Will McDonald: This state is so huge, it has so many adventures. Here’s one of mine.

Channel 9 presenter Will McDonald has had some amazing adventures in South Australia – but this one was an unexpected delight.

Our great state of South Australia is 984,321sq km. That’s five times the size of the UK and bigger than Texas.

Across my nearly 4.5 decades of living and working here, I have been fortunate to enjoy quite a bit of what there is to see and do in South Australia.

Just recently, I was brought to a quiet and peaceful, yet noisy and adventurous, spot – a brand new holiday location for me, and just over 100km from my suburban front door.

In the past, my curiosity has prompted four-wheel driving up the Birdsville Track to see the Cooper Creek flowing and flooding the dusty Outback.

I’ve ridden motorbike trips to our borders in the east and west and camping at random sites along the way, all with a “million star rating”.

I have seen parts of SA from above. Perhaps my favourite was a leap from a plane at about 4.5km above Thompson Beach, immediately opening my parachute and flying on the favourable winds 10km back to the Lower Light drop zone. Skydivers call this a cross-country jump.

But life is full of surprises. Apparently, so too a local natural wonder I had not previously had the chance to really experience: The River Murray.

Specifically, houseboating and water skiing at Younghusband – one of the little communities dotted along the river just east of Mannum.

Channel 9 news presenter Will McDonald learnt to waterski on the River Murray.

It’s moments of discovery like this that intensify my gratitude about living in SA. My gratitude is even greater for the wonderful fellow South Aussies who introduced me and my family to the joys of the river.

A particularly warm Easter weekend in 2021 was the perfect weather for me and my girlfriend Samantha to have an introductory getaway on a houseboat, thanks to the generous invitation from our friends Caroline and Drew.

After a solid sleep on board, I woke well before dawn on Good Friday and was greeted by a crystal-clear, breathless sky.

Sitting on the back deck on the boat, I watched the sun rise over the gum trees, revealing a glassy stretch of the River Murray. It was a perfect moment of calm, when the demands and stress of emails, phone calls and deadlines dissolve.

The conditions were just perfect when the transition from tranquillity, to the frustrating adrenaline of water skiing lessons, began.

Let’s be honest, learning to stand up on a bit of foam and fibreglass while being pulled along by a floating rocket ship is challenging.

When the technique finally clicked, and water is skimming beneath the board and the river bank is zooming past, the multiple stacks and sore muscles feel worth it.

On New Year’s Day we returned to the same spot. Our dog Rupert joined us and supercharged the fun. He’s a loveable, energetic german short-haired pointer who was desperate to go swimming off the back of the boat. His fear of the unknown was too great until two ducks swam past. His worries washed away.

Will McDonald's dog Rupert, practising his hunting skills. . Picture: Will McDonald

With no hesitation his canine instincts took hold and into the river he went.

Rupert got nowhere near the ducks, and awkwardly splashing around, immediately it seemed he regretted his rash decision.

My next move was a dreadful David Hasselhoff impersonation, jumping in to drag poor Rupert to safety.

But I have no doubt Rupert the dog will clumsily chase those ducks into the river again, And I will probably have to save him again.

I’m already looking forward to the next dose of River Murray fun, adventure and relaxation.