During our quick visit to the Mallee last week, we spent a day at Murray-Sunset. More precisely, Pink Lakes. What a great place! Being pretty new to 4WD trips, we thought we'd start at the softer end of Murray-Sunset, rather than the hard-core parts to the north. It was an easy run from Ouyen, and we passed through delightful small towns such as Walpeup. At the boundary of the park, we decided to put the drone up for a look around. The cloudy sky was disappointing - you can only just see the pink - but this quick clip gives a sense of the smaller lake, Lake Hardy, close to the entrance. Once inside the park, bird on bird action was pretty quick! We started with a wedge-tailed eagle which was pretty exciting, though our photo was from quite a distance. Still we were grateful to see one - they seem very elusive. For the remainder of our time, we saw mainly the larger birds (it was quite windy): a kestrel, many galahs, and several greater bluebonnets and ringnecks - no complaints about any of those lovely birds! We were as much taken with the landscape as its inhabitants, truth be told. The bush around the Pioneer Drive was peaceful and accessible, punctuated by historical references to a past where pioneers mined salt from the lakes, and no doubt endured many hardships. We wanted a walk in the bush so we headed to Lake Crosbie Camping Area. This looked really well-maintained with very clean facilities (mark that one down as a future sleepover in the Troopy!). From the camp ground we set off on the Kline Loop Nature Walk, a 2 hour 4.8km Grade 3 walk between the two larger lakes. With soft sand underfoot and a brisk wind it was challenging in parts, but greatly rewarding. There were greater bluebonnets and ringnecks darting between trees and shrubs all along the walk. There were also delectable flowers, looking almost like firebrands in the spring sunshine. We could see the weather was coming in - rain was forecast, so we didn't tarry too long. We had enjoyed immensely the myriad parrots and other large birds that we had seen on this our first foray into the Murray-Sunset National Park. However, one of the greatest things about bird and nature photography is that you never know when you might happen upon the simplest yet most delightful encounter. For us, the Lake Crosbie Camping area held one such surprise in store. Having stopped for a cuppa, we could hear incessant cries from a nondescript shrub in the middle of a turning circle. Investigations revealed a family of chicks -- yellow-throated miners -- crying out to be fed by at least two possibly three adults. Sibling rivalry was on full display with the seemingly loudest and biggest barging in constantly jumping the food queue, and the youngest constantly missing out, even sulking. Kids, they're the same everywhere! We hope to tackle some of the more remote parts this National Park someday, camp overnight and watch the spectacular sunsets for which it's named. But a day at Pink Lakes was a great start.
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