River Murray should be SA’s winter holiday hot spot

The water made sure summer was a washout on river but have South Aussies been missing the best parts of the Murray all along?

South Australians need to drop the idea of the River Murray as a summer playground and embrace the waterway as a year-round destination, say tourism operators who are encouraging visitors to return after the floods.

With tourism and accommodation providers losing millions in revenue after the worst flooding in decades shut down most activity on the river over summer, visitors are being encouraged to experience the serenity that descends on the Murray over the winter months.

Tony Sharley, managing director of Renmark’s Murray River Trails, said people were becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of spending time on the waterway outside of summer.

“The best time on the river – for us – is that period from May through to September,” said Mr Sharley, who runs guided walks along the Murray.

“That’s the walking season – it’s cooler, you’re not sharing the river with the water-skiers and wakeboarders, you have cleaner air in the winter so you get better dark skies. The type of nature-based tourism that we offer has the opportunity to make winter the new high season on the river.”

Mr Sharley’s business, which uses a luxury houseboat as a support vessel, was severely affected by the floods but he said things were quickly returning to normal.

Louise and Rufus Scheffers with grandchildren Violet, Scarlett and Tyson at their Reedy Creek Retreat near Mannum. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“That houseboat has been mothballed for the last four months,” he said.

“Now we have access to the riverbank again, so the boat is back in service and people are returning.

“And as people come back they are seeing the recovery on the flood plains, which have been effectively cleaned by the floods. We’ve had fantastic bird breeding over the event, the vegetation is looking really healthy and we’re seeing great numbers of wildlife.

“And the height of the flood has left a mark on the trees, and that provides a great story point for anyone walking on the river. It’s a great way for people to see how our rivers in Australia work.”

Chad Blatchford, owner-operator at Four Knots Murray River Cruises in Mannum, agreed with Mr Sharley’s assessment of winter on the river.

“In the winter the river is just beautiful,” said Mr Blatchford, who runs two boats on the river.

“The ecology is a lot more active, there’s a lot more birdlife. House-boating a river cruising in winter is just fantastic. You don’t get all that traffic on the water, you have it to yourself.

“And the mornings are so still and calm and you get that mist rising up off the water. Campfire, red wine – you tick a few boxes.”

Mr Blatchford said he shut down his cruises on November 17 when he felt the safety of his passengers getting on and off of his boats could be compromised by the rising waters.

“Thankfully, we were given a lifeline by the government of operating a ferry service during the flood,” he said.

“We were working to join the community together from Cowirra back to Mannum. Importantly, that allowed us to keep our workers on through what would normally have been the peak summer season.”

At Reedy Creek Retreat, a glamping operation at Mannum, things are getting busy again.

The Murray at Murtho near Renmark. Picture: Simon Cross

“The water’s receded quite a bit and our entry point to the river is open again, which is great,” managing director Louise Scheffers said.

“We’re getting two or three bookings a day, which is fantastic.”

Ms Scheffers said Reedy Creek had to halt its barbecue boat operation during the flood but the glamping tents remained open.

“Unfortunately people just weren’t coming to stay,” she said.

“With all of the media attention on the floods there were people coming up for a look but they weren’t booking accommodation.”

Ms Scheffers said Mannum’s main street was “coming alive again” following the removal of a levee which split the road in two.

“People have a positive and optimistic attitude, which is wonderful to see,” she said.

“The levee is down and the Pretoria Hotel is up and running again, and that’s very appealing to people coming in. We’ve had people staying from NSW who have never been here before. They heard what had happened and wanted to come and support the area and have a look around, so that message is getting out.”

Renmark business Boats and Bedzzz, which offers houseboats for hire or as accommodation, this week sent out its first hire boat in months.

“We’re slowly getting back to normal,” owner-operator Deanna Flaherty said.

“Bookings are still a little quiet for April, but I think people are waiting for the (River Revival) vouchers. I think things will pick up after that. It’s the perfect time to get up here – it’s warm enough to swim, the fire restrictions are easing and there’s lots of yabbies about.”

Murray River Trails shots Picture: Supplied

River Revival Vouchers are back Monday

A major initiative aimed at reviving the River Murray’s tourism economy kicks off Monday.

The River Revival Voucher program, similar to the program rolled out to kickstart tourism following the pandemic, will offer more than 25,000 vouchers across three rounds – autumn, winter, spring.

An additional $500,000 has been announced for a further round later this year targeted towards businesses that are still to reopen, such as affected areas of the Mid-Murray Council region.

Round one offers vouchers of $50 for use on experiences, $100 for a minimum one-night stay accommodation, and $200 for a minimum two-night stay accommodation. Consumers can register for their chance to score up to two voucher values.

A $750 houseboat voucher will also be introduced in rounds two and three, allowing South Australians to plan an iconic houseboat holiday in the winter and spring periods when most houseboats are expected to be fully operational again.

More than 90 operators have signed up to be part of the first voucher round, which is open to all South Australians over the age of 18, as well as Victorians in an effort to entice residents in cross-border communities such as Mildura, Horsham and the Grampians.

Katarapko Creek, Murray River National Park. Picture: South Australian Tourism Commission

The ballot opens at 9am Monday at southaustralia.com/voucher and will stay open until 10pm on March 29. Winners will be drawn on March 30, with the booking period running until April 28 and the travel period running from March 31 to June 29, including the Easter period and the school holidays.

Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said the voucher program was aimed at injecting cash into a Murray tourism sector which – in most cases – was shut down through the traditionally busy summer period.

“We know tourism operators missed out on their traditional summer peak period, which is why we’re urging South Australians to take a holiday to the river through autumn, winter and spring,” Ms Bettison said.

“The cooler months are an incredible time on the Murray and with businesses reopening, there is so much on offer.

“When the ballot opens … the first of more than 25,000 River Revival Vouchers will be up for grabs which will trigger thousands of river holidays from later this month right through Easter, the April school holidays and all of June.

“This is just the first round of vouchers in a staggered approach as informed by industry, with more rounds to come to support those businesses not yet ready to operate.”

Ms Bettison said the government’s $4.6 million Murray River tourism support package aimed to inject funds into a sector “worth $436 million to South Australia’s economy prior to the flooding event.”