The great outdoors
The Murray River, Lakes & Coorong region has so many diverse and stunning environments. They’re beautiful to look at, but to really appreciate and understand these places you need to experience them. This is a region made for the adventurous, with plenty of opportunities to hike, paddle, fish, swim, stroll and cycle. It’s a great way to meet the locals too – roos, wombats, pelicans, and thousands of other native species abound. If the wildlife starts to look distinctly African, you’ll know you’re at Monarto!
NATIONAL AND CONSERVATION PARKS
The Murray River, Lakes & Coorong region is home to the internationally significant Coorong National Park and a diverse range of noteworthy conservation parks – from the huge mallee parks with their distinctive vegetation and wildflowers, to the ancestral home of the Nganguraku People on the banks of the Murray River.
The parks of the region are ideal for anyone interested in bird-watching, hiking and photography. Many have great picnic spots, lookouts, walking trails, camping and 4WD opportunities. Each park has different facilities and some are quite isolated so be sure to research fully before setting off.
NATURAL SIGHTS
Boasting a range of natural sights and wonders the region is home to some of the most breathtaking and unusual scenery. Accessible waterfalls and rock pools, ancient limestone cliffs and rock formations that resemble animals are all part of the natural treasures of the region just waiting to be explored!
NATURE PLAY
Time to get out, explore and play! The Murray River, Lakes and Coorong is a great place to explore with the kids. It is full of diverse wildlife, activities and fun things to do. Best of all, many of them are free!
Remember to always travel with the fun stuff packed in the boot – bats and balls, bathers, buckets, towels, boogie boards, frisbees and snacks. The region has endless amounts of open space and water, so these items will be put to good use whilst you kick back on a picnic blanket with a cheese platter and a glass of wine or good coffee.
Don’t forget a change of clothes. No matter how cold, your kids are likely to end up wet!
Discover some things you can do with your kids, while exploring our region.
- Catch a fish from the banks of the Murray River
- Explore the Mannum Waterfalls
- Try and spot a wombat on the Federation walking trail
- Climb a tree and hang with the cockatoos
- Camp under the stars
- Learn to swim at our many beaches and riverbanks
- Get muddy, wet and messy when you sink some yabbie nets
- Find a geocache
- Cook damper in a campfire, or foil wrapped chocolate bananas
- Collect driftwood and shells on the beach
- Drive for miles on the beach at Coorong National Park, looking for Mr Percival
- Ride your bike on a bush trail
- Jump off the jetty at Meningie into Lake Albert
- Paddle a canoe in the backwaters
- Go bird spotting
- Learn to use a compass
- Make a kite and fly it
- Catch the ferries on foot at Mannum, Jervois or Wellington (they’re free!) and count the pelicans
- Play cricket in the park
- Catch a tadpole (and release it)
- Find a fossil in the river cliffs
- Climb a big rock (there are lots at Palmer Hill)
- Skateboard on the ramp at Sturt Reserve, Murray Bridge
- Find the polar bear, frog and elephant in the granite formations between Palmer and Tungkillo
- Visit Shell Hill
- Spot the Punyelroo cave when river cruising
- Spot the river birds at Hermann Gass Bird Sanctuary
- Find your favourite playground
- Make friends with a horse or cow
- Walk across the historic bridge at Murray Bridge and wave at the trains on the other bridge
FISHING
The Murray River plays host to many species of fish, with regulars such as Murray Cod, Callop, Catfish, Bream, Macquarie, Perch and Redfin. Fishing is a popular pastime in these parts and your kids will love dropping a fishing line in the water and hooking their first fish.
Fishing equipment, bait, lures and nets are widely available from fishing outlets and many general stores, while those who want to fish in the Murray River itself will find many good spots which are easily accessible by road. Most towns have boat ramps if you’re planning on using your own boat. Murray Cod is an iconic but threatened fish in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin. It is one of the largest native freshwater species, growing to 1.8 metres and 113kg.
The Murray Cod fishery is open for catch and release from 1 January to 31 July each year and it is illegal to lift any size Murray Cod out of the water in South Australia during this time.
Whilst the Murray Cod are somewhat elusive, the same cannot be said for Carp! Dubbed ‘rabbits of the river’, the introduced carp has gained the dubious honour of being Australia’s most abundant and despised large fresh water fish. Carp are accused of a multitude of problems that plague our inland river systems, from the decline of native fish to degrading habitats. They are also largely responsible for the river being muddy!
For something a little more novel, why not take the kids yabbying? Yabbies are abundant from October to April. You can purchase nets cheaply at most outdoor/fishing retailers.
If you really want to go wild with your fishing adventure, then you can’t beat fishing straight off the beach at the Coorong. You’ll need a 4 x wheel drive, and you can cross at Salt Creek. The Salt Creek Roadhouse has all the fishing gear you will need. And don’t forget your BBQ so you can enjoy your catch.
For more information regarding the regulations for recreational fishing in South Australia, click here
GEOCACHING
Geocaching is a fun outdoor treasure hunting game that anyone with a GPS device or smartphone can play. It involves following clues to find hidden containers called geocaches or caches. The caches may contain all sorts of treasure and trinkets to be exchanged, clues to other caches or items that can be tracked such as Travel Bugs. Geocaching is something that you can do all over the world and it is always exciting to find a cache. Geocaching is a great way to explore the parks and places within the Murraylands area. There are loads of caches hidden all over the Murraylands, many of them designed for families to do together.
PANGARINDA BOTANIC GARDENS
Situated on 30 hectares of Crown Land just outside Wellington, this Botanic Garden is part of an endeavour to conserve Australia’s threatened flora. Developed and maintained by an active group of volunteers, this garden specialises in species from the highly modified drier agricultural regions of Southern mainland Australia.