Houseboats – IT'S ABOUT THE JOURNEY………..

Fog greeted us on our first morning, a fog which was thick enough not to be able to navigate the river but which lifted quickly and created an ethereal mist which was quite beautiful drifting amongst the trees.

Driving was easy and we all had a turn; at only 4 – 6 knots we seemed to glide along the river and there were no other craft about. This is not the season for houseboats but we loved it for being so quiet and not having to worry about speedboats and water skiers!

The beautiful red cliffs at Big Bend were awe inspiring and went on for miles.

Pelicans were everywhere, either in flocks or swimming serenely on their own. They were not at all disturbed by us passing by and tended to ignore our presence even when we tried to entice them with fish.

Late on afternoon we decided to walk along the river bed and climb up one of the cliffs. It was a beautiful walk amongst the gum trees and bushy scrub with little wildflowers here and there.

This cliff looks as though it needs holding up!

Our “home” successfully tied up for the night – next was to find firewood at which Rob excelled and our fires each night were spectacular.

So were the sunsets…..

We never tired of river scenes – in fact there was so much to see we didn’t have time to do much reading for fear of missing something!

Flocks of birds including corellas and cockatoos were in various pockets of the river, these were at a lagoon on our last night.

And so we farewelled the beautiful River Murray – until next time….

We flew to Adelaide early in the morning and after shopping for supplies, we drove to Mannum on the Lower Murray – an hour and a half away – where our houseboat was waiting for us. Mannum is known as the Houseboat capital of Australia and a number of companies are located here. We chose ‘Unforgettable’ as it could accommodate our party of 11 in 6 queen size bedrooms all with ensuites. Http://www.houseboats.com.au

On top of this luxury we also had a jacuzzi, a huge gourmet kitchen complete with dishwasher and microwave, ducted air conditioning and an outdoor barbecue. After a quick lesson on the mechanics and driving of the craft, we set off for our first stop for the night.

Houseboats lined up at Mannum

But first we had to unpack the stores which included cartons of wine and beer and lots of gourmet food. Clearly we were going to be doing a lot of feasting!

The river is wide and to my amazement there were pelicans everywhere. I love these graceful, often aloof birds and spent hours capturing them on film at various times of the day.

After choosing our spot for the night, the next challenge was to tie up. No anchors here! The method is to steer the boat to the edge of the river, firmly plant the gangplank to the shore, find two trees to tie the ropes to and settle down for the night! Easier said than done.

“Yes, this looks OK”

oops, better try putting the gangplank down again!

Now to tie one side…..

Settled, now for the campfire…..

and a few sundowners

Then it was time to have our first meal on the Houseboat – and a celebration of a special birthday with masses of seafood brought from Port Lincoln and Coffin Bay.

A good time was had by all – especially Chel in the white sweater!

This is a typical scene along the river and we were looking forward to seeing lots more including the beautiful limestone cliffs towards Walker Flat. Tomorrow is another day.