Travel expert makes surprise ‘Palm Springs’ discovery in Aussie country town

What do Palm Springs and Mildura have in common? Nothing.... until now.

Like its inspiration in the California desert, Trentham Waters is also an oasis, but this one’s on the Murray River in the Sunraysia region of Victoria.

John Walsh was Executive Producer of the TV travel series Getaway from 1999-2024. You can follow John on Instagram @thegetawayexpert.

It’s not a motel, it’s not a hotel, it’s not a holiday park. It’s a fully integrated resort where you can spend a night or the rest of your life. 

The resort is the culmination of a dream of Mildura-born Supercar champ Rick Kelly and his family who broke ground on the 240-acre project in 2023.

The motivation for the resort’s look and feel came from Rick and wife Elysia’s travels to Palm Springs during Rick’s racing career. Not only did they love the retro desert-modern design, Mildura is a semi-arid environment with hot summers and so lent itself to the Palm Springs vibe.

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The resort

Trentham opened last December and is fully operational as a resort, but that’s not the end of the story. 

So far, there are one-, two- and three-bedroom fully self-contained villas, caravan sites (including some pet-friendly, and River Retreats right on the Murray coming in December.

The final chapter is Trentham Living which will feature 119, three- and four-bedroom premium residences being built as permanent homes. 

I stayed in a one-bedroom villa right opposite the pool. King bed, featuring a bath and second TV in the bedroom, fully-equipped galley kitchen, living room and deck.

One nifty feature I have to applaud is the wristband which replaces a key or key card. You slip it on your wrist at the start of your stay, and you never have to worry about losing your key. 

There were a range of caravan site sizes. And something I’d never seen before, for an extra charge you can hire a site with an ensuite that looks like a tiny cabin. 

You can get a one-bedroom villa for around $200 in the off-season which is a good deal for the quality of accommodation and a van site from $59.

But what I really liked no matter whether you’ve booked a top of the line villa or towed your old Jayco, everyone has access to the star attraction.

A 48-metre long Lagoon Pool & Spa which looks like something out of a… well…Palm Springs resort, or Miami celebrity compound.   

The pool has deck chairs and cabanas and separate to the main pool is a splash park with slides, spray zone and kids pool with one of those giant tilting buckets to keep the little ones soaked and happy.

Even if you’re not staying at Trentham you can get a Swim Club Day Pass to give you and the family access to the facilities. 

Just off the pool deck is Kokomo, a stylish bar and restaurant for poolside drinks or a lunchtime burger or dinner. No breakfast, though.

You can get a coffee at reception but if you want breakfast you’ll need to stock up with your own supplies (you can order groceries from QR code in the villa), drive into Mildura 20 minutes away or my tip go next door to the 24-hour servo called The Cliffs Roadhouse. You’ll be pleased to know smashed avo on toast and barista coffee has made it out here.  

Back on site there’s a gym, bush walks, playground, tennis and pickle ball courts, BMX-style track pump track due for completion this month, mini-golf by then end of the year and of course, the Murray itself which runs right along the property boundary which is on the NSW side of the river.

For van fans there’s an excellent communal kitchen and campfire pit for toasting marshmallows and telling fibs about the size of the fish that got away. 

All this is presenting a picture of a stunning summer resort – which it is. I visited in winter, so the chilly days weren’t pool-friendly, but it’s still a great place to base yourself for offsite activities so that’s just what I did.

Things to do in Mildura

Paddle Boat

Probably the two most famous things about the Murray are paddle boats and Murray Cod. I don’t fish, so I opted for the paddle boat. I hopped on the Rothbury, a former towing barge that worked the Murray for 50 years before being converted from paddle steamer to diesel vessel and now hauls passengers instead of wool and timber.    

I joined the two-hour cruise with Mildura Paddle Steamers from Wentworth, about 40 minutes from Trentham Waters. The departure wharf is right on the mouth of the Darling River before it intersects with the Murray, so I got to experience Australia’s two grandest rivers for the price of one.

Once we shook off the last drops of the Darling we settled in for a leisurely exploration of the Murray.

The big paddle churns through the water and produces the ideal speed for viewing  the extraordinary amount of bird life along the river. 

We saw dozens of pelicans (sometimes a thousand or more I’m told) black swans, great egrets and whistling kites all making their homes along the flat floodplains and river redgum forest.

Winery

About two minutes up the road from Trentham Waters is Trentham Estate (no relation) one of the prettiest wineries I’ve come across. Because you most often find wineries in dry, cool environments you don’t expect to discover them on the lush banks of a river, in this case the Murray.

Trentham is probably best known for its Shiraz and Chardonnay. You can taste test them at the bar then buy one for lunch and spend the afternoon at a table on the sprawling lawn that rolls down to the river’s edge.

Sound & Light Show

OK, this is something different. Eighty Hills Hoists (yes, the clotheslines) festooned with strands of optical lights pulsing to the rhythm of an original classical music score.

Not something you see every day, but you can catch them Thursdays and Saturdays in the Perry Sandhills just outside Wentworth at a display called Fibre Optic Symphonic Orchestra or FOSO.

This light and sound wonder was created by Bruce Munro better known for FOSO’s more famous sibling Field of Light at Uluru. The idea is to rock up about half an hour before sunset, get a drink from the bar and chill out on the deck overlooking the array and feel the anticipation build as the sun dips below the horizon and Bruce’s magic comes to life.

After that, there are no rules. You can wander about the display at your own pace and be absorbed in a light and sound induced meditative state (or in my case a frigid state induced by the biting cold). It was a cool and cool night out.

So, I came here to check out Trentham Waters and this is what I discovered. I flew into the Victorian town of Mildura, but everything except Mildura around here seems to be in NSW.

The Murray, the resort, the winery, the paddle boat and the light show. No judgement. Just an observation.   

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The verdict

Trentham is an audacious idea in an unlikely area but knowing Rick Kelly’s record on the track I wouldn’t like to bet against him making a big success of the project.

Would I fly here just to stay at Trentham? In winter, no. But I would use it as a base for exploring the region? Definitely yes.

Summer’s a different story. I can’t think of too many resorts in regional Australia I’d recommend for a fly’n’flop holiday but Trentham may just qualify.

John stayed as a guest of Trentham Waters Mildura.