MURRAY RIVER
The Murray River flows through the centre of lower Southern Australia, breathing life into the land around it – it is part of one of the largest river systems in the world. There is so much for the visitor to see and do. The romantic history of the river, is recaptured in museums, and restored paddle steamers. There are all water sports imaginable, from water skiing to canoeing.
If there is one word that describes South Australia’s River land, it’s BIG!
In sheer volume, the citrus fruits, grapes and vegetables that are produced along the Murray are big. And so are the Riverland people. No ordinary people could have carved a niche out of semi arid country against the incredible odds that had to be surmounted last century.No ordinary people could have survived the trials tribulations of nature and market forces over the years
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The river always inspires, but you haven’t tasted pleasure until you’ve spent some time on a Murray River houseboat! You should explore the Riverland. You will quickly get a taste for its rich diversity and want to come back, again and again.
A lifeline for many and the ultimate escape for others, the River Murray offers endless options for exploration and enjoyment. Australia’s major waterway binds together three very different areas within this region – Ending in the sea at Goolwa, South Australia, stretching through the Adelaide Hills to the Victorian border.
The Murray River passes through the Murray Mallee, which takes its name from the hardy mallee tree that covers this region. A combination of determination and hard work has transformed this land into viable agriculture. Such efforts generated a strong community spirit with persists today.
Wildlife and water sports, houseboats and heritage trails make up some of the key attractions to the region. Every major town has houseboats for hire, waiting to be taken up or down-river on voyages of discovery. For the boat owner, there are marina facilities where boats can be moored while a restaurant meal is enjoyed or the landscape explored. Turn the corner, and you step back into the early years of paddle steamers and pioneering ventures. The tranquility of the Australian outback is a well known fact and a nowhere can it be more pronounced than in the Mid Murraylands.
The region is welcoming and uncomplicated to the independent traveler with its wide range of unique natural features and services. Once you are placed in this central region of peace and freedom with nature it’s hard to imagine that Adelaide is only 1 1⁄2 hours distant, or that mainstream tourism can be accessed in all directions within a very short time.
The region is commonly known as the Murray Plains and has had 3 distinct phases of human occupation, being; the Aboriginal Native, British Pastoralists 1840’s and Germanic Close settlement 1870’s to date. Although this is an ancient land its present shallow soil and flora known as Mallee is only a relatively recent development from the Pleistocene period of the last 10,000 years following the recession of sea levels. Calcareous fossils are discernible throughout the entire region.
Sit back and savour the atmosphere – sunlight dancing on the water where a fishing line bobs; the call of parrots and kookaburras overhead; the reflection of gum trees and orange cliffs and glorious sunsets and silence. Sheep and cattle drovers followed in the wake of Captain Sturt’s 1830 exploration and today the Murraylands has successful beef, sheep and dairying industries. The region’s position between Adelaide and Victoria also makes it a thoroughfare – for goods and traveler’s. The 1850s gold rush days saw Police Commissioner Tolmer’s Gold Escort transporting the precious mined metal between the Victorian goldfields and Adelaide.
Railways and roads have forged even stronger links between the state borders. For those who value a landscape of changing colours, a taste of pioneer history and the charms of The Murray, this region offers a unique experience.
To find out more on the history of the Murray River. Visit Discover Murray River.
Contact White Houseboats for information about the houseboats and for booking enquiries.