Menindee is a small town on the banks of the Darling River in New South Wales, Australia. It is 1,271 km west of the state capital, Sydney.[1] There are about 980 people who live in Menindee.[1] The explorer Major Thomas Mitchell was the first Europen to visit the area in 1835. He named the lakes in the area Laidley Ponds.[1] A hotel was built by Tom Paine in 1853, which became an important supply base for the Burke and Wills expedition in 1860.[1]