The Little Desert
National Park

375 Kilometres North West of Melbourne
Sure! I'd seen the Kalahari, but I'd never been to the desert in my own state. I decided to drive to Dimbola, stay overnight and spend all the next day driving through the Li'll Desert National Park.

I intended to take both my sons but couldn't prize the youngest from his computer.

Anyway, I hired a new Prado expressly to drive it across the sand. If you're expecting dunes the size of mountains you'll be dissappointed by the little desert. It's more a bush velt with chest high scrub growing on sand base.

I did this park last October and stayed at the Dimbola Motel which I strongly recommend. Three beds per room, inexpensive and absolutely spotless. I entered the park just past Nhill and drove for around three-quarters of an hour and then did a one-hours walk.

I had my Garmin GPS device with me. You really need it here as it's easy to get lost.

The park was incredibly striking. It had rained recently and the flowers were in full bloom.

I saw the eastern and the central blocks. Many of the tracks in the park date back to pastoral subdivisions. Although, for the most part there was no agricultural use, in freehold tenements adjoing the park, the vivid yellow of the canola crop in full bloom (a brilliant sight in its own right), suggests that the land had some agricultural potential.

Pictures: 1. Hire Car, 2. Deserrt colour, 3. Desert landscape, 4. Little Desert panorama 5. Canola field 6. Daniel at the Little Desert. Click to enlarge each image.