Caravan with a propeller

The final highlight of our Murray River tour was three nights on a riverboat exploring its reaches around the historic town of Echuca. The town was once a bustling inland port on the Murray. At its peak, between 1865 and 1910, hundreds of steamers plied the river, opening up large areas in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. For many settlers, they were the only source of supply and contact with the outside world.

Today you still enjoy the steam-driven era courtesy of paddle steamers offering tourist excursions from the river wharves. However, these days Echuca and its NSW twin city of Moama are a popular destination for hiring private river boats. Garry and I joined the throng by renting a boat for three nights, based out Moama.

I’d pushed for a more spacious deluxe option on offer from Moama on Murray Houseboats. However, Garry was keen on the entry-level vessel thanks to its more generous outdoor deck area. The boat we ultimately chose I subsequently christened “a caravan with a propeller.”. Although, to Garry’s credit, it did offer all the mod-cons we wanted including a hot shower, air-conditioning, gas cooktop, BBQ and a reasonably generous fridge. The bed was also partially segregated from the living and dining areas creating two distinct zones inside.

The hire company provided a series of detailed river maps and gave a thorough orientation of the boat’s features before we set off mid-afternoon for our first cruising adventure. We followed their recommendation and made our way downstream past the town centre and bustling wharves. It suggested this route in part because the river has a speed limit through town and thus it's easier to become accustomed to the boat without battling endless ski boat wakes.

We eventually pulled up for the evening on quiet riverbank 100 metres beyond the Dhungala bridge. This bridge is still under construction and will become the region’s second river crossing. Berthing a riverboat is surprisingly simple. You simply reverse into the bank and tie the boat onto two of the nearest trees. Once moored we cracked open the wine and watched the sun go down while enjoying flocks of cockatoos swarming on the opposite bank.

Our first full day on the river was an ambitious one. We retraced our steps and continued upriver until we eventually found a muddy beach, kilometres from the nearest campsite. It proved to be a wise choice. This stretch of the Murry was almost completely devoid of the noisy ski boats we’d passed for much of the day. You can see our location on Google Maps below.

The next morning made our way at a leisurely pace downriver. Our aim was to base ourselves in a scenic spot that was close enough for us to motor home the following morning in time for our scheduled “checkout” deadline. By chance, we came across a sandy beach south of the Murray Goulburn River junction. It was a quiet spot on a gently curving bank free from ski boats on the river and campers on the shore.

We settled in for the afternoon and spent a wonderful time swimming for hours in the shallows, drinking wine, and watching the world go by. We were also visited by native ducks and other fauna as the sun dipped below the far bank. Perhaps the only thing that spoilt the experience was the hundreds of leeches that came out to play early the following morning. We’d had no idea they were residents in the general area.

We completed our riverboat adventure the following morning with a well-timed dash back to port. Three nights on the Murray was refreshing and a genuine highlight of our tour along this legendary river.

UPDATE: 24 October

The Murray River reaches its highest level in 100 years on 22 October causing widespread flooding across Victoria and inland NSW. In Echuca, the river peaked at 94.94 metres (above sea level) making it the third-highest flood in the town's history - only behind the levels of 1870 (96.20m) and 1867 (95.34m). Garry and I can hardly believe that some of the towering river banks we saw around Euchua have been overwhelmed.