Cheap flights to Mildura from $2,799

City overview

Flights to Mildura take just 40 minutes from Melbourne. Lots of visitors – bound for the orchards and vineyards on working holidays – will arrive by coach, train and car too. Once they arrive, they’ll discover that, like many of the street names in Broken Hill, that honour its roots as a mining town, several streets in Mildura are named after the fruits that are grown here. Orange, Lemon, Lime, Cherry and Olive are just a few of them.

Take a flight to Mildura and visit this part of northwestern Victoria (and southwestern New South Wales) is known as Sunrayasia. The region produces 80 per cent of the country’s dried fruit and 85 per cent of Victoria’s wine-making grapes, not to mention a fair chunk of Australia’s citrus fruit harvest.

As Mildura Tourism says: “It starts with the river.” George and William Chaffey, Canadian brothers, founded an irrigation settlement along the banks of the Murray River in the 1880s. When soldier settlers and migrants from Ireland, England, Greece, Italy and the former Yugoslavia arrived, they brought with them the cultivation skills that helped to make Mildura the food bowl of Victoria.

The gourmet trail around Mildura is a delicious one. There are fine restaurants and wineries. Mildura also has a thriving arts scene. The mighty Murray River might just be the city’s greatest asset – for gazing at, fishing in or sailing along in a houseboat.

Mildura climate

The climate is Mediterranean, with hot dry summers and mild winters. The summer months, December through February, see plenty of sunshine and hot weather. Temperatures can vary but 35 to 40 degrees Celsius is commonplace in the city, so make sure you pack lots of sunscreen if you’re visiting during this time. Autumn days, from March to May, are warm, while the evenings can become chilly. During the winter months of June through August, the temperature drops on average between 15 and 4 degrees and frost can occur. Spring (September to November), similarly to autumn, sees warm days and cooler nights. There is no rainy season, and rainfall can happen throughout the year, although it is more common from May to October. Weather-wise, the best times to visit are in summer, autumn and spring and this can depend on whether you prefer the heat of the sun or would rather explore the city when it is a little cooler.

Getting around Mildura

A car is necessary for getting out and about. Sunraysia Bus Lines serve Mildura, Red Cliffs and Merbein. Coomealla Bus Lines run weekday services between Mildura, Buronga, Dareton and Wentworth.

Getting to the city from the airport

Mildura Airport (MQL) is 10km from the town centre, on Allen Matthews Drive. Several car rental companies have desks at Mildura Airport (MQL) but do book in advance to save time preferably once you have booked your flights to Mildura. Taxis are also available.

What is good to know if travelling to Mildura?

• Rio Vista is the mansion that W.B. Chaffey built in 1889. It’s now a museum and gallery.
• Red Cliffs is home to the Lindemans Karadoc Winery, one of the largest wineries in Australia. It’s not open to tours but visitors can sample the wines at its Winery Cellar Door. There’s a cafe that serves coffee and light lunches.
• The Trentham Estate Winery, 15km from Mildura has a restaurant and cellar door sales too. 
• Some would say that Stefano de Pieri has put Mildura on the foodie map. There are several eateries dotted around Mildura, including the Quality Hotel Mildura Grand, Stefano’s Restaurant, Cafe Bakery and Pub Brewery. There’s also Gallery 25 that exhibits artwork by Australian artists. 
• The Sunraysia Farmers’ Market takes place at the botanic gardens on the first and third Saturdays of the month at the botanic gardens. 
• The Australian Inland Botanic Gardens displays plants from around the world by region, country or continent of origin. The Australian sections are organised by state. The European Summer and 2,500-year-old WOW tree are just two of the must-sees. 
• The Hattah-Kulkyne and Mungo national parks are a couple of hours’ drive away. Heart-stopping desert landscapes and evidence of indigenous campfires and middens going back almost 50,000 years await walkers and campers.