Murray River Adventure - Echuca to the Sea

[smithmoir]

Just back from solo Murray River Trip - Echuca to the Sea.
1700kms. 56 days.
Vessel: Campercraft trailerable pop-top houseboat.
- 25hp Mercury outboard. 30cm draft

Started Jan 12, 2016.
Ended 7th of March at the last channel marker going into
Lake Alexandrina. (couldn't cross lake in my little boat).
Trailered boat back to Echuca March 14.

Very pleased with myself. (62yr old lady). Met lots of great
(and helpful!) people along the way. Some hard/scary bits,
but a real adventure!!

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC TRIP

Anyone planning a Murray Adventure and wanting any
help/info/advice - just ask!
[email protected]

[jock]

WOW !!!! Welcome to the Forum.
What an absolutely incredible experience....Would love to do something similar but, perhaps, in something a little larger. Have had lots of experience hiring big houseboats around Kingston On Murray, Waikerie area and often thought of such a trip.
Congratulations on the completion of the adventure of a lifetime.
Did you strike some stinking hot weather??

Jock

[smithmoir]

Weather was hot - but hey... you're on a river. Just jump on in!!

My Campercraft is around the size of a caravan with a very shallow (30cm) draft. Most houseboats have at least a 60cm draft, making many parts of the river impassible.

It is light enough to be able to push/pull around when stuck on sand/clay/snags etc, by one "oldish" lady.

Also, the river is really quite narrow in places - some tight maneuvering around snags, rocks etc.

[TramcarTrev]

What an interesting journey that is! Its an entirely different perspective to doing it by car in 3 days...

Do you live in Echuca? How were the mozzies? How was the river level?

A mate and I did it back as a Bicentenial project in 1988 from below the weir at Yarawonga to Goolwa
in my steam launch. We had to go in winter so that we could get coal in the towns as we passed though but at one stage we were burning BBQ briquettes... You could still buy bagged coal then....

You did it in record time, took us just on 4 months... We did not have the luxury of sleeping aboard but pitched a tent at nights unless there was a town with a pub close by. Only problem was a smart ass in the Barmah Forest (just above Echucha) who tried to steal the boat.... A low level bridge proved a problem too we had to ship the funnel and pole under it....

Eureka at Metung

Eureka at Metung (Small).JPG

[smithmoir]

What a gorgeous boat...do you still have it?

I'm too old/tired to set up camp every night.
My little vessel has a bed, stove, fridge, loo
and lights...what else could I ask for?
(maybe someone to wash dishes...)

[TramcarTrev]

I sold Eureka a few years ago, she now lives in Qld and sends me postcards from some of the exotic places she ends up...

[dieseltojo]

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC TRIP

Anyone planning a Murray Adventure and wanting any
help/info/advice - just ask!
[email protected][/quote]

Hi smithmoir,
Literately, welcome on board with a very nice first post.

I don't know if it is possible, or you can ask the moderator, but I recommend to remove your email.
Sometimes people jump on that sort of info.

You can even report you own post for attention to this. Up to you of coarse.