Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Breeze Holiday Hire
( 0438 802 668;
www.murrayriver.com.au/breeze-holiday-hire-1052
)
hires out canoes and kayaks (per day $75), dinghies with outboards (per day $95) and
fishing gear (per day $15), and can get you waterskiing too.
From Mannum to Swan Reach, the eastern riverside road often tracks a fair way east
of the river, but various lookouts en route help you scan the scene. Around 9km south of
Swan Reach, the Murray takes a tight meander called
Big Bend
, a sweeping river curve
with pock-marked, ochre-coloured cliffs.
Sedentary old Swan Reach (population 850), 70km southwest of Waikerie, is a bit of a
misnomer: an old pub and plenty of pelicans but not many swans.
A citrus-growing centre oddly festooned with TV antennas, Waikerie (population
4630) takes its name from the Aboriginal phrase for 'anything that flies'. There's plenty
of bird life around here, with 180 species recorded at
Gluepot Reserve
( 08-8892
9600;
www.riverland.net.au/gluepot
; Gluepot Rd; cars per day/overnight $5/10; 8am-6pm)
, a
mallee scrub area 64km north of Waikerie (off Lunn Rd) and part of Unesco's Bookmark
Biosphere Reserve. Before you head off, check with Waikerie's Shell service station on
Peake Tce to see if you'll need a gate key.
T
Tours
Jester Cruises
CRUISE
( 0419 909 116, 08-8569 2330;
www.jestercruises.com.au
; 1¾/2½hr tours $30/60)
Cruise up
and down the river from Mannum on the 40-seat Jester, running most days.
Proud Mary
CRUISE
( 08-8406 444;
www.proudmary.com.au
;
1½hr tour adult/child $55/40)
Lunch cruises on a
big boat on the big river, departing from Mannum. Brush up on your Creedence Clearwa-
ter Revival lyrics.
4
Sleeping & Eating
Mannum Motel
MOTEL $$$
(
08-8569 1808;
www.mannummotel.com.au
; 76 Cliff St, Mannum; d/f from $130/150;
)
This unobtrusive brown-brick '80s number squats on a rise above the ferry crossing at
Mannum. Some of the larger units have kitchenettes if you don't fancy the in-house bis-
tro or a trip to the pub for dinner.
Mannum Caravan Park
CARAVAN PARK $
