Cruising on the River Murray
Captain Proud at Swanport Reserve Murray Bridge
A major focus for visitors to my home town of Murray Bridge is the River Murray. As it is Australia’s largest river most tourists inevitably head for the the river for a significant part of their holiday in the region. There are so many ways to have a really relaxing time near or on the river, including:
- picnics
- fishing
- canoeing
- boating
- water skiing
- sailing (yes -there is a sailing club here)
- restaurant boats
- cruise boats
- house boat cruises
- birdwatching
- photography
- walking trails
Picnics
Even though I live in Murray Bridge, I have enjoyed many of the above activities. My wife and I often take a picnic lunch, or buy lunch from our favourite local bakery to take down to the river reserve to enjoy the peaceful river environment. It has been many years since we last tried to catch fish, but many people do enjoy this relaxing pastime. Our favourite canoeing spot is near the Swanport Reserve. Birdwatching and photography have also been a favourite activity for me (see my birding blog here).
Sailing and Canoeing
I have only tried sailing on the river once. This was near Swanport Reserve just south of the town where the river has a long straight stretch of water over 100 metres wide. It was on a two person, twin-hulled catamaran. This proved to be an exhilarating experience heightened somewhat by the timidity of my sailing partner for the afternoon. Both of us were first-timers yet we managed to keep the craft upright and did not suffer the indignity of a dunking. Years ago we also canoed several times in this part of the river.
River Cruises
These days one has a choice of several different ways to cruise the river in larger boats. House boating is very popular with visitors but I have only ever been on one, and only then for an hour or so, not to sleep on board. I have been on several cruise boats. These cruises can extend from an hour or two to a whole day and several even have weekend or week long cruises. I’ve been on several of the shorter trips and these are always very relaxing with great food and a wonderful platform to experience a different perspective of the river environs, including the bird life.
Noisy Miner at Swanport Reserve
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The Adelaide Hills
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
One of the delights of living where we do is the close proximity of the Adelaide Hills. This is a fuzzy region to define and is generally regarded as the part of the Mt Lofty Ranges in South Australia which overlooks our capital city Adelaide.
Beautiful Drives
There are many beautiful drives that one can take through the Adelaide Hills and other parts of the Mt. Lofty Ranges. The hills are home to numerous small villages and towns, some of them quaint and peaceful, set as they are amongst the rolling hills all around. There are numerous vineyards and fruit orchards set among the dairy and sheep farms. Everywhere are the towering Eucalypt trees, so evocative of the typical Australian rural landscape.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
Parks and Gardens
Adelaide is also renowned for its parks and gardens. These are scattered throughout the metropolitan area as well as in the Adelaide Hills. The above photos show just one such park, the Mt Lofty section of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. This is delightful at any time of the year but particularly so in spring time. On our last visit a few months ago it was so peaceful with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze. Picture perfect and so relaxing.
Birdwood, South Australia
Yesterday on our way back from a business trip to Adelaide we stopped for afternoon tea at a bakery in the small Adelaide Hills town of Birdwood. Although it was a cool afternoon it was very pleasant sitting in the warm bakery enjoying our hot chocolate and some tasty items of food from the bakery. I had a delicious Vanilla Slice. As I travel around Australia I have to try out the local versions of this delicious cake. I have yet to find a bakery that can match our local bakery here in Murray Bridge.
National Motor Museum
The most popluar attraction in Birdwood would have to be the National Motor Museum.
The National Motor Museum is the recognised centre in Australia for the research, recording and preservation of all aspects of Australia’s road motor transport history. With a collection comprising 400 cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles, the National Motor Museum is home to an internationally acclaimed collection of vintage, veteran and classic vehicles.
The museum is less than an hour’s dirve from Adelaide and is a wonderful destination for anyone interested in cars. More than that, anyone interested in the cultural heritage of our state will find things of interest.
… the collection is about more than the vehicles; it is also about the people behind the vehicles. The owners, drivers and designers of vehicles as well as those who helped build and sell them.
It has been many years since my last visit to the museum. Although we did not have time to visit yesterday, I made a mental note to return someday soon. It is also less than a hour’s drive from home, so there is no excuse.
Gumeracha, South Australia
Today we had to travel to Adelaide on business. One of the places we needed to go was out in the northern parts of the city. Instead of returning via our usual route along the South Eastern Freeway to home in Murray Bridge, we took an alternative route through the Adelaide Hills.
Our journey took us through a beautiful part of the Adelaide Hills to the small town of Gumeracha. It has a population of some 700 people with the district concentrating on farming, orchards, vineyards and especially olive growing. The town is in the Torrens Valley and the road meanders through the hills with frequent views of the upper reaches of the River Torrens. The River Torrens eventually flows close to the CBD of Adelaide, our state’s capital city. In fact, the river is but a pleasant ten minute stroll from the main shopping precinct.
The pleasant town of Gumeracha is well known by many South Australian families. This is due to the fact that its main attraction is The Big Rocking Horse. It has long claimed the title of being the biggest rocking horse in the world. This is situated right next to The Toy Factory, a mecca for children and tourists alike.
… the Toy Factory is now fully operational, manufacturing a huge range of hand made wooden toys at factory direct prices.
The Rocking Horse is truly enormous and one can climb the steps to the top with a great view available up and down the valley. A coffee shop and toy shop are a part of the complex and really worth a visit.
The whole compex including
… a seven-acre Bush Park, with free entry, now boasts an array of bird life, ponds, kangaroos, emus and bettongs.
To see a photo of the horse click here.
Discover South Australia
In my last post I talked about the local channel 9 television programme “Postcards from South Australia.” Another local station, channel 7 have a similar programme called “Discover South Australia.”
Strangely, a thorough search did not turn up a web presence. Odd. Still, even though it also features many wonderful aspects of our state, it is nowhere near as good as the “Postcards” show, in my opinion. It also tends to be more lifestyle oriented than strictly directed at the local tourist industry.
An episode of “Discover” we watched several years ago did encourage us to go somewhere we might not normally have visited. We were planning a short holiday in Mt Gambier in the South East district of the state. On our way we detoured slightly to have lunch in the Mundulla Hotel. This turned out to be your typical Aussie country pub with excellent food and a lovely atmosphere. It was well worth the effort to visit.
I watched the programme again this evening. Interesting without being inspired to do anything special. You get that.