Friday 11 March 2016

Murray River at Mannum, South Australia

 Have returned from my short break and now continuing with the holiday of last year.

The Murray River is 2508 km long, (1,558 miles) is the longest River in Australia.
The Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains, and then meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria as it flows to the northwest into South Australia. It turns south at  [Morgan] for its final 315 klms (196 mi), reaching the ocean at Lake Alexandrina.
 
The water of the Murray flows through several terminal lakes that fluctuate in salinity (and were often fresh until recent decades) including Lake Alexandrina and The Coorong before emptying through the Murray Mouth into the southeastern portion of the Indian Ocean, often referenced on Australian maps as the Southern Ocean, near Goolwa. Despite discharging considerable volumes of water at times, particularly before the advent of largescale river regulation, the mouth has always been comparatively small and shallow.
As of 2010, the Murray River system receives 58 percent of its natural flow.  It is perhaps Australia's most important irrigated region, and it is widely known as the food bowl of the nation.

More information on the Murray River.

The Murray River is also used for many things, irrigation, River Cruising, fishing, water skiing and so on.  Of course not in all places.





From the lookout.




The Caravan Park at Mannum.  It's very busy in spring, summer, autumn, and holiday time.
In winter when we were there last year, no one about.  That's our caravan and we were so lucky to be parked right on the bank of the Murray River.


Below is the PS Marion built in 1897,  provides a unique opportunity to experience the thrills and mysteries of the golden years of the river boats. Undertaking short cruises throughout the year on the Murray River departing from Mary Ann Reserve in Mannum, PS Marion also conducts overnight passenger cruises, including the acclaimed Rockford Steam Powered Dinners as well as being available for private charter cruises.
Visitors are welcome to view PS Marion whilst she is moored at her home at Arnold Park Wharf (museum opening times) including inspection of the galley, dining room, lounges and cabin accommodation.




The Barge, there are two, one for large vehicles the other for smaller ones.  These two barges go across the Murray River at Mannum 24/7


58 comments:

  1. Lovely valley. But I'm aghast you didn't get one picture of a shore bird.

    :)

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    1. There are some 'birds' coming :) If you look hard you will see - tomorrow -

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  2. That small ferry is really going to take that long semi across the river? Yikes! I would be nervous about that.

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    1. Yes it does take it across the river..one barge is larger than the other, the large one takes the big vehicles.
      It's not far across the river there, only takes a few minutes and they are doing it all the time.

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  3. Schöne Bilder vom Fluss und der kleinen Fähre.

    Gruß
    Noke

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  4. The river looks almost still like a lake.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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    1. I guess it does look like a lake,like most rivers it has it's wider areas and narrow areas.

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  5. Lovely.
    The increasing salination is a worry. We really, really need to look after our waterways...

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  6. The Semi on the ferry (barge) is amazing to see. A lovely valley. And the Caravan Park is really nice.

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    1. There were many trucks going across on the barge 24/7. Busy place there as no bridge.
      Was a very clean caravan park, and in the winter time when we were there they were continuing to improve the caravan park.

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  7. The river looks lovely .... and it is so wide

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    1. It must be wide compared to some of your rivers then.

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  8. Hello Margaret,
    This is so wonderful. A great area with a lot of water.
    A fantastic view.

    Many greetings,
    Marco

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    1. There are many towns along the Murray River, and if you can take that journey it's lovely indeed.

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  9. I'm happy to see you again ! And may follow your adventures !

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  10. The mighty Murray, although not always so mighty. So there isn't a bridge across the river at Mannum? The caravan park looks nice.

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    1. Not one bridge across the Murray at Mannum, and I would say there won't be for a long time. The barges work well, and there are other places that don't have a bridge across the Murray as well. Morgan was one place.

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  11. That "blog" break went quickly! Hope you enjoyed HBT and the surrounds,
    and the weather was OK? My mate, the lawyer, from the club has just returned from two weeks in HBT visiting his daughter and said it was really HOT?? But he was thankful that there was NO HUMIDITY!! ha ha.

    The Murray looks like it has an ample amount of water in it. Someone must be doing a good job in the Department of Water Resources but there has been pretty good rain in the catchment areas.
    "EC" is like me - very water conscious, it is our life-line.
    The quicker "city-slicker" can appreciate this the better!

    Is Mannum SA before or after the water from the Darling joins to make the Murray-Darling River??
    Very clean caravan park and yes I did observe the rubbish drums - ha ha. I am glad that they made the photo.
    Cheers and congratulations on a great report on this part of Australia.
    Dorothy MacKellar and Banjo Paterson would have smiles on their faces.
    Colin

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    1. Time does go quickly Colin as we all know.
      Didn't get into the city of Hobart, spent time visiting my Auntie who had two falls whilst we were in the area.

      If your friend thought it was hot in Hobart, he should have come to Launceston as it's usually hotter here. No humidity as in Queensland but a different heat, not totally a dry one either as we are surround by sea.

      Looks as if the Darling River joins the Murray River about Wentworth near Renmark, both are above Mannum.

      The rubbish bins for the people in the caravan park which has a water frontage.

      Thanks. I'm sure Dorothy and Banjo would be pleased :)

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  12. Thank you for this insightful post

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  13. insightful became the scenery is so spacious

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    1. Lots of room there as there is in so many areas of Australia, unfortunately water and heat is the problem in those areas.

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  14. I hope you've rested peacefully.

    It is a beautiful riverof the you've accomplished , wonderful pictures .

    I'm glad , you're here again .

    kisses

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    1. Lovely rest, thank you first one I've had from blogging for many a year.
      It's good to be back :)

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  15. That is a lovely and peaceful place to spend your holiday. Somewhere to relax and rest. Pretty view and I am sure the cruise is also a good one.

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    1. Was lovely there for the few days that we stayed before we moved on.

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  16. In years to come we might very well be saying (although I sincerely hope NOT)the River Murray Bed is xxx miles long and while it used to contain xxx amounts of water, it has been dry for some time.
    I'm surprised at how close those houses are to the water in the third photo. I know the first row is houseboats, but beyond that the houses are in a potential flood area.
    I remember the barges, I have an old photo somewhere of me standing on one as we crossed, myself and three friends, only R had a car, we were on a girl's day out.

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    1. Well goodness who knows what will happen in the future. Let's hope the Murray remains much the same.
      Good memory there then.

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  17. i'm glad you are back and sharing your travel experiences with us again. they are always so interesting. thank you. i hope all is well with you

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  18. That is a lovely area. You have brought back memories of when we did a cruise on the paddle steamer.

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  19. wow greatly informative post ,well come back dear hope you enjoyed your break ,

    this river is beautiful and useful as well and equally important like over here largest river Indus for our country thanks for such fine sharing

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  20. What a river! It's easy to see why the caravan park draws so many people. Looking forward to visiting your site again.
    E.C.'post had me interested, so I popped over to visit.

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  21. As always your posts are very informative with great photos. The mighty Murray is mighty indeed!

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  22. So much romance and history attached to that mighty river. :)

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    1. I never thought of the romance. There would be much romance and heaps of tales to be told plus the history.

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  23. Margaret, I think if I lived in Australia I might like to live near this river.

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  24. Looks like a wonderful river. I can only imagine the birding opportunities along a riparian corridor like that.

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  25. That looks a wonderful river and I love the look of PS Marion too.

    By the way I also love your header - beautiful colours in it.

    All the best Jan

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    1. I bet that Marion could tell a story or two :)
      Thanks regarding the header. Photo taken in a park not far away..

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  26. I grew up on a Murray St., and when we visited South Australia last year, I learned that just about every little town has a Murray St. - Although my town is miles away from the actual river.

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    1. You will have me looking at town near where I think you once lived for Murray St. :)

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  27. I just posted a little video in our about section with photos of where I grew up. If you have a chance to have a peep you'll see why your photos always fill me with nostalgia. http://theyumlist.net/in-press

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    1. I did watch. Thanks for the link and I did enjoy :)
      Thank you.

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