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Practicalities
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Mildura is 555km from Melbourne, about as far as you can go in this small state; right on the border of New South Wales, and little over 100km from South Australia, it's ideally located for
onward transport
to either. Buses on the Sturt Highway, the major route between
Adelaide
and
Sydney
, pass through several times daily, with a 3am Greyhound service to Adelaide, a 3am V/Line service to Sydney, and a 4am Countrylink service to Sydney and
Melbourne
via Cootamundra. From Melbourne, there's also a V/Line train-bus connection via Bendigo or Swan Hill at least three times daily (call 13 6196 to book).
Broken Hill
, north up Silver City Highway, can be reached by bus via Wentworth (departing Mildura train station Mon, Wed & Fri 9am; 3hr 30min; $49.50; book at the visitor information centre).
Ballarat
is served once a day (except Sat) by V/Line ($54.60), whilst you can get to
Albury
, via Echuca and Rutherglen, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday ($56). In terms of
local transport
, there are buses to Red Cliffs, Buronga and across the river to Wentworth, as well as a very regular Sunraysia Buslines (tel 03/5023 0274) servicing the area from 7th to 15th Streets and the East and West. Alternatively, you can
rent a car
from, among others, Budget at 7th Street and Etiwanda Avenue (tel 03/5021 0133).
Mildura has a good reputation as a place to obtain
work
as a fruit-picker; the only guaranteed time is in February, when the grape harvest takes place. Unfortunately, this is also the time when the heat is most intense. If you think you could handle it, come around the end of January, the beginning of the eight-week season. Most of the town's hostels have work contacts with a wide range of employers, and during the harvest season you can also phone the Mildura and District Harvest Labour Office (end of Jan to mid-March; tel 03/5021 1797); alternatively, call Employment National (tel 1300/720 126). Some growers have accommodation but normally you'll need your own transport and a tent. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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