UP THE MURRAY, OFF TO MT. GAMBIER & LAST DAYS IN ADELAIDE

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Following in the oar marks of Captain Sturt who rowed the Murray River in 1830, we spent five very pleasant days on the water and amongst the wildlife of one of the world’s great waterways. The Murray may have been known to man for well over 30,000 years but during the last century houseboats, paddle steamers and ferries have become more prevalent and plied their trade up and down the river; many of them originating from our point of departure; Mannum. Much of the landscape is unique to South Australia and looking back on our trip we experienced an environment that is steeped in beauty and a wonderfully relaxing holiday on our boat “Unforgettable 2” – a great name for a hire boat but sadly I was still humming Nat King Cole and Natalee Cole’s duet when we returned the boat; never been one of my favourites but I can still hear it.



A few days before we left for Mannum Julia Gillard had announced a Murray water scheme that will see A$1 billion and gazillions of litres of water injected into the river to assist irrigation and farming. Compared to a few years ago the river today looks full but it is still a decreasing level river and its future is not secure; hence the importance of government assistance. From its head in the Australian Alps on the border of Victoria and NSW to its mouth in Goolwa, SA is a distance of nearly 2500km and it is recorded as the third most navigable river behind the Amazon and the Nile. I have not been on the Amazon and after Sir Peter Blake’s experiences I may never get there. However, I have been on the Nile and all I can say is that the Murray is cleaner – the water may be brown but there is less waste flowing down in front of you. I remember sitting down with a cocktail in Luxor and being confronted with the sight of two cow carcasses with legs aloft floating in front of me – the less said about what followed the better. I must admit that water quality is constantly on your mind as the boat uses Murray water for the showers and wash taps – there is nothing wrong with that other than the fact that during your first shower you are convinced that you will never be clean.



Our trip on the Murray took in a small part of this colossal waterway. It may be the 16^th longest river in the world but we saw all of 40 kilometres between the 150km marker at Mannum to our turnaround point at the 190km marker near Purnong. The banks of the river are interspersed with small settlements, at which holiday homes or shacks have been built. The word shack portrays a misconception as most of the houses are not shacks and have been built to complement the environment they sit amongst. Most of the houses have their own jetty or boat ramp to ensure easy access to the river – these are communities with water in their hearts and they make every effort to use it. Along with the many houseboats on the river we saw water-skiers, fishermen, jet skis and dinghies. It has not always been a place of tranquillity and solitude. Being a large waterway it is susceptible to flooding and today’s buildings have been built to withstand floods. In 1956 people were not that lucky and, during what is described as South Australia’s greatest catastrophe, the river peaked at 12.3m and engulfed many of the towns on its shores. In Mannum much of the main street was flooded for months and when we bought our live worms (another bait that did not work for me) at the hardware store there was a marker pole showing where the flood waters stopped – it was a good two foot above my head and we had walked up stairs to get to the counter. Two years ago the river would have been 2m less than we experienced and it was easy to see where the old river had flowed. The foliage had grown up quickly but had now been reclaimed by the river, which gives off the impression of trees growing out of the water.



The travelling group for the week was all family - Narelle’s aunts and uncles (Brian, Lyn, Jeff and Pauline) and recent Irrawaddy river cruisers Maxine and JD. Those concerned by the close confines and a family group need not worry as the houseboats are spacious in design. We all had double rooms with ensuite bathrooms, there was a living area, a kitchen, upstairs deck, and whichever way you looked at it either an unused swimming platform or well used fishing deck. They really are like floating motels. They manoeuvre like floating motels too with the twin outboards slowly bringing the aft end around, which adds to the drama and intrigue and sometimes to the beads of sweat on the brow. It does not take much to qualify as ‘skipper’ – a driver’s licence will do it – and as Brian was the more experienced he undertook an intensive ten minute run through with the instructor. Basically they show you how to turn and to ensure you sleep at nights there is a demonstration on how to moor the boat to the bank. That is an “all hands on deck” moment with a gangplank put in place and ropes thrown ashore to the lucky ones who then get to tie their best granny knots while hoping that a large brown snake does not live in the tree trunk. My best Cub Scout knots were exhausted by the first mooring so I went for a cross over loop with half return and a few more loops – they looked professional and were like steel; any Scout Master would be proud.



Between Mannum and Purnong we encountered a changing world. The sights were incredible and the names and stories magnificent. We sat at the end of the day around the table and enjoyed wonderful food and drink and realistically watched the world go by our door. With the sun going down and twilight approaching the Murray’s largest stern wheeler tourist boat the Murray Princess glided by with all its lights aglow heading off to areas further up the river. We saw the Aboriginal Canoe trees, where large pieces of bark were removed to form the basis of a canoe. Even though this occurred centuries ago the scar on the tree remains. We lit camp fires on the river bank and sat out late at night with the eerie shrill of thousands of toads to accompany our chatter – JD told me “if there’s toads then there’s snakes”, which made sitting in the dark all that more special. I guess if you can hear the toads they have not been eaten. We cruised past places called names like Chucka’s Bend, Bowhill, Piggy Flat, Younghusband and Saltbush Flat. Chucka’s Bend named after a man who was thrown from his horse in the 1860s; the small hamlet of Bowhill had a store so we could tie up and buy more ice (and ice creams) for the cool boxes, and when we walked onshore we saw acres of the salt bush, which in times of drought is excellent fodder for the lambs and mutton and apparently gives the meat its own distinctive flavour.



Fishing on the Murray was not my best piece of work. I toiled for long hours in the hope of catching anything but it was all to no avail. I tried frozen shrimp, live shrimp, bread, cheese and soft baits. I caught nothing. While the others pulled in the introduced carp or the native Callop I could not even catch an old boot. Thankfully the setting, drinks, and company overrode the lack of bites and I loved the tranquillity that abounded from the environment. With terracotta coloured cliffs looming above us and the gentle lapping of the water these were magic moments. Catching a carp does not mean you have put food on the table; in fact your rewards are purely intrinsic. To assist the Murray environment you do not catch and release carp rather you remove them from the waterway for good – our carp became yabbie bait, pelican food, fly attractants, or were unceremoniously thrown onto the banks. They are a pest and in the 1950s had nearly taken over the river and the Callop had all but disappeared, thankfully due to resourceful fishermen, of which I am not, over the last few decades the Callop has reappeared in bigger numbers and sizes; the legal limit is 33cm. I did not have to worry about measuring anything on my hooks. We did enjoy a wonderful breakfast of Callop, which has a very meaty style fillet.



The birdlife on the river was extraordinary. There were Shags, ducks, Galahs, Rainbow Lorikeets, Crested Pigeons, Parakeets, swans, and Magpies. I do not consider myself much of a ‘twitcher’ but when you are sitting at the back of a boat trying to catch a fish you get drawn into the scene. When we went onshore for walks we had to avoid the nesting magpies that made a beeline to us and squawked to ward us off. I feel Magpies need to work on their PR as they do not come across as friendly birds. It is the Australian Pelicans that amaze me. They are huge birds and when they are in packs they make quite a formidable sight. They move with grace on the water but seemingly lumber into flight. They reminded me of Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose taking off on water – although to counter that argument the pelicans do actually get airborne and stay aloft. But it was their cheekiness that astounded me. Called to the back (aft) of the boat by Jeff we watched a pelican slowly stake out the robbery of a dead carp. It checked the surrounds, came aboard, walked up to the fish, checked some more, grabbed it, got back into the water and (this is the amazing bit) proceeded to swallow the fish whole to the point that as it took off you could still see the outline of the fish in its neck. Thankfully I managed to capture the entire robbery on film as if I had not seen it I would not have believed it.



The four days on board could not have been better. We drank well and often, we ate exceptionally well and often (sadly my BBQ sirloin steaks were only accepted by 87.5% of my shipmates), a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle was completed, we listened to some good old fashioned rock-n-roll, and we piloted the boat with air of confidence that perhaps overshadowed all of our abilities. Captain Brian’s quick thinking in avoiding an unwinnable collision with a cliff and mooring us in near darkness on the final night will rate as some of the best captaincy since Drake. Once again Narelle and I went with no expectations as it was all new to us but we came away with ideas formulating to do it all again. It is a spectacular way of seeing parts of a country that you cannot see from a car window and sharing in the beauty of the good old Murray. The end came all too soon but with the efficiency of ‘Unforgettable Houseboats’ you just pack up your items and leave the boat and the rest to them – and that is the best finish to any holiday there can be.



Our travels were not over though as we packed the car and set off for Mount Gambier. This is not a quick trip and was about four hours travel from Mannum. The reason for the trip was to catch up with good friends Colin and Kerry who have moved to SA from Ellesmere. We had not seen them since the early weeks of July when we caught up with them for the school ball – I had watched Colin runner up in the Reffell Tennis Open and we had shared a greasy breakfast with them at the Corner Café with many others who were nursing self-inflicted headaches. It is a beautiful drive down and you see the vineyards of the Coonawarra – a wine region famed for its Cabernet Sauvignon, but also known for good Chardonnay and Riesling. I am guessing that the mix of limestone and the ‘terra rossa” soil is the key to its complexity and taste. Wynns, Penfolds, and Yalumba all have vines and wineries in the area. We managed to bypass all of the cellar doors and arrived in their ‘Birdsville’ suburb ready to help Colin celebrate his 41^st birthday – he is 33 days older than me. We were greeted at the door by the ever smiling Maddie who since arriving home from kindy had been sous-chef to Kerry as chocolate cakes were made. It was just like old times. They are settling into Australian life with ease – what they had achieved at their house in one week was incredible – and Colin has begun life as a teacher at Tenison Woods College. Colin arrived home in his brand new car, which we then drove back to the dealership in as we all noticed a scratch and dent on the door jam. Fridays at 4.30pm is most probably not the best time to head off to see the dealer but after much looking, touching and navel gazing there was confirmation that it was a scratch and a dent and they would do something about it. So with that sorted Colin and I took the long way home – it’s called running it in. Mt Gambier’s greatest tourist attraction is its volcanic lakes. At this time of year the Blue Lake is still a steel grey colour but in the coming months it will change to a cobalt blue – no one really knows why and being a mathematician Colin was stumped when I asked him for a reason. He told me to ‘read the sign’, which I did but that explanation was not clear either so I am still confused. However, it must be an amazing sight when it does change colour as it is strikingly different to what we saw. We did a few more loops of the town, went past Colin’s school, drove past his cricket ground, up and down every street with a bird name, and basically put kilometres on the clock – the Hyundai could be back for its 1500km check in no time at all. The only argument that the new car was causing was who got to garage their car, with Kerry’s only three weeks old and in the garage already I guess that could claim rights. Kerry did not appear like she was willing to move any time soon.



Mount Gambier was a great little detour for us. It is certainly a lot smaller than Adelaide but it was enjoyable to walk along its streets and refreshing not to have to head to a mall for your shopping and dining. Our lunch in the city was made all the better as I got up from my seat and made the announcement that I was off to find a TAB so I could bet on the Derby in Melbourne. It was an inspired move as my last minute bet (I misjudged how far away the TAB was) on the 25-1 shot Fiveandahalfstar made up for the walk as it romped home - nothing better than being picked up with a wallet full of cash and heading straight to Dan Murphy’s for resupplies. We even introduced Kerry to the acquired taste that is Sparkling Shiraz. We are going to enjoy having Colin and Kerry nearby; even when we are in Melbourne they are still slightly closer than if they were in Adelaide, in fact as Mt Gambier is only 17km from the Victorian border Colin has already booked in some sports events and told me that I have to go to the Sharks v Rebels Super Rugby match with him and barrack for the Sharks – that will be a big ask. It was a great weekend; after which we followed a different route back to Adelaide along the more coastal road skirting the famous Coorong area – this is a wetlands region filled with lagoons that is recognised as a national park and is a geographer’s dream. From the windows of the car we could see the huge sand dunes and the odd flock of pelicans. Maybe I have suppressed my bird twitcher feelings too much?



Our last few days in Adelaide were spent sorting our luggage for the final time – the trip on the train will be our last trip with everything that we have carried for nine months. We seemed to have expanded again and had two bags each – thankfully the train allowed 50kg per person and 10kg hand luggage. As the maximum limit was 20kg per bag we were pleased when the weigh machine showed our heaviest at 19.85kg; how we did that I do not know but we were close. However, we did take time to share in the magic that is Melbourne Cup day. For years Narelle and I have wanted to make use of our membership and attend a function at the Naval and Military Club in Adelaide so we booked a table for the Melbourne Cup luncheon. What a great afternoon. It began with bubbles in the garden and then a feast of local seafood and wines. It was divine. We had big screens to watch around the room and sweeps for the big race – it really is the race that stops a nation and one of my favourite afternoons. It also gave us a great opportunity to dress up and once again the trusty Jack Wills striped jacket did me proud. We even left with more money than we came out with as both Narelle and I picked up places in the sweep – no complaints from me. It felt a wonderful way to finish our time in Adelaide and prepare for the arrival into Melbourne; our final destination is but a train trip away.

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