Houseboat on the Murray

Following the widespread flooding in Queensland in Dec 2010-Jan 2011 the River Murray levels started to rise again in 2011 after years of drought and excess irrigation upstream in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria had threatened its viability. Pity the poor cousins in South Australia who sat at the end of the system as the river flow dwindled and the river banks started to collapse.

Captain Anthony and First mate Irene

During that time many farmers operating in the lakes area near the Murray mouth were forced off their properties, salinity of the lower lakes area became a major problem and dredges worked around the clock to keep the mouth open. Tourism was put on hold, houseboat and tour operators tightened their belts and the Coorong and estuarine area near the mouth started to morph into a marine environment. Recognising the potential disaster, Federal and State governments promoted schemes to buy back irrigation licenses and pushed for a single authority to manage the resource. The river represented a major part of the water supply for the people of South Australia so the South Australian government posted tenders for the construction of a desalination plant which will give security of water supply for many years - at a cost! And then the heavens opened and it rained - causing huge damage, loss of life and property and eventually a return to health of the river system. And of course interested parties are now calling for a suspension of the buy back schemes and questioning the wisdom of expensive desal plants because we now have plenty of water! Houseboat operators along the river had experienced a downturn in their business during the drought with potential hirers believing that the river was not navigable. In fact, the lock systems along the river had always provided plenty of water for this purpose. Now, with the river in flood, potential hirers were also reticent, perhaps believing that they would be swept away by a raging torrent or at the very least would struggle to drive the boats against a strong current. Our houseboat holiday had been booked for April some 6 months before and we were not quite sure what we would find, so it was with some trepidation that we loaded up the car and headed for Mannum, a major centre for the houseboat industry with many private hirers and several large companies including the Unforgettable fleet. Mannum is a lively riverside town which relies heavily on tourism to turn a dollar and it has experienced some major floods in its time including the "big one" in 1956. This flood has been described as one of SA's biggest catastrophes and the water level in Mannum enabled boats to tie up at the hotel first floor balcony and have a pint of the best. Many of the important towns along the river were flooded including Murray Bridge and Mildura.
 We crossed at the punt about 3m below the
height of those '56 levels and drove to the Kia Marina to collect our accommodation for the next six days. After a brief introduction to the operation of the luxury houseboat Cloud 9 by our hosts Brian and Joan and a short drive out into the main stream to familiarise us with the controls we were off on our journey upstream towards Walker Flat. The only qualification to drive these monsters is a paltry driving license but we soon got used to the pace as the twin 60hp four stroke Yamahas whispered away, nudging us gently against the current. The river here was flowing  at about 3-4kmph according to Brian but we made steady progress. My fishing mate Charles and I had been down to the river mouth a week earlier and with all the barrages open the river was flowing at least twice that speed and the dredges had been shut down and mothballed after years of operation. Upstream, the water was certainly brown and murky with lots of eddies swirling near the banks. When the floodwaters started there was a lot of "blackwater" as the river system was flushed and all the stagnant water pushed downstream. In the process, the numerous lagoons and backwaters of the river had filled and bird life abounded. The banks themselves were often overgrown with lush vegetation which made stopping places a little more difficult to find so we started looking at about 2pm for a suitable place for the night. After an afternoon's gentle cruising along a peaceful river miles from the sounds of city life and traffic the houseboat gently caressed the bank and was securely tied with the bow ropes and the all important stern ropes to the nearest trees. Well, alright, the first few attempts to reach the bank in the correct spot (thanks to the breeze and current) were a little ordinary but we got there in the end. And that's how it goes each day with a leisurely breakfast, a cruise along the river admiring the spectacular orange sandstone cliffs and the abundant bird life, an early mooring and a sleepy afternoon followed by a luxurious spa with a cold beer, a gourmet meal and a few marshmallows toasted to perfection over an open fire on the river bank under the Southern Cross. Recommend it!