Goolwa

Goolwa is at the mouth of the River Murray. The Murray runs into Lake Alexandrina ans Lake Albert and then spreads out through a series of islands and the along the Coorong which spreads out along the a narrow channel by sand hills for miles, as the mouth of the Murray is only a small opening and often blocks up completely. Until recently there hasn’t been much water in this part of the Murray as it is all being used upstream for irrigation and many weirs have been built to hold the water back. Now there has been so much rain in Queensland and NSW so the Murray is getting a much need flush out but may also cause some flooding when it eventually comes down.

In the 30’s a large barrage was built across the river to stop the salt water travelling up the river – it had encroached 250 miles upstream. The barrage consists of a series of cement gates which can be lowered stop the water or opened to let the water flow out. At the moment there is a huge amount of water flowing out to make room for water that is coming down.
We were able to walk out on the barrage and see the water flowing out. The pelicans, swans and divers had a great time catching the fish as they came downstream.

Goolwa is a very interesting historic town with lots of old buildings. During its hey-day, from the 1850s to the 1880s, Goolwa was one of the country's earliest and most important river ports. Goolwa developed as the Murray's link with the sea. Cargoes of wool and other produce were off-loaded at the river port and transported by (horse-drawn) railway to be exported from a seaport on Encounter Bay - initially Port Elliot and later Victor Harbor. Supplies and passengers also travelled this route.
A steam train still operates as a tourist attraction from Victor Harbour to Goolwa.
There is also a paddle steamer that has been lovingly restored by enthusiastic volunteers and is taken out on the river twice a month. Many old boats are seen in the water and at the Armfield Slipway a group of keen wooden boat enthusiasts restore wooden boats. Goolwa is also home to the bi-annual wooden boat festival.

Goolwa sits on a huge bend in the river and a big bridge goes over to Hindmarsh Island where there is a marina and some flash houses. This is where Stuart sighted the mouth of the Murray. Every sort of water sport is enjoyed especially now there is lots of water.



We really enjoyed our stay in this interesting town and the beautiful reflections on the River Murray.


The Coorong is a long, shallow lagoon more than 100 km in length that is separated from the Southern Ocean by a narrow sand dune peninsula.
The Lakes Alexandrina and Albert form the mouth of the River Murray and are comprised of fresh to saline waters.
The Coorong's fragile ecology depends on getting a mix of fresh water from the Murray and sea water from the ocean.
The Coorong is renown for the birdlife and is now a National Park. It has been dry for a long time but now with all the rain that has occured upstream the lake is full and more water will be coming down to flush out the system. It is also very popular for fishing and we bought some fresh Coorong mullet which was delicious.

We camped on the National park by the Coorong and although it rained it was beautiful.