Bloated Murray River to remain off limits to boats for months

The bloated Murray River could stay closed to commercial and recreational users through the peak summer trading period. See what it means.

The bloated Murray River could remain closed to commercial and recreational users until the end of January, causing a major headache for tourism operators in the Victorian bordertown of Echuca.

Owner of Murray Luxury Houseboats David Grubb said he was facing business losses of $400,000 if the river did not reopen before then.

The NSW State Emergency Service has declared the area an emergency zone due to the height of the river, with only Transport NSW, council personnel and Fisheries allowed to go on the water.

“It’s like COVID-19 times ten in terms of the cost to the business,” Mr Grubb said.

“That was stop-start and meant we had to stay on top of restrictions in two states, but this is much worse.”

Mr Grubb’s fleet of five luxury vessels are only able to be reached via tinny, as everything else is still submerged by flood waters.

“I would need the river to go down by nearly two meters just to be able to assess the damage the river has done,” he said.

“It’s below the waterline.”

Murray River Council is expected to hold a meeting for tourism operators on Friday morning to talk about strategies for business owners.

“This is really the third summer in a row which has been disrupted,” Mr Grubb said.

Owner of The Caledonian Hotel, Echuca, David Cunningham inside his pub.

David Cunningham, owner of The Caledonian Hotel, Echuca.

“We had the fires, then COVID-19 restrictions and now this. The next two to three months are the key high points of the season.

“We would have all of our houseboats fully booked right through Christmas and New Year, but we can’t do that right now. You need to make your money in the summer to get you through winter.”

Some of the riverside townships included in the emergency areas are Albury, Howlong, Corowa, Cobram, Tocumwal, Deniliquin, Mathoura / Picnic Point, Barmah and Moama.

Owner of The Caledonian Hotel at Echuca, David Cunningham, said he was worried for other hospitality providers in the region, still trying to get back on their feet following the floods.

“We really want people to know we’re still here, we’re still open,” he said.

“The river being closed is hurting a lot of businesses but we will get through this. We still want people to come for a day trip or a stay. And it’s the bush, people help each other.”