Finding Mungo Man - A Journey Back In Time To The Present Day.
This is a six day (minimum) journey that will take you from the lush friendly climates of eastern Australia, over the ranges to The Great Australian Outback. It is like journeying back in time as you cross the semi-arid desert to Cobar and Wilcannia, finally to the beds of ancient human culture, and the enigma of Lake Mungo and Mungo Man.
About Mungo Man – On July 5, 1968 Professor Jim Bowler stumbled on a small clump of burnt bones eroding from the ancient shores of Lake Mungo. The subsequent discovery of Mungo III (Mungo Man) in 1969 has put the world of palaeoanthropology into a spin. Is it possible that Mungo III is between 56,000 and 68,000 years old? Recognised scientific dating methods say yes. But these dates are being questioned due to the age of sediments surrounding the burial. Have the bones been moved by ancient ancestors? Artefacts found in the area have been dated between 46,000 and 50,000 years old. Google Mungo III, to find out more. http://www-personal.une.edu.au/~pbrown3/LM3.html
Lake Mungo – There is nothing that can really prepare you for the truth that confronts us all at Lake Mungo. If there are sacred places anywhere in Australia, Lake Mungo could head the list. At Lake Mungo geologic time will grab hold of you and force you to think about the big picture. Standing beside a fireplace that burned 17 thousand years ago is an experience that can change your life. To walk where Megalania prisca, a now extinct goanna up to 7-10 metres in length, may have once hunted people, can send a shiver right up your spine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalania
At its heart, this expedition is to introduce people to the extremely delicate and sensitive systems that support life in the arid lands between The Great Divining Ranges and the deserts of Central Australia, to generate interests and understanding of The Darling River Basin and The Outback of New South Wales.
This expedition is largely one of simply “flying low” watching as The Great Australian Outback passes by. Naturally there will be special, very significant times away from the vehicle, but a journey of over 3000 kilometres requires around 40 hours of driving over the six days on the road.
On the third or fourth day, the day-tour of Lake Mungo will include time walking around The Walls Of China with Harry Nanya Tours. Before or after visiting Mungo there will be a full day of resting in Wentworth before heading back to the east-coast.
Basic Mungo journey outline: Travel west through New England tablelands to Tamworth, Gunnedah, Coonabarabran, Gulargambone, Cobar, Wilcannia, Menindee and Pooncarie. Then to Wentworth and Lake Mungo with Harry Nanya Tours.
We then venture home via a different route - Up the Murray River through Mildura, then to Balranald, Hay, West Wyalong, Dubbo, Dunedoo and home. Here it sounds quick and easy but this is a major journey that you will never forget.
