Hi everyone. I hope you and yours are doing well. It is winter here in Australia, and I have had a bad cold, and wishing I was somewhere warm.
Welcome back to my blog and my series about my recent trip across Australia from Western Australia to Victoria. If you missed last week, you can catch up here - Part 3 - South Australia
This week we leave Burra in South Australia, travel down to Morgan along the Murray River, to Waikerie and Loxton to Renmark, just inside the South Australlian/Victorian border. Then across the border to Mildura, Wentworth, Swan Hill and Lake Boga in Victoria.
Here is the map from our SPOT tracker. The squiggly blue line is the Murray River.
The Murray River is one of the world's longest navigatable rivers. It starts in the Australian Alps, near Mount Kosciuszko in New South Wales. It then runs 2,700 kilometres across the top of the state of Victoria through South Australia to the Southern Ocean on the south coast of South Australia near Goolwa, and forms the border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria.
Long before European settlement, Aboriginal people lived along the river, and it was travelled by some of Australia's earliest European explorers. By the late 1800s, it was a busy trading route with boats and paddlesteamers carrying supplies to outlying stations and homesteads, and bringing cargo, wool and passengers to Adelaide.
Today some people live on house boats which are common along the river, or you can hire a house boat or book a half day, full day or several day cruise sleeping on board a paddle steamer. You can learn more here - Visit Victoria - The Murray River.
On a previous trip to South Australia in 2013 we stayed by the Murray River at Mannum and followed the river to the ocean. I made sure we criss-crossed the river using every ferry crossing possible. In many places the only way you can cross the river is by ferry that takes cars, caravans and trucks, running 24 hours a day, at no cost to the traveller.
Leaving Burra, our first stop was Morgan. Settled in 1878 it played an important role along the Murray River trade link. We went down to the old wharf which unfortunately now seems to be derelict, however Morgan still has much to attract visitors.
We parked by the silos painted by Jimmy DVate and Garry Duncan, featuring native flora and fauna, including a giant yabby and the endangered Regent Parrot. You can read more about it here - Waikerie silos art
The name ‘Waikerie’ is said to mean ‘many wings’, after the giant swift moth ‘Weikari’, the name given to the moth by the Indigenous first peoples of the area.
Both artists used exterior enamel paints, Garry exclusively, while Jimmy mainly used aerosol spray cans. The work took 16 weeks to complete and used nearly 500 litres of paint.
From the silos carpark there is a 3.5km return cliff top walk with loookouts over the Murray River. There is also free overnight camping. Waikerie was probably another place that deserved a longer stop over - but it wasn't to be.
Below is a Peace Pole # 68 - erected by the Waikerie Roatary Club in 2023, and part of the global Peace Pole Project. This is one of 250,000 poles erected around the world with the simple goal to spread the Universal Message of Peace. Started by Mahahsia Goi in 1955 in Japan inspired by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WW2.
The message is simple - May Peace Prevail on Earth. You can learn more here - Peace Pole Project. I am wondering if you have ever seen a peace pole? There is a map you can go to find out where they are - experience.arcgis.peace pole project
After lunch by the Murray River, we explored the Loxton Historic Village. Here you can learn about the region's early settlers, told through 45 recreated buildings and exhibits. All of the buildings have been relocated or built on site. We spent a couple of hours here, but you could easily spend longer. Please check the website for opening hours and entry fees.
Established in 1970, the village is run by a dedicated team of 70 volunteers, shop staff and manager. The village has market and other special days through the year where the village comes alive. School teachers are encouraged to use the resources of the village. There are several programs for school children.
For children, ask for a Look and Find tick sheet, which can direct your wandering as you look for the items in the displays.
There is a blacksmith, pioneer's hut, chapel, school, general store, bakery, telephone exchange, general store, bank and much more to explore. It is fascinating to wander around, you might even see something from your childhood! We certainly did!
Below are two unusual houses - a Nissan hut with the curved roof - you can see the inside of it below the main photo. The image on the right is a hut made out of mallee roots (an Australian tree). And below that a settlers kitchen.
Nissen huts were semi-cylindrical (like half a tin can) prefabricated from corregated iron. Invented during WW1 by British engineer Peter Nissen for fast, low-cost military field accommodation. Following both World Wars, governments sold surplus huts to state and local authorities to alleviate the housing crises.
Our next stop was Renmark on the Murray river, about 55 kilometres from the South Australian / Victorian border. We stayed in the river side Echo Holiday Park caravan park overnight.
My husband takes photos of birds. Below you can see clockwise from top left - Wood Duck (Mane Goose), Little Grebe (with dinner in its beak!), Crested Pigeon, and Eastern Swamp Hen. Little grebes are diving waterbirds that eat small fish, acquatic insects, tadpoles and crustaceans.
We went into the Visitor Information Centre in Renmark and went on the paddle boat tied up at the wharf (free adminssion). You can see some house boats in the background of the river scene below.
Below is the historic Paringa bridge near the caravan park. Traffic can go both ways separated by a walk way down the middle which was once a rail track. We walked along the bridge in the afternoon, and then next day towed our caravan across. There is not much room each side of your vehicle, so take it easy driving across.
Opened in 1927, it is South Australia's only lift bridge. The bridge's vertical lift span is designed to rise 9.1 metres to allow tall boats and houseboats to pass through. That would certainly be something to see! Sceduled openings are at 9.30am and 2.30pm daily. Other times, boat skippers must give 2 hours notice.
Just across the bridge is silo art at Paringa, by artists Jack Gran and Sam Brooks, celebrating local identities. Read more about them here - Paringa Silo art
From Renmark-Paringa we crossed the border into Victoria and continued to Mildura, our next stop on our trip, 138 km from Renmark, and booked into the Mildura Riverside Holiday caravan park just out of town. We are now in the Riverland district where there are vineyards and orchards. You can walk along the river just down from the caravan park.
We went to the fantastic Mildura Visitor Information Centre (one of the best visitor centres we had ever seen), and collected local information and found out what the daylight saving time was! It can be confusing when travelling across borders and time zones.
Down at the river we saw a cruise boat coming through a Lock. So interesting how it works raising and lowering the water levels. Construction of the Lock 11 and weir began in 1923, and was completed in 1927. The weirs and locks along the Murray River are important for regulating the flow of the river, which at different times can be flooded, or completely dry. This lack of consistency caused problems for towns and boats along the river.
The Mildura # 11 Lock is a concrete chamber 61.5 m long, 17.1 m wide and 7.6 m deep. The boat comes into the lock, and ties up. The gates are shut, then water is pumped in so that the water in the lock is the same height as the river on the other side. The gates are opened and the boat motors out. Amazing.
Downstream lockage is operated by the lockperson on the hour and upstream lockage is operated on the half hour (with a boat booking). Refer to the website for more information - Mildura Lock
I wish I had taken a video to show you, but here is a You Tube video I found -
Flash boat hey! There are many house and cruise boats up and down the river - house boats that people live on, or for hire.
Next day we crossed the Murray and Darling Rivers into New South Wales and drove to the town of Wentworth to visit the Perry Sandhills just a couple of kilometres out of town. The sandhills were used in an early scene in the Man From Snowy River Part 2 movie, as well as Burke and Wills, Flying Doctors and Boney. (our son loves film locations)
The tree you can see here engulfed by sand is called the God Tree. This is a Murray River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), which is over 500 years old. Over time, the sand has completely covered the trunk of the tree (perhaps 15 to 20 foot), so that if you walk underneath the branches you are actually standing in the canopy of the tree. I haven't been able to find out why it is called the God Tree.
According to geologists, the Perry Sandhills have been formed by wind erosion and are around 40,000 years old. Skeletal remains of giant mega-fauna (kangaroos, lions, emus, wombats and goanas) have been found here.
Back in Wentworth we had lunch in a lovely park at the confluence of the Murray and Darling Rivers, where there are picnic tables and a lookout tower. It doesn't look much in this photo, but to get to this point the Darling River has run 2,740 kilometres from Queensland, and the Murray River has run 1,686km from the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales. From here they join and run another 832km through South Australia to the Southern Ocean.
A few more birds from my husband - clockwise from top left - Noisy Miner, Pied Butcher Bird, Yellow Rosella, and a Mudlark (Magpie Lark).
After a couple of nights in Mildura we were on the road again - fuel was now $3.13 a litre! - still influenced by the Middle East conflict.
Our next overnight stop was Swan Hill, on the way passing through Ouyen (grain growing region), and Piangil (vineyards, orchards and vegetable gardens).
After setting up camp at the Swan Hill Riverside caravan park we drove 15km further on to Lake Boga - the location of a secret flying boat WW2 catalina repair base and secret decoding bunker in WW2. We watched a 25 minute movie before exploring the museum exhibits. In the decoding bunker female clerks played an important role decoding incoming and encoding outgoing messages throughout the South Pacific theatre of war in WW2, as well as monitoring aircraft movements.
Please check the website for opening hours and entrance costs.
The museum is on the edge of Lake Boga, popular all year round for water-based activities.
I hope you have enjoyed my blog post today, and my continuing travels across Australia. If you missed any previous posts, please find them in the left hand side Blog Archive side bar drop down list.
Until then, take care everyone, and stay well and happy.
Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week.
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
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Until then, enjoy your day...Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy, be kind, and be with people who make you smile.
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