Little Desert National Park, Victoria: Things to do, walks & campgrounds

The best things to do in the Little Desert National Park, Victoria, include the Pomponderoo Hill Nature Walk, camping at Ackle Bend and 4WDing near the South Australian border.

The Little Desert National Park in Victoria, Australia, is not the sort of national park that’s crammed full of obvious photo stops. But it does have a more subtle appeal.

In the Wimmera region of north-western Victoria, the Little Desert National Park isn’t quite as desert-like as the name may suggest.

The eastern end of the park near Dimboola has plenty of riverside gum trees, and it’s no surprise to learn that this eastern end is more accessible. The further west you go, the more the Little Desert National Park becomes about four wheel drive tracks for experienced drivers only. The Western Highway flanks the park to the north, so you can drop by on the inland drive from Adelaide to Melbourne.

Little Desert National Park walks

Walking is the primary activity in the Little Desert National Park. The 74km Little Desert Discovery Walk is doable over four days by the truly ambitious, but everyone else will probably prefer the shorter walks.

An easy introduction is the Stringybark Walk, a 1km loop circuit from the Nhill-Harrow Road. This takes about half an hour, and shows of a variety of desert plants. Expect to see silver banksia, desert stringybark and yellow gums. Come in spring, and you’ll see plenty of wildflowers including native orchids.

Nearer Dimboola, the 1km Pomponderoo Hill Nature Walk heads up to a lookout which takes in the Wimmera River. There are also several walks from the Kiata Campground, and factsheets are available at the start of these walks.

Little Desert National Park camping

The Little Desert National Park campgrounds congregate around the eastern end of the park, too. You can go camping at the Ackle Bend, Horseshoe Bend and Kiata campgrounds, as well as Broughtons Waterhole, Mallee Walkers Camp and Yellow Gum Walkers Camp. These campgrounds all have toilets, tables and fireplaces. The exception is Broughtons Waterhole, which has no toilets. If camping in the Little Desert National Park, you’ll need to bring your own drinking water.

Camping fees apply at Ackle Bend and Horseshoe Bend. These campgrounds need booking via the Parks Victoria website. For those who don’t want to camp, the Motel Dimboola offers pretty decent Dimboola accommodation.

Those with 4WD vehicles and a hardy sense of endurance may be more interested in bush camping. This is permitted without charge in the central and western desert sections of the park.

Other national parks worth visiting in north-western Victoria include the Murray Sunset National Park and Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. Access them from Mildura or Ouyen.

More camping and glamping in Australia

Go glamping at Mayfield Garden near Oberon.

Stay in an off-grid ‘eco hut’ at Kimo Estate near Gundagai.

Stay at the Lake Argyle Resort next to Lake Argyle, the biggest lake in Western Australia.

Camp at Noosa Habitat by Lake Cootharabra in the Noosa Everglades near Noosa.

Camp right by the sand at Skenes Beach on the Lorne to Apollo Bay section of the Great Ocean Road.