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Goolwa to Renmark
25163 kms - 25763 kms
24th June - 1st August
Back when the land was flat and featureless, a giant turtle left his home on the east coast to go on a walkabout. He headed inland but didn't get far before he began to miss his ocean home. Travelling this way and that, dragging his enormous flippers through the landscape, he followed the smell of the sea. For thousands of kilometres he travelled the land, before reaching the ocean at last - diving in at a place we now know as the Southern Ocean, on S.A.'s south coast. This turtle's deep, winding tracks in the landscape had formed a vast and extensive network of creeks, billabongs, lagoons and rivers. He had created the mighty Murray.
- Ngarrindjeri story
Riding the Murray wouldn't be the quickest way back to Melbourne; in fact it would be twice as long as the most direct route. But by following the river I would be exploring one of the largest river systems in the world - a river that offers a truly unique way of life, and plays an important role in nearly every Australian's life. Over 2 million Australians live within the Murray-Darling basin, and the region supports 1/2 of the country's sheep, 1/4 of its cattle, 1/2 of its entire cropland, and 3/4 of its irrigated land. This part of the country is just as Oz as the Harbour Bridge, the Barrier Reef, or Uluru. My mission: to follow the River, as closely as possible, until Echuca in Victoria, before cutting down to Melbourne. My ride begins at the mouth of the Murray.
From Hindmarsh Island, if you squint hard enough, you can just make out a narrow little gap that connects the Coorong (a long, saltwater lagoon) to the Southern Ocean. Whilst I stood there, I thought about the trip I did down the Amazon River, and remembered not being able to see from one side of the river mouth to the other. It was hard to believe that the tiny little trickle in front of me - that you could just about jump over - was the mouth of the fourth largest river system on the planet. In 1981 the mouth actually closed up completely, and nearly happened again 5 years ago. Remarkably, even the first few European explorers - Baudin and Flinders - sailed straight past it in the early 1800's, and it wasn't until 30 years later that white man laid eyes on it.
View from Hindmarsh Island across the Coorong and towards the Murray Mouth
The Murray mouth
Between the Coorong and the river proper lies the largest freshwater lake in Australia, Lake Alexandrina (a series of barrages prevent the influx of saltwater into the lake). It was half a day's ride from Goolwa to travel its shores and reach the tiny settlement of Wellington - the last riverside town before the Murray reaches the sea. Wellington is also home to the first (1839) of 11 ferries that transport people, cars and bike riders from one side of the River to the other. I'd be making the most of these ferry services, as I criss-crossed my way up the South Australian section of the river from Wellington to Renmark.
Goolwa
What better place to start than at a brewery... the Steam Exchange, Goolwa
Milang, on the shores of Lake Alexandrina
Milang Jetty, and Lake Alexandrina
Wellington ferry (note 1956 flood level, at the 4m mark!)
Tailem Bend ferry
Murray Bridge countryside
Breakky stop, Zadow's Landing
Renee and Ash jumped on board for the ride from Mannum to Bow Hill along the scenic Front End Road
Murray cliffs
The Murray River Princess, near Swan Reach
Cold, but refreshing... a top way to end the day!
I didn't see a single swan in Swan Reach, but I met plenty of friendly locals. I was followed out of the community library (also the local primary school) by a mob of kids on bikes, who escourted me to the caravan park - interrogating me with a million questions along the way. In a short walk around the town that afternoon I was given a bag of home-grown mandarines, an offer of a bed in Loxton, and a brown paper bag full of pies and pasties from the ladies at the general store. In the pub that night I met a few more friendly characters, who had plenty of stories to tell, including some interesting ones about the floods that have come through the town. The older blokes had some funny yarns too, most of which involved the publican and policeman, who used to play practical jokes on eachother. I had a good old laugh trying to picture the cop glad-wrapping the publican to a barstool and leaving him there overnight... classic!
Swan Reach ferry, and flood markers (top one is 1956)
Next stop was Blanchetown. Although this town lies 250 kms from the mouth, it is only 3m above sea level (love this gradient!), but jumps to 6m above Lock 1. These 'locks' (of which there are 13) were built in the early 1900's to 'lock up' Murray River water to ensure there was always enough water in it for the boats to travel up and down. I sat eating my lunch overlooking Lock 1 when suddenly I heard a voice from behind "oh, it's the man from the paper!". The couple came over for a chat, and took my photo, before asking me "now how on earth did you manage to outrun a crocodile?". "Ay?" I replied, confused. "Yeah, and sleeping in trees... that must have been difficult...". "What?" I laughed. In a jiffy they went and fetched the newspaper from their car, and by the time I'd finished reading the article, I was in hysterics. Creative journalism, I think they call it.
Blanchetown, home to Lock 1
Lock 1 (boats enter the lock on the right hand side)
Ralph, reading the dramatic piece of journalism in the Fleurieu Times
Sustainable lawn-mower
After days of headwinds, it was a relief to finally reach the historic town of Morgan (formely known as Northwest Bend) - and turn the corner to head eastwards. I was now riding through the citrus belt, through the towns of Waikerie, Loxton and Berri (yep, home of Berri fruit juice), passing roadside fruit stalls every couple of kilometres (no risk of getting scurvy here!). The long, hot, dry, isolated roads I'd travelled on over the past 16 months seemed another world away, as I now passed through several towns in a day, and camped by freshwater every night. Riding now was a piece of cake.
Campsite, Northwest Bend, Morgan
Overland Corner campsite
Haha, I had to laugh when I saw this... "maybe". Typical river lifestyle!
One of the last stops I made in South Australia was at Banrock Station, which is amongst the most renowned eco-friendly wineries in the world. These guys do a top job. Part of every wine sale goes towards environmental conservation projects, in particular of wetland communities. No matter where you buy their wine around the world, money is put into projects in that particular country. They help out with scientific research - a lot of which is conducted on the wetlands that stretch out before you as you sip wine on the deck at the cellar door. The property is feral-free, and maintained as such by a solar-powered electric fence that surrounds Banrock Station. They have a magic little spot perched above the wetlands, where you can sit, dine, sample, and choose one of the many walks on offer to explore the surroundings. But just as importantly... they produce some very delicious wines...
Full moon rising above the Murray
By the time I got to Renmark, I'd travelled in every possible direction of the compass since leaving the Murray mouth. In fact, one day I travelled 60 kms in so many directions that I ended up camping only a few kms away from where I'd camped the night before, only on the other side of the river! Only on the Murray!
My final camp before leaving the state was in a beautiful little spot overlooking the wetlands, between Renmark and the S.A./NSW border. The next day I would pedal out of South Australia, into NSW (again), and cross over the river into Victoria. As I wrote in my diary that night, a few nerves jiggled around inside me as I realised how close I was to completing the loop around Australia.
Renmark foreshore
Renmark farmland
Last camp in South Australia
Day by day...
24th July: Middleton to Milang (via Goolwa)
25th July: Milang to Murray Bridge (via Wellington, Jervois, Tailem Bend)
26th July: Murray Bridge to Purnong (via Mypolonga, Mannum, Bow Hill)
27th July: Purnong to Swan Reach (via Nildottie)
28th July: Swan Reach to Morgan (via Blanchetown)
29th July: Morgan to Overland Corner (via Cadell, Waikerie)
30th July: Overland Corner to Morook (via Barmera, Cobdogla, Banrock Station)
31st July: Morook to Berri (via Loxton)
1st August: Berri to Wentworth Rd Bush Camp (via Renmark, Cooltong) |
