbourne via the Calder Highway.

• By Bus
  Buses travel between Mildura and Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, and other towns in Victoria and NSW.
  

Getting Around

The best way to get around Mildura, and to explore sites outside the town, is by car. Car rentals are available in town, but you may arrive in Australia at one of the major destinations and rent a car from the airport.

Mildura also has two bus companies that offer local and inter-city services.