Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
MURRAY
RIVER
Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
SIGHTS
&ACTIVITIES
Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
MURRAY
RIVER
animals, including a marsupial lion, a giant
echidna, Diprotodon australis (koala meets
grizzly bear), and Megalania prisca − 500kg
of bad-ass goanna.
The 26 limestone caves here, including
Alexandra ̈Cave, Cathedral ̈Cave and Vic-
toria ̈Fossil ̈Cave, have bizarre formations
of stalactites and stalagmites. Prospective
Bruce Waynes should check out the Bat ̈
Cave, from which thousands of endan-
gered southern bentwing bats exit en masse
at dusk during summer. You can see the
Wet ̈Cave by self-guided tour (adult/child/
family $9/5.50/25), but the others require
ranger-guided tours. Single-cave tours start
at adult/child/family $20/12/55. There’s also
budget accommodation here at Wirreanda ̈
Bunkhouse (%08-8762 2340; www �environ
ment �sa �gov �au/naracoorte;dm/poweredsites from
$22/25), which is often full of school kids but
can be booked by travellers.
For more local info and tips on places to
stay, contact Naracoorte ̈Visitor ̈Informa-
tion ̈Centre (%08-87621399; www �naracoorte
lucindale�com; 36 MacDonnellSt; h9am-5pmMon-
Fri, 10am-4pmSat &Sun) in Naracoorte.MURRAY RIVER
On the lowest gradient of any Australian riv-
er, the slow-flowing Murray hooks through
650 South Australian kilometres. Tamed by
weirs and locks, the Murray irrigates the
fruit trees and vines of the sandy Riverland
district to the north, and winds through the
dairy country of the Murraylands district to
the south. Raucous flocks of white corellas
and pink galahs launch from cliffs and river
red gums and dart across lush vineyards and
orchards.
Prior to European colonisation, the Murray
was home to Meru communities. Then came
shallow-draught paddle steamers, carry-ing wool, wheat and supplies from Murray
Bridge as far as central Queensland along
the Darling River. With the advent of rail-
ways, river transport declined. These days,
waterskiers, jet skis and houseboats crowd
out the river, especially during summer. If
your concept of riverine serenity doesn’t
include the roar of V8 inboards, then avoid
the major towns and caravan parks during
holidays and weekends.
Online, see http://www.themurrayriver.com.1 ̈Sights ̈& ̈Activities
Houseboating is big business on the Mur-
ray. Meandering along the river is great fun –
you just need to be over 18 with a current
driving licence. Boats depart from most
riverside towns; book ahead, especially be-
tween October and April.
The Houseboat ̈ Hirers ̈ Association
(%08-8231 8466, 1300 665 122; www �houseboat
bookings�com) website has pictures of each
boat and can make bookings on your behalf.
For a three-night weekend, expect to pay any-
where from $670 for two people to $2700
for a luxury 10-bed boat. Most boats sleep
at least two couples and there’s generally a
bond involved (starting at $200). Many pro-
vide linen − just bring food and fine wine.
See also SA Tourism’s Houseboat Holidays
booklet for detailed houseboat listings.88 Getting ̈There ̈& ̈Away
LinkSA(www�linksa�com �au)runsseveraldaily
busservicesbetweenAdelaideandMurray
Bridge($20,1¼hours),plusAdelaidetoMan-
num($27,2½hours)fromMondaytoFriday
(whichinvolvesabuschangeatMtBarkerin
theAdelaideHills)�Premier Stateliner(www�
premierstateliner�com �au)runsdailyRiverland
busesfromAdelaide,stoppinginWaikerie($42,
2½hours),Barmera($52,3¼hours),Berri($52,
3½hours)andRenmark($52,fourhours)�Buses
stopatLoxton($52,3¾hours)daily,except
Saturday�ROLLIN’ ̈ON ̈THE ̈RIVERUntil 2011, Old Man Murray was in dire straits, degraded by drought, salinisation, evapo-
ration, upstream irrigation and the demands of servicing SA’s domestic water require-
ments. Ecosystems were awry and many farmers faced bankruptcy. Debate raged over
solutions: federal control of the Murray-Darling Basin? Stiffer quotas for upstream ir-
rigators? A weir at Wellington? Opening the Goolwa barrages and letting salt water flood
the lower lakes? Things were grim.
In 2011 the drought broke: flooding upstream in Queensland, New South Wales and
Victoria and rains delivered by Tropical Cyclone Yasi got things flowing, purging the
backlog of silt and salt, and filling wetlands with life. But what about the future? See
http://www.savethemurray.com for the latest ideas on how to keep Old Man Murray a-flowin’.