The Murray Landscapes

FROM Corryong in the Victorian Alps to the Coorong at the Murray's mouth in South Australia, the mighty River Murray shows her many colours and moods. Let us take you on a brief 2530 km journey along the beauty and diversity that is the River Murray. We've created the 5 landscapes of the Murray. Get a Discover Murray Trail to truly see the amazing diversity of this beautiful waterway and experience the rich and unique river and mallee communities.

Journey from the Corryong to Coorong
By Shane Strudwick

Starting it's journey way up in the Australian Alps, the River Murray or Murray River depending on what you've been brought up to say, starts its long trip to the mouth at the Southern Ocean.

There's a bone of contention as to where the river begins (its absolute beginning) from a tiny stream to the wide open space over 2530 kilometres away in South Australia. The closest town recognised at the beginning is Corryong. Famous for it's Man From Snowy River Festival, Corryong celebrates its classic heritage as an Alp town. We began our journey of the Murray from the small town of Towong not far from Corryong. The beautiful and pristine Murray starts as a small, unassuming river. Part of the Murray region to the mouth also begins at the Dartmouth Dam. Completed in 1979 the Dartmouth was built to hold additional storage for irrigation in New South Wales and Victoria. Journeying up the Dartmouth from Albury Wodonga is a great and easy alpine trip. Water from the Dartmouth is let out through the Mitta Mitta River.

The Mitta Mitta River winds and flows down to the Hume Reservoir not far from Albury Wodonga. The roads wind alongside both rivers from the upper Murray and Mitta Mitta. This part of the valley is rich in farming and classic mountain scenes and is a rewarding visual experience. Also joining the Hume is the River Murray as it begins it's journey mostly westward then finally south from Morgan. Construction of the Hume Reservoir began in 1919 and was completed in 1936 as a need to assure irrigators of water supplies particularly following the harsh drought of 1914.

As the Murray flows, the first major town it enters is the twin town of Albury Wodonga. Australia's largest highway, the Hume crosses the Murray at this point. The original naming of the River Murray was the "Hume" by Hamilton Hume on 16th November 1824, in honour of his father. While his fellow traveller Captain William Hovell claimed to have named it in honour of his "fellow traveller, Hamilton Hume". The original sighting of the River Murray was by explorers Hume and Thomas Boyd near where Albury now stands. In 1830 Captain Charles Sturt at the Junction of the Darling-Murray, proclaimed the river "the Murray" to honour Sir George Murray, Secretary of State for the Colonies in the British Government which was officially accepted.

Albury Wodonga is a beautiful city offering the opportunity to discover the best of the alps, amazing wines or simply relaxing in a great region of the Murray. The river around Albury flows fast and high. Since the days of locks and dams more river runs through Albury than in the past. Albury is a great place to experience the Murray onboard the paddlesteamer PS Cumberoona.

From Albury Wodonga you have the opportunity to travel north or south of the Murray. Travelling south allows you to discover the wine region of Rutherglen. While in Rutherglen you can discover the great wine of this region along with fine foods and cheeses. Rutherglen is a great place to relax in good accommodation and is just a short trip from Melbourne or Canberra. If you head north of the Murray you'll go through the small town of Howlong in NSW and Corowa. Corowa is the birthplace of Australia's Federation in 1901. A beautiful part of the Murray where you can experience the river at a peaceful and slow pace. Around Corowa you'll find great waterways and billabongs where you can relax and enjoy the river.

Heading west you'll wind you're way either along the Murray Valley Highway and end up in Yarrawonga, or on the NSW side you'll discover it's twin town Mulwala. Sitting on the first of the weirs from the Hume Reservoir is Lake Mulwala. With a capacity of 117,500 ML, Lake Mulwala is an inland aquatic paradise. Continuing on you'll find Cobram Barooga and then onto Tocumwal. I found Tocumwal a little jewel along the Murray. Sitting in NSW, Tocumwal offers all you need for a great river experience so it's worth a visit.

Continuing on, the Murray passes through the small town of Barmah. The Barmah State Park (7,900 ha) and Barmah State Forest (21,600 ha) are on the Murray River flood plain between Echuca and Tocumwal, about 225 km north of Melbourne. Together they make up the largest River Redgum forest in Victoria. Equally, the area could be called a wetland as much of it is frequently flooded. Just a short trip from Barmah you'll find the historic town of Echuca and it's border town Moama in NSW.

By now we're entering the classic steep banks and Redgum area of the Murray. Visit the Port of Echuca to discover the early history of the region when Echuca-Moama was a bustling riverport. See the remains of what was once a 332m-long wharf that catered for 240 vessels in one year during its peak operation (1872). Re-live the pioneering days of steam by boarding one of the operating paddlesteamers. PS Pevensey was a star of the small screen in 1982-83, in the mini-series All The Rivers Run. You can also hire a houseboat, go fishing, swimming, canoeing or waterskiing. You can also use Echuca-Moama as your base to explore nearby towns, magnificent Redgum forests, wetlands and fauna parks - all just two and a half hours from Melbourne.

The majority of our journey is now spent on the Murray Valley Highway in Victoria. As we continue west, north-west with the Murray, we travel through irrigated country around Kerang finally getting to Swan Hill and the beginning of the mallee region. Swan Hill offers some great attractions including strong culture, wonderful food and vibrant community. Swan Hill is also home to the Pioneer Settlement Museum that showcases life as it was from 1830-1930. More than 50 original buildings from the Murray-Mallee area have been saved and lovingly restored to recreate a town. The open museum can be explored on foot or tour aboard a horse and cart or vintage car. The after-dark sound and light show is a popular choice.The river then still heading north-west enters Robinvale and Euston. The soil beginning in this area is great for citrus and other produce. Towns along this stretch of the river thin out, yet the beauty of the river really opens up into a new wider style. Even larger Redgums begin to appear near it's edge and you see a different side to the Murray.

Not far from Robinvale is Mildura. In the heart of the Mallee, Mildura was originally established from a sheep station into a key irrigation district in the late 1800's from the abundance of the Murray. Famous for it's sunshine and known as Sunraysia, Mildura is another paradise along the Murray. Nowadays many different crops are grown in Mildura and it's surrounding towns like citrus, grapes, mushrooms, olives and nuts. Mildura offers the visitor all you need for a great holiday and river experience. From Melbourne, Mildura is a great way to experience the outback and access Broken Hill. You can take a Harry Nanya Tours adventure across to the NSW border and the World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park. Arrive before sunset and you'll marvel at the changing colours and moonscape-like appearance of the famous Walls of China dunes. It's a trip back in time, where the bones of ancient man are said to date back 35,000 years. Just west of Mildura is Wentworth where Australia's longest river the Darling meets with the Murray. The Darling River winds it's way from the southern region of Queensland all the way through the basin in New South Wales.

Heading directly west, the Murray is virtually uninterrupted by any towns. The next major town is Renmark which was also established in the late 1800's through the irrigation scheme. The Riverland region is the largest producer of grapes in South Australia and offers a diverse range of experiences. Renmark is also near the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve. A special area recognised internationally as an area of natural, social and cultural value with a focused theme of sustainability. A series of billabongs and waterways make exploring the river a unique and diverse experience.

It's from the NSW, Victorian and South Australian borders that the Golden Limestone Cliffs begin to show their presence. A series of smaller towns from Renmark offer a variety of river experiences including Berri, Barmera and Loxton and were established as a small-scale irrigation settlements on communal lines. As the Murray still heads west the diversity still unfolds. Sensational cliffs that will amaze the new traveller and yet still leave experienced Murray tripper looking in amazement. A houseboat holiday or paddlesteamer cruise is the best way to see these cliffs.

Finally at the historic town of Morgan the Murray begins to head south towards the Southern Ocean. As it continues to head south it passes through Blanchetown, Swan Reach, down to Mannum. The range of cliffs along this section of the Murray are truly spectacular. In the Murraylands, the Murray winds past a series of fabulous cliffs full of colours. Just near Nildottie, Ngaut Ngaut Conservation Park is a peephole into the past being preserved by present generations for the future. The cliffs are a showcase of fossils millions of years old through to graphic evidence of indigenous habitation going back thousands of years. A boardwalk takes visitors on a tour guided by local indigenous people, who interpret the evidence of the ancient campsites and the on-going culture. Permission is needed to enter the area.

Finally the Murray begins it's journey towards Lake Alexandrina where you'll find the plains section from Mannum through Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend down to Wellington where it spills into the Lake Alexandrina. A wide and open lake system joined with Lake Albert, the smaller towns of Milang and Clayton enjoy the waters offerings. The last leg of the river's journey is at Goolwa right near the mouth of the Murray and near the barrage system. Go left from Wellington where the Murray flows to the sea and you have the Coorong, a long, skinny waterway cut off from the ocean by the sand dunes of the Younghusband Peninsula. This national park area is an internationally important bird habitat, with migratory birds visiting from as far as Siberia and China. It is a quiet, picturesque, evocative waterway made famous by the late Colin Thiele's book-turned-film Storm Boy.

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