Hattah-Kulkyne National Park – Lake Mournpall Campground

7 – 9 November 2024

We drove across the Murray River and into Victoria and stopped in Robinvale for morning tea and some grocery shopping before heading into Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. We had booked ahead to stay at Lake Mournpall Campground. We’ve stayed at Lake Hattah and Lake Mournpall, but have decided we like Lake Mournpall best for its proximity to some of the best tracks for birding.

There are lots of campsites around the lake and we chose one that had a view of the water as well as a well placed fire pit. It was also only a short walk to the toilets. We had some shade and a big open space to catch some solar to recharge the batteries.

We went for a drive late in the afternoon to re-acquaint ourselves with the birding spots, and also to check out the condition of the tracks. We had some firewood that we had been carrying around for some time (since our trip to Cape York) so were keen to use it up. We figured that this would be our last chance as we were entering fire ban season in Victoria. With light winds and a cool night it was the ideal time to have a fire – just because we could.

It was the perfect night to have a fire

Mick went out early both mornings and also in the late afternoon chasing a number of birds he was hoping to find, and we went for a couple of walks by the lake. There was no-one camped close to where we were for most of our time there, with most other campers setting up further around the lake. This made for a very peaceful and relaxing time.

We didn’t feel the need to head off too early, so packed up once Mick was back from his early morning birding expedition, and headed towards South Australia. We planned to visit Gluepot Reserve in the Riverland, but would need an overnighter along the way. We chose Loxton just because we’d never stayed there before.