Mildura Things to Do

What a pleasant way to see a bit of the river than to take a paddle boat.
There are lots of different rides you can do - but we chose to go on
an hour ride up the Murray.
Boats can be hired for functions or for day trips

You can take a boat trip on the Murray River with a paddle steamer, which is quite unique. You go through a lock and you get to see a lot of birds. There are some of the greatest chairs on deck, so you can chill and watch the scenery.

Woodsies is one of the largest touristy gem shop/gem display/cutting attractions of its kind in Australia.
It's both a well stocked, beautiful show room, with outdoor viewing area for the tumbling of stones and rocks, with an indoor demonstration room where a few times a day you can watch stones being cut and polished and listen to an explanation by the cutter (who makes it all look so easy, despite being so labour intensive), plus you can shop for souvenirs after admiring all the jewellery (much of it is very good value too) , visit the gem museum (the only part of the attraction you need to pay for, and at $3 it's cheap) where my favorite part of the exhibits is the room where rocks are put under ultraviolet light which makes them glow strangely, as if from within...
and then you can dine in the cafe which has been made to look like a cave, with the plaster on the ceiling shaped like the roof of a cave with stalactites coming down, or go through the maze outside....so there's lots to do for the whole family.

The Perry Sandhills don't cover a wide area, but are quite striking regardless, since they are in the middle of a very flat landscape where the main vegetation is stunted small scrubland and open paddocks.
It is forbidden to sand drive on them, but you can still have a lot of other fun climbing on them (and we saw the remains of toboggans made of flattened cardboard boxes)
We were there not long before sunset, and it was great.

2 more images

Quite an extensive botanical gardens, with several large rose gardens, but for the most part, native plants and trees and walking trails. The rockery plant area near the rose garden is a good place to see native birds feeding on nectar in the mornings.

A few kms east of the centre in Irymple is the King's Billabong Nature Reserve. Tracks cut through the waterways of the billabong and make for relatively easy hikes through to some lovely wetlands. The billabong is fed by the flood waters of the Murray and its well worth heading out for a couple of hours stroll.

Oh boy. Mildura and surrounds is just about totally under the grape! Its a new industry that is contributing to the growth of the town. To see red soil and then row upon row upon row upon row of vines is an extraordinary site. And there are so many vineyards to chose from, its wholly dependent on your tastes as to which to head for.

A kilometre or so out of town is one of the few official Murray River beaches. Its a great spot to while away an afternoon (chances are that in Mildura the weather will be fine for you to be able to do it moreorless all year round). Swimming in the Murray is something else! The only warning is never to junp in if you can't see the bottom and watch out for snags underwater. But its worth doing at least once!