All Posts in Order: Riverlands 2014, it's a wrap.

PS Captain Proud

Part One:

Murray Bridge, The PS Captain Proud and the river

Take the Southeastern Freeway, headed for a lunch date on a real, genuine paddle wheel riverboat. Pelicans, water skiers, wide skies ... and some very good food!

Dawn at Blanchetown

Part Two:

Murray Bridge to Blanchetown

Mannum, Len Kroehn's Lookout, houseboats and swamp hens in the wetlands at Blanchetown ... kookaburras in the pink of the dawn, and hit the road early.

Murray River at Morgan

Part Three:

Pelican Point, Broken Cliffs and Morgan

Some truly spectacular erosion, a six-foot pelican, a drive on the ferry across the river ... bacon and eggs, white faced herons, and -- did we just run out of road?

Overland Corner Hotel

Part Four:

The food basket of South Aus ... the proverbial "pub in the scrub"

The richest farm country imaginable -- it's orchards and vineyards wherever you look; wetlands being rescued, and ... step back in time to 1859 at the Overland Corner, a hotel, in the wilderness!

Banrock Station

Part Five:

Banrock Station winery and wetlands, and waterbirds at Murray River Lock 3

Lock gates, pelicans and egrets ... Banrock Station -- a world famous winery and ecology project. Lake Bonney, and Berri... 

The Big Ram, Karoonda

Part Six:

Wine by the truckload, the world's biggest sheep, and one amazing sunset

Shades of green at Loxton, wheat to the horizon in the Murray Mallee, the biggest sheep imaginable at Karoonda, and a sunset made to order on the Southeastern Freeway for home.  

Riverlands 2014, Part Four: The food basket of South Australia, and the proverbial "pub in the scrub"

Destination Murray River ... and we're there! The river is the life's blood of South Australia, and --

--driving through the Riverlands, you're surrounded by vineyards and orchards...

... it's the richest agricultural country we've ever seen, on three continents.

Little communities like Cadell supply much of the state's fruit and vegetables --

-- such as oranges, which are year-round crops in South Australia.

South Australia's Riverlands, near Waikerie ... orchards as far as you can see.

And here's the Murray River at Waikerie, where the paddle steamer Murray River Queen ties up...
and check out those houseboats moored a little way along the riverbank!

The Murray River Queen is a serious vessel. She offers tours as long as a week, cruising the river
from these waters with up to Renmark. Gotta do that one day. Soon.

Wetlands are habitats for a vast assortment of birdlife. Dead trees like this are not merely curiously
photogenic, but they are also where native parrots nest, so many dead trees are actually protected: do not cut!

On the road again, heading for Barmera and Loxton. Eventually. But first --

Toolunka Flats. Yes, Virginia, there really is a place called Toolunka (which tends to sound like a
native village from a Johnny Weismuller Tarzan movie). Actually, it's a wetlands project, and --

-- very beautiful indeed. See the orchards and market gardens stretching to the horizon, too.

Toolunka Flats under a gorious morning sky. The clouds parted, the sun shone! Grab the cameras!

Then we were back on the road -- specifically, the Goyder Highway. We've driven both ends of this highway,
but never the middle stretch, east from World's End (see it on an earlier post). We need to drive the whole thing...

Not surprisingly, it's quite a busy road; and predictably, you share it with a great many
semi-trailers hauling produce to the city.

You also share the road with kangaroos, so -- watch out. (Actually, roos are seldom active before
twilight, so during main daylight hours you're more likely to glimpse them napping under  tree.)

Desperate for a cuppa, we literally stumbled over a jewel in the wilderness -- the proverbial
"pub in the scrub," the Overland Corner Hotel...

The Overland Corner Hotel is just there in the middle of nowhere. It was built in 1895 to
service drovers and "overlanders" making the haul between NSW and Adelaide, and the
National Trust bought it in 1965. What a fantastic place!

The Overland Corner stands in a large garden where one can dine outdoors; but in 1956 --

Yes, the whole region was deep underwater in the 1956 flood.

Original colonial construction, brand-new galvanized iron roof...

...horseshoe for luck (the right way up, thank you!), and a gorgeous chandelier in the bar just inside.

The interior of the Overland Corner Hotel has been updated just a little, but the overall
construction and flavor are original. It's like stepping right into Cash and Company! (Which,
incidentally, just came out on DVD. We're loving it ... again. Saw it in 1975.)

Live music plays in the gardens at the weekend, and --

-- if you're having your cuppa outside, check out these tables. They're great slabs of polished local stone
set on upright logs. Now, we have got to have one of these at home!

The Overland Corner Hotel isn't a secret. Taking up six spaces in the parking lot was this tour bus,
just over from bushranger country -- the Victorian mountains -- and headed who knows where?
Great place to stop for tea and a taste of history.

Love the art on the back of the bus. The Man from Snowy River rides again.

We had actually parked in the wide, open space behind the hotel. Here's "Lola in the wilderness" ...
well, not quite. You could hear the music from the pub as you stepped out of the car, because --

Overland Corner is also a "biosphere reserve" and wetlands project, and the hotel
backs right onto the area being reclaimed. In the rainy season, it'll be a chorus of frogs...

...such as the Golden Bell-frog, which, like so many species, is "vulnerable" in South Australia.
Areas like Overland Corner will make all the difference to the survival of many animals and birds.

Cruising the fruit and vegetable area at the supermarket, you can sometimes wonder where it all comes from; and if you take the drive from Morgan via towns like Cadell and Waikerie to Barmera and Loxton, you'll know where it comes from! We've never seen such rich agricultural land, and it all pivots around the Murray River.

You can see this lush, beautiful region from the road, as we did, or from the water. In fact, if you're interested, there's a major website arranging tours ... check it out. It's easy for folks from Adelaide to load up the car and head out early in the morning, but we'd also dearly love to "lead foot it" through to Renmark and then get on a riverboat for the cruise through to those towering red cliffs. One day!

For the moment, we hopped from one photo-op to another, and one cafe to the next. Late in the afternoon we were dying for a cuppa -- tea, not coffee; we were coffee'd right up to the eyeballs. We hadn't know the Overland Corner Hotel even existed before we rolled up to it, and we were due a marvelous surprise. Original colonial-era building, lovely garden, live music ... great tea! Also very friendly people who gave permission for photos to be taken and uploaded. Here are just a few of about a hundred we took.

The land was pretty dry when we were there, but if you visited in late autumn, winter or early spring, the wetlands should be ... wet. You'd certainly hear the Golden Bell-frog, though you'd be very lucky to catch sight of one. Aussie frogs are usually invisible -- and astonishingly loud.

From Overland Corner we were headed toward Loxton and Barmera ... but Banrock Station and Murray River Lock 3 came up first; and those will be in the next post in this series.

Riverlands 2014 Part 1: Murray Bridge, Captain Proud and the river

This is where we're headed: South Australia's lovely Riverland ... the "mighty Murray" itself...

...but like any trip it all starts on the road. Early. Here's the South East Freeway with long morning shadows,
and we're headed for Murray Bridge. First stop: lunch on a genuine paddlewheel riverboat!

Being a sensible Mitsubishi Magna, Lola decides to take a pit stop not far out of town --

-- and as you wheel over the crest of the final hill, and leave the freeway, there's the flatlands laid out before you,
and the rural city of Murray Bridge itself.

First priority: stop for a cup of tea at Mobilong Precinct, a lovely park area with a view of the river --

-- and from Mobilong Precinct, you can actually see the riverboat at her moorings.

The Captain Proud is just beginning to take on passengers. But first --

-- being gardening enthusiasts, we couldn't resist photographing some of the gorgeous roses
at the Mobilong Precinct park. They had every kind imaginable...

On the riverfront wharf, where the Captain Proud moors, stands an original steam locomotive,
a relic of the days when the Murray River was a major freight mover.

Today, the Murray River doesn't move freight, but it's busy with recreational vessels of every kind...

...while the sky is just as busy with pelicans, welcome swallows and many other birds.

Water skiing is popular on many parts of the river, especially closer to Murray Bridge. And speaking
of welcome swallows (as in the previous caption), one got into this picture: bottom right corner!

The riverboat Captain Proud is taking on passengers in earnest now, so --

Time to board. Here's the view from the stern; and --

The dining room, where a great lunch will be served in about an hour's time; and --

The Captain Proud's salon, right on the waterline, down below.

The view from the upper deck, where passengers are welcome up beside the wheelhouse...

From a compartment down below, you can look out and see the paddlewheel turning.

And we're off! The Captain Proud has cast off moorings and is heading out into mid-river --

On the way out, you get a closeup view of the supports under the railway bridge. Check out that sign!

The riverbanks throng with houseboats, most of them for rent as holiday homes. Now, there's a thought...

From mid-water, you get an impression of how big the Murray River really is. Okay, it's not in the same
league as the Mississippi, but it's by no means small ... and it's the biggest one we have!

The Captain Proud headed downriver on this trip, toward Goolwa. On other trips, she heads north,
past Murray Bridge and toward Mannum.

Soon enough, she leaves behind the town and the riverbanks become lightly wooded, a little swampy,
a paradise for waterbirds.

Many bridges cross the river. Freight doesn't move on the river any longer, but it sure moves over it!

At this time in 2014 the water levels are pleasantly high. If we'd done this cruise a few years ago, it
would have been a very different story. Due to the drought, the river was dangerously low.

It's difficult to believe, from images like this, that only a couple of years ago South Australia was on
serious water rationing ... and the state was so worried, we built a desalination plant. Then it rained.

The course of the river has moved a little -- as you can tell from the dead, submerged trees.

All parts of the Murray River are paradise for pelicans, cormorants, herons, cranes, ducks, gulls, and more...

...and for humans too. How'd you like to be living in one of these places, with a boat landing right
at the bottom of your driveway? Whoa. That's some serious cash. But --

Right opposite, on the other bank, the river supports wide-scale agriculture...

-- including dairy, which is a thirsty industry indeed, and --

-- someone's having a go at olive growing here, which is a very smart move. This state is
tremendously proud of its olive oil, which is touted as the best in the world.

The wake of the Captain Proud. She's headed back to Murray Bridge now, but --

-- watch out for water skiers and power boats!

In fact, on this trip there was a "near miss", close enough to bring an officer from the river authorities
out to confer with the pilot of our riverboat. Some powerboat drivers are ... insane.

All along the river, thousands of willows were planted. The root masses of these trees stabilize the
riverbank. Without them, the wash from boats -- especially those powerboats -- would destroy
the bank. Willows have been used since the days when the river moved mass cargo.

And here we are back at the Captain Proud's moorings, after a great lunch, and with a long drive
ahead of us this afternoon --

We're headed out of Murray Bridge, next stops Mannum, Swan Reach, and Blanchetown.

The road goes ever on, as Tolkien said!

There are not too many places left in "accessible South Australia" that we haven't visited. Barossa, Clare Valley -- done. Mount Gambier, Keith, the limestone coast? Done. Fleurieu ... well, that's our backyard. But we hadn't "done" the Riverland yet, and we'd been wanting to, for years. So --

We booked a cabin at one of the tourist parks in Blanchetown, for overnight; we knew we'd be arriving very late and leaving very early. And all we needed to do was get a very early start on Saturday, and plan to be home late on Sunday, and we were in business.

On previous trips to Murray Bridge we'd seen (and photographed) the riverboat Captain Proud going by, loaded with passengers for their lunch cruise. Dave had been wanting to do this for some time, and since this was our 15th wedding anniversary trip -- why not? So we had to be in Murray Bridge for a certain time, to meet the riverboat, but after that the schedule was wide open.

Lunch aboard the Captain Proud was very good: traditional food and plenty of it. Roast and veggies, with apple crumble for dessert. Compliments to all the staff for a lovely experience all around. We'd like to do it again some time!

The cruise is three hours, then you're back on dry land -- in the car, in fact, and headed out for the next leg of the trip. This would take us from Murray Bridge in the late(ish) afternoon, to Blanchetown in the gold of the evening ... dawn on the river next morning, and then east, waaay east, into parts of the state we'd never visited.

That's where we'll be going in the next post in this series.