Adel Aide & South AuStr Ali AMURRAYRIVERAdel Aide & South AuStr Ali ASIGHTSAdel Aide & South AuStr Ali AMURRAYBRIDGEMurray Bridge
POP 18,370
SA’s largest river town is a rambling regional
hub (the fifth-biggest town in SA) with lots
of old pubs but an underutilised riverfront,
a huge prison and not a great deal of charm.
1 ̈Sights
Murray ̈Bridge ̈Regional ̈Gallery ̈ GALLERY
(www�murraybridgegallery�com �au; 27 6th St;
h10am-4pmTue-Sat,11am-4pmSun) F This
is the town’s cultural epicentre and houses
touring and local exhibitions: painting, ce-
ramics, glasswear, jewellery and prints.
Monarto ̈Zoo ̈ ZOO
(www�monartozoo�com �au; Princes Hwy, Monarto;
adult/child/family $31 �50/18/85;h9�30am-5pm,
last entry 3pm) About 14km west of town, the
excellent open-range zoo is home to Austral-
ian and African beasts including cheetahs,
rhinos and giraffes (and the cute offspring
thereof). A hop-on/hop-off bus tour is in-
cluded in the price; keeper talks happen
throughout the day.
Captain ̈Proud ̈Paddle ̈Boat ̈Cruises ̈CRUISE
(%0466 304 092; www �captainproud�com �au;
Wharf Rd; 1/2/3hr cruises $25/45/49) River
cruises from one-hour sightseeing to longer
jaunts with lunch, high tea or drinks and
cheese platters. Call for times and bookings.
4 ̈Sleeping
Adelaide ̈Road ̈Motor ̈Lodge ̈MOTEL$
(%08-8532 1144; www �adelaiderdmotorlodge�
com; 212 AdelaideRd; dfrom $80, tr &q$130-215;
aWs) If you’re stuck for a bed here, your
best bet is probably this funky ’60s number
with a 21st-century facelift – one of sever-
al motels on the road in from the Murray
Bridge–Adelaide freeway.
88 Information
Murray Bridge Visitor Information Centre
(%1800 442 784, 08-83391142; www �murray
bridge�sa �gov �au; 3SouthTce; h9am-5pm)
Stocksthe Murray Bridge Accommodation
Guideand Eating Out in Murray Bridgebro-
chures,and has info on river-cruiseoperators�
Mannum to Waikerie
Clinging to a narrow strip of riverbank
84km east of Adelaide, improbably cute
Mannum (population 6750) is the unof-
ficial houseboat capital of the world! The
Mary Ann, Australia’s first riverboat, was
knocked together here in 1853 and made
the first paddle-steamer trip up the Murray.
The Mannum visitor information centre in-
corporates the Mannum ̈Dock ̈Museum ̈of ̈
River ̈History (www�psmarion�com; 6 RandellSt,
Mannum;adult/child$7 �50/3 �50), featuring info
on local Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal communi-
ties, an 1876 dry dock and the restored 1897
paddle steamer PS Marion, on which you
can occasionally chug around the river.
Breeze ̈ Holiday ̈ Hire (%0438 802 668;
www �murrayriver�com �au/breeze-holiday-hire-1052)
hires out canoes and kayaks (per day $75),
dinghies with outboards (per day $95) and
fishing gear (per day $15), and can get you
waterskiing too.
From Mannum to Swan Reach, the east-
ern riverside road often tracks a fair way
east of the river, but various lookouts en
route help you scan the scene. Around 9km
south of Swan Reach, the Murray takes a
tight meander called Big ̈Bend, a sweep-
ing river curve with pock-marked, ochre-
coloured cliffs.
Sedentary old Swan Reach (population
850), 70km southwest of Waikerie, is a bit of
a misnomer: an old pub and plenty of peli-
cans but not many swans.
A citrus-growing centre oddly festooned
with TV antennas, Waikerie (population
4630) takes its name from the Aboriginal
phrase for ‘anything that flies’. There’s plenty
of bird life around here, with 180 species re-
corded at Gluepot ̈Reserve (%08-88929600;
www �riverland�net �au/gluepot; Gluepot Rd; cars
per day/overnight$5/10;h8am-6pm), a mallee
scrub area 64km north of Waikerie (off Lunn
Rd) and part of Unesco’s Bookmark Bio-
sphere Reserve. Before you head off, check
with Waikerie’s Shell service station on Peake
Tce to see if you’ll need a gate key.T ̈Tours
Jester ̈Cruises ̈ CRUISE
(%0419 909 116, 08-85692330;www �jestercruises�
com �au; 1¾/2½hrtours $30/60) Cruise up and
down the river from Mannum on the 40-seat
Jester, running most days.Proud ̈Mary ̈ CRUISE
(%08-8406 444; www �proudmary�com �au; 1½hr
tour adult/child$55/40) Lunch cruises on a big
boat on the big river, departing from Man-
num. Brush up on your Creedence Clearwa-
ter Revival lyrics.