Cycling at Kings Billabong Mildura

Cycling at Kings Billabong - Kathie and Rhonda on the levee bank

I was surprised to discover what a cycling paradise Mildura is. For the road riders there are seemingly endless kilometres of quiet, bitumen roads weaving their way between irrigated orchards and over canals.  And for the off-road lovers, there is cycling at Kings Billabong.

Cycling at Kings Billabong - Map of Kings Billabong near Mildura
Kings Billabong near Mildura, original map courtesy of Strava

At the end of February this year Derek and I were camping in the caravan on the Murray River at Psyche Bend only ten kilometres from the centre of Mildura.

Cycling at Kings Billabong - Our caravan in a quiet camping spot on the Murray River at the edge of Kings Billabong Wilidlife Reserve
Our camping spot on the Murray River near Psyche Bend, Mildura

Our friends Kathie and Rhonda were staying at a caravan park nearby and they joined me for the ride shown in the map above while Derek allegedly did some fishing at camp with Kenji the dog.

Kings Billabong

We headed out to the bird hide – there were a few sandy sections on the way.

Cycling at Kings Billabong - the bird hide at Kings Billabong
The bird hide at Kings Billabong

As it was still early in the morning we were rewarded with seeing many black swans, pelicans, herons and several species of ducks.

As the path followed the water’s edge we caught this view of Kings Billabong pumping station, built in the 1890s.

Cycling at Kings Billabong - View across Kings Billabong to Kings Billabong Pumping Station
View across Kings Billabong to Kings Billabong Pumping Station

We came to the levee bank which keeps the water level in the billabong higher than the Murray River.

Cycling at Kings Billabong - View across Kings Billabong from the levee bank
View across Kings Billabong from the levee bank
Cycling at Kings Billabong - Kathie and Rhonda on the levee bank
Kathie and Rhonda on the levee bank

Ducks Foot Lagoon

After a quick break at the facilities in the car park on the other side of the levee we headed out on the Ducks Foot Lagoon loop. (This loop is 9.5 kilometres if done separately.) The stretches along the Murray River were pretty.

Cycling at Kings Billabong - Looking out towards the Murray River from Ducks Foot Lagoon track
Looking out towards the Murray River from Ducks Foot Lagoon track

After completing the Ducks Foot Lagoon loop, we retraced our ride back to the bird hide for a well-earned food break while watching the swans and herons.

When we got back to Derek at camp we had ridden 25 kilometres without climbing a single metre!  Clearly this is the place for people who don’t like to climb hills.

Road Bike Ride in Mildura

Here is an example of a road bike ride suggested by the Mildura Visitor Information Centre.  I am not generally a road rider but I felt really safe and loved the scenery.  Coffee Town Cafe is a convenient stop for cyclists and the coffee and food are good.

Cycling at Kings Billabong - Map of a road bike ride in Mildura starting from our camp spot at Psyche Bend on the Murray River
A 43 kilometre (110 metres climbing) road ride in Mildura starting from our camp spot at Psyche Bend on the Murray River

Other great Murray River rides are between Mannum and Younghusband and between Cohuna and Koondrook. An enjoyable country town ride is between Bordertown and Mundulla.

6 thoughts on “Cycling at Kings Billabong Mildura”

  1. Have just read all your blogs Helen. They are fabulous and inspiring with some good memories for me too. THANK YOU 😊

    1. Thanks Rhonda – sorry I sent you an email about the blog just before I got this message. Thanks so much for reading xxxxxx

  2. Great memories. Lovely photos Helen. Returned to Psyche Bend 3 weeks ago and all was flooded. No entry. but a wonderful site.

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