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South Australia - Murraylands
- Australia's Riverland Playground
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Just an hour's drive from Adelaide,
the Murraylands is the perfect place to escape the pressures of
big city living.
The Murray River is the centrepiece of the region and offers
a range of watersports, fishing, cruising, camping and environmental
tourism attractions. The wide meandering river cuts through the
region, flanked by tall limestone cliffs and huge river red gums.
And where the Murray reaches the sea, the expansive Lake Alexandrina
and Coorong offer visitors wide vistas of wetlands, challenging
sport fishing, stunning birdlife and miles of empty beaches with
pristine white sand dunes.
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Houseboat holidays on the river offer beautiful scenery,
nature walks in conservation parks and visits to historic
towns. You can catch your own fish and cook up a feast for
dinner - pure indulgence.
The Murraylands is also home to wildlife sanctuaries, pioneer
villages and amusement parks, while the spectacular unspoilt
beauty
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| Murray
River Houseboating |
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of the Murray mallee is the perfect environment in which to discover
a land untouched by time.
Situated just 80km east of Adelaide
on the South Eastern Freeway, Murray Bridge is less than an hour's
drive from Adelaide, and a similar distance from the Barossa
and beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula. Murray Bridge was formerly known
as Edward's Crossing, but changed its name after the first bridge
was built across the river in 1879. A rail bridge was built in
1925 and the Swanport Bridge in 1979. The town is now home to
a population of 13,500 people, and is the thriving hub of the
Murraylands region.
Not far from the town, Monarto Zoological Park is an open range
zoo and offers visitors the opportunity to see giraffe, zebra,
antelope, cheetah and bison roaming free over 1000 hectares. Monarto
is home to Australia's largest giraffe herd, South Australia's
first white rhino, a cheetah habitat, herds of zebra and antelope,
ostriches and has recently acquired African painted dogs, which
are believed to be the most endangered carnivore species in Africa.
It is a blend of conservation park, national park, and zoological
park all rolled into one.
Puzzle Park and Dundee's Wildlife are also great attractions
for the kids near Murray Bridge. Puzzle Park offers a giant waterslide,
racing cars, a 4km maze, paddleboats, mini-golf and more. For
the younger children, there's a junior waterslide, mini slippery-dip,
and a toddlers' swimming pool.
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| Paddlesteamer
on the Murray River |
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Mannum is
the birthplace of the Murray River paddlesteamer. The town was
developed after William Randell launched Australia's first paddlesteamer
the Mary Anne there. This innovation pioneered river trade to
the Victorian goldfields and |
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transport networks were quickly developed along the Murray, Murrumbidgee
and Darling Rivers. Today the town is home port to the Murray
Princess, the Proud Mary and the 100-year-old paddlesteamer Marion.
Situated on the South Eastern Freeway, Tailem Bend's history
is intertwined with South Australia's railway heritage. The town's
rail history is showcased in the old steam locomotive that stands
as the centrepiece to the town's popular playground. Old Tailem
Town, on the outskirts of Tailem Bend, also captures the interesting
colonial history of the area with more than 90 refurbished buildings
offering a living reminder of the State's pioneering days.
The Murray mallee is home to true Australian farming country,
with large tracts of land used for dryland cereal crops and grazing.
This region is home to more than 40 national parks and the rare
and elusive mallee fowl.
For more information on South Australia vacations, please log
on to www.southaustralia.com
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