Menindee Lakes have the capacity to hold three and a half times more water than Sydney Harbour and is seven and a half times the area. This makes the town of Menindee, on the banks of the tree-lined Darling River an oasis in the outback and the sunsets are gorgeous.
This is one of the finest freshwater fishing spots in NSW, with Murray cod, golden perch, silver perch, European carp, crayfish and catfish in abundant supply. The lakes and rivers are great for water sports, too - water-skiing, sailing and safe swimming. Copi Hollow, an artificially constructed lake developed for speedboats, sailing, swimming and water-skiing. Bring binoculars the lakes and surrounding wetlands are an important breeding habitat for over 170 different bird species many of them are waterbirds.
The dry sand-dunes around the lakes have given up some of the most prolific and consistently early remnants of human existence anywhere in the world - with fossils and marked stones of the Barkindji people and their ancestors dating back 26,000 years.
Menindee was the first town on the Darling, be sure to find the two historic trees - one marked by a survey team in 1882 and one in Yartla Street that marks the height of the 1890 floods. Take a heritage walk past 19 historic sites to uncover a colourful past featuring local characters.
