Yanga National Park – Mamanga Campground

2 – 4 November 2024

I’d had Yanga National Park on the “possible” list many times but we never seemed to be in a position to go and stay there, so we were hopeful we could do that this time. We needed some supplies so drove into Balranald where we visited to local IGA supermarket, then drove the 10 minutes back to Yanga NP. Campground bookings are essential but we had read that Telstra service was good in the campground so we took the chance and headed in.

We’d been watching the weather and there was a very windy day forecast for the following day, and a day of extreme heat in a few days’ time, so we needed to be mindful of that when making our decisions.

We drove into Mamanga Campground and found a great spot right on the Murrumbidgee River. Camping is free, but you do need to book and pay a $6 booking fee – no matter how long you want to stay. With this in mind we booked for two nights and hoped that the wind wouldn’t be too bad.

Although there was some wind during the next day, it was never bad enough to stop us cooking and enjoying this fabulous spot. It was just so nice sitting on the banks of the river watching the water. We went for a couple of short walks around, and Mick took some photos of the local birds – of course.

Sunset over the Murrumbidgee River

We had been prepared to leave Mamanga if the wind had made things difficult, but there was no need so we stayed for the two nights we had booked. Our next challenge was finding somewhere to stay during a heatwave, with the Melbourne Cup public holiday coming up. We knew continuing on towards the Murray River would be pointless so we made the decision to stay for a few days in Balranald.