Happy Wanderer: South Australia

Cruise on the Murray River

On 24 June, 2022 we flew from Sydney to Adelaide to board the Proud Mary in Murray Bridge, South Australia for a two night discovery cruise down the Murray River.

The Proud Mary carries a maximum of 36 passengers and on our cruise we had 32 on board. Ken and I had a comfortable river view cabin with en-suite and access to the outside deck on level 1. This deck is at water level and we had to walk along the length of the deck to climb the two flights of stairs, at the aft of the boat, to reach the lounge and dining area on the upper deck. It was very cold as we walked along this deck to return to our cabin at night. However, once back in our cabin, the air-conditioner kept the temperature nice and warm.

The Murray River is the fourth longest river in the world. It meanders for 2,500 kilometres starting in the Snowy Mountains in NSW, twisting and turning along the Victorian border and finally into South Australia where it reaches its end in the Lakes and Coorong region. There is spectacular landscape along the way with towering sandstone cliffs, hidden lagoons, waterfalls and sandy beaches. At about 130 million years old, this region is also steeped in Aboriginal history and culture. We stopped at some scenic mooring locationswhere we could disembark and take a little walk through the iconic Australian bush. We also explored the backwaters in a flat-bottom boat, the M.V. Pelican, to see the wildlife and birdlife. However, being winter there was not that much birdlife to see. I did not go out in the boat but chose instead to explore the bushland and reeds along the river banks.

Our meals were in the dining room, where we indulged in some memorable culinary delights from the kitchen and, at the same time, we could view the passing river bank scenery. There were comfortable Chesterfield lounges where we could rest after our meal and enjoy a drink from the bar. We also congregated in this area during the day, as it was too cold to sit out on the decks.

The Proud Mary tied up at Mannum.

The Proud Mary was built in 1982 and its design resembles that of the paddle steamers that provided transport along the Murray River during the 1800's.

Here is the Proud Mary tied up at Teal Flat. We could exit the boat here to explore the bushland and foreshore.

Here is the M.V. Pelican, a 12 person flat bottomed boat, with passengers aboard, for an Eco cruise of the backwaters to see the wildlife and birdlife of the river. Ken is sitting up the front wearing a red beanie.

This substantial and attractive house is in River Lane below the cliff at Mannum and is called "Leonaville" built in 1883 by Gottlieb Wilhelm Schuetze, a private developer, as his own home.

This breathtaking view of the yellow sandstone cliffs and reflections in the river was part of the scenery along the way to Mannum.

While we were in Mannum, we joined a group from the boat to do an organised coach tour to the Reedy Creek Gorge where we were meant to do a bush walk to see the waterfalls. However, we were advised there was not much water falling and the track was very rough in places so our coach driver gave us a little scenic tour around the region instead.

He took us first to a lookout overlooking the township and areas around Mannum. We saw the Mannum car ferry crossing the river with a load of vehicles ready to continue their journeys on the other side of the river.

After leaving the lookout we saw the Mannum to Adelaide water pipeline, being the first major pipeline built from the River Murray to carry water to Adelaide. The road followed this pipeline for a while and at Apamurra we saw some mural artwork on the sides of the pipe, similar to what can be seen on some wheat silos. He also drove us to Tepko, near Palmer where we saw the five span rail bridge on Reedy Creek on the line put in from Monarto South to Sedan in 1919.

We were in an area surrounded by the Adelaide Hills. The ground in this region is very stony and he explained it is from a time when the ocean covered this area and remnants of coral and sea bed debris and the skeletal remains of ocean creatures can be found as fossils in the area. Water and soakage have stained the strata a yellow beige colour.

We then returned to the Proud Mary for our final journey back to Murray Bridge. Here we said goodbye to the Captain and crew and were then driven, by bus, to our hotel in Adelaide.

Our three day cruise on the Proud Mary was a wonderful experience, which we enjoyed very much, and one we consider to be a fantastic lifelong memory.