Thru Nannu's eyes: Murray River Cruising....
Let me take you on week’s self cruise with 12 of our dear friends, on Australia’s longest river, the Murray River. This mighty waterway snakes its way through Australia’s heartland and crosses 3 states (NSW, VIC & SA). Nanna and I have done this self cruise twice and would highly recommend it (but not during a drought!)
To us, this mighty Murray River was and is a massive contrast to urbanized living. The gentle movement of the water surface was hypnotic. The chorus of bird songs in the morning as I sipped a double espresso put a smile on my face. The star-gazing night sky, when all the lights are turned off, was spiritual to behold. The setting sun delivered spectacular color changes to surrounding cliffs.
I hope you enjoy this Murray River Cruising holiday “thru Nannu’s eyes”….
Prior to the river cruise, we indulged in the customary wineries tour of local areas. This time we treated ourselves to the Clare Valley & McLaren Vale regions, both in SA 😊…. and both within 1-2 hours away from Murray Bridge (our cruise’s stepping off point). We visited many wineries over the initial 3 days including Knappstein, Pikes (owned by family of a friend 😊), Taylors, Scarpantoni, Serafino, The Good Catholic Girl Winery (which wasn’t that far from The Confessional Winery 😊) and of course, The Mad Bastard Winery . Naturally, we did wonders for the local economy😊
Incidentally, in touring these regions we based ourselves at the Serafino Winery. Accommodation was excellent in all aspects.
We “took possession” of 2 rented luxury houseboats at Murray Bridge SA which we’d rented from Oz Houseboats. Our boat was named “Entertainer”.
Each houseboat had 5 queen bedrooms, each bedroom had an ensuite giving privacy to all. The common areas were spacious, well appointed and included a 10-person spa tub on the upper deck.
The upper deck was very large and incorporated a BBQ area and deck chairs for all. The kitchen was of commercial standard. The boat itself was a delight to maneuver and everyone took a turn to “captain” the boat 😊 (no specific boating experience required)…. very “resort style” ambiance.
Every evening we moored at a riverbank of our choosing and after dinner, we went on the bank, built a large camp fire (safely), swapped stories, engaged in chitchat, laughed a lot and chilled with the wines we “liberated” from the wineries we visited 😊…. a wonderful time indeed.
Each day on the river was peaceful. We roamed freely and at our pace as there wasn’t an itinerary. Water surface was always tranquil and exceptionally navigable. We explored the banks, marveled at the geology, continuously watched the myriad of birdlife, at times we fished for Murray Cod (caught and released 😊), some of us took long jaunts amongst majestic “ancient” gum trees and sprawling mallees in the early mornings and generally “kicked-back” and watched the world go by (incidentally, there are no sharks or crocodiles 😊).
