 Visit the Riverland region of SA
The Riverland region stretches along a 300 kilometre course of the Murray River. Its passes spectacular vertical limestone cliffs, graceful red gums and burgeoning citrus orchards and vineyards. South Australia's Riverland is only a two hour drive from Adelaide. It follows the winding Murray River from Blanchetown in the west to the State's border.
It is a region of natural beauty and abundant wildlife, prolific raucous bird life. In the early days of the South Australian colony the river was a bustling thoroughfare. A highway for Paddle-steamers to bring grain, wool and supplies to the inland ports. Nowadays, the Murray's most commonly sighted river vessel is the holiday houseboat. Cruising along in a houseboat is the ideal way to travel between Riverland towns. And the only way to fully appreciate the river and its scenery. Houseboats can be extremely comfortable and can accommodate between two and twelve people, making it the ideal group holiday adventure.
 The Monash Adventure Park is a 'must do' for all families. The leaning towers, giant swings and maze will keep you busy for hours. Loxton Historical Village and the Cobdogla Irrigation and Steam Museum will take you back to days when steam powered the world.
You can charter a small plane or hop in a glider and see the whole view from a quieter perspective. For a real rush you can see the view on a free fall skydive! The limestone cliff-faces offer great opportunities for abseiling or you can explore the tributaries on a backwater dinghy cruise. There are also kilometres of diverse riverside hiking in the national parks and along boardwalks through the wetlands.
With kilometres of uncrowded waterways, you can learn to water ski at Renmark. Try your hand at barefooting, kneeboarding and wakeboarding. While Barmera's Lake Bonney is perfect for canoeing, skiing and other water sports including sailing a catamaran.
With the Murray River carving its way past steep sandstone and limestone cliffs, giant river red gums, wetlands and vast tracts of mallee country, the National Parks throughout this region feature narrow creeks, shallow swamps and vast stands of mallee woodland, black oak, bluebush shrublands and abundant bird life.
Blanchetown
Blanchetown is where the Murray River's lock and weir water flow management system starts. Blanchetown's famous towering cliffs not only offer amazing imagery with their changing colours, closer inspection will also offer up fossilised starfish, shells and fish. This quiet township is an informal holiday town made up of river shacks for lovers of relaxed river days. In the summer months the uncrowded waterways and sheltered river bends and sandy banks are popular with waterskiers. Located close by is the Bookfield Conservation Park, a breeding ground for the hairy-nosed wombat.
Morgan
Once the busiest port in South Australia, Morgan has been able to successfully preserved its history. The restored wharf precinct captures the early river trading days and the paddle-steamer era has been preserved in the town's museums. Morgan's 'Heritage Walk' is a great way to explore its historic past. The walk meanders past a number of historic landmarks telling stories about the town's past. It finishes with a panoramic view of the town and the Murray River.
Cardell
Located just 12 kilometres east of Morgan, Cardell is a small settlement in the rich citrus-growing area. Cardell is the site of now famous wetlands that attract international botanists and ornithologists. These wetlands feature a unique variety of prickly bottle-brush and bird hides. There is a trail through the wetlands which is marked with informative signs about the local flora and fauna.
Waikerie
 Surrounded by more than a million fruit trees, Waikerie is the centre of the South Australian citrus industry. At Waikerie you'll find one of the longest stretches of accessible riverbank on the Murray. The width of the river makes it well suited for houseboats and popular for watersports and fishing. Apart from the Murray just at its doorstep, Waikerie is famous for gliders. You can have lessons or just take a joy flight at the local glider club
Barmera
Barmera is located on the shores of Lake Bonney. This makes it one of the state's most popular aquatic playgrounds. In the summer there are boats everywhere and the local yacht club holds regular races. Canoeists and other boaters enjoy fishing and sightseeing as the lake and adjoining wetlands abound with wildlife. Being a freshwater lake makes it popular with waterskiers, windsurfers and jet-skiers. It also has safe swimming areas separated from the boating areas. Barmera is 221 kilometres northeast of Adelaide.
Kingston-on-Murray
This town hosts the remarkable Banrock Station Wine and Wetland Centre. Banrock Station is an impressive project by one of Australia's largest wine companies to balance agricultural use and nature conservation. There is a seven kilometre boardwalk trail through the wetlands and an interpretive interpretive and wine-tasting centre.
Renmark
Dotted with restaurants, cruise boats moored along the wharves, waterside parks, caravan parks and hotels, Renmark's river front is a Mecca for visitors. From Renmark you can board the luxury houseboat-style 'Big River Rambler' for a two hour cruise. Or on the first Sunday of every month the boilers of the historic paddle-steamer 'PS Industry' fire up. One of only a few paddle-steamers left from the busy river trading days, PS Industry will take you back in time to experience the power of steam. The river front is also the base of several houseboat fleets. For the more adventurous Renmark also offers scenic flights, backwater dinghy cruises and water-skiing tuition. Finally you can visit Brendl's Wonder World of Wildlife where one of the parks guides may let you feed and hold one of the massive pythons on display.
Riverland National Parks & Reserves
Chowilla Game Reserve & Regional Reserve
Located 280 kilometres north-west of Adelaide, the Chowilla Game Reserve & Regional Reserve provides the perfect scenery for a leisurely day at the river. Stretching from the flood plain through to Danggali Conservation Park in the North, Chowilla Regional Reserve has abundant bird life, creeks for canoeing and fishing, and a variety of plants including the majestic river red gum and the black box. You can enjoy activities such as swimming, boating, walking, camping, canoeing and picnicking.
Danggali Conservation Park
If its open spaces you are after, Danggali Conservation Park, 350kms northeast of Adelaide, is the place to go and visit. Dominated by mallee scrubland, in 1977 this park was classified as Australia's first Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO's 'Man and the Biosphere Program', an attempt to protect representative samples of ecosystems throughout the world. The ecosystem in Danggali Conservation Park is a mixture of the mallee and arid land systems. While in Danggali you can choose to walk the 10km scenic trail passing through mallee scrub to Target Mark Dam. Or try Nanya's Pad Interpretation Drive, a 100km drive on a 2WD circuit.
Murray River National Park
The Murray River National Park is 180km northeast of Adelaide and approximately 13,000 hectares in size. It is a great place for those who love the river experience. Three areas, Katarapko, Bulyong Island and Lyrup Flats, form an archipelago park. This area is important as breeding grounds for most of southern Australia's waterfowl and other waterbirds. While in the Murray River National Park you can enjoy camping, houseboating, fishing, bushwalking and canoeing along Eckerts Creek and Katarapko Creek.
For more information regarding South Australia's National Parks and Conservation Parks please visit SA National Parks and Wildlife Service.
This information was compiled with the help of resources available from South Australia Tourism. Please visit their website at www.southaustralia.com for a more detailed rundown of this exciting region and others.
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