Messing About in Boats

There are few holidays as peaceful as drifting down a river in a boat. Or as Ratty puts it so blithely in Wind in the Willows, ’there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.’ Even in Winter!

During the Filipino wet season this year, we headed south for cooler climes. My parents had booked a house boat on the Murray River, from the South Australian end. Packed to the gunnels with a week’s supply of meals and wine, games, dvds and two teenage boys, we drove over the Adelaide hills in search of water.  Having crossed the swollen river twice at Murray Bridge, we then crossed it a third time on the little ferry at Mannum. It’s only a short trip, and we’ve done it many times over the years, but it still gives me a thrill. Accompanied by a straggly collection of magpies and seagulls, we ate pies, pasties and hot chips on the riverbank, before heading on to the Kia marina. Kia Marina Houseboat Hire is just one of many houseboat rental companies along the river.

The first River Murray houseboat was launched in 1961. It was built by Ian Showell at Renmark, had inspired by houseboats he had seen on the Nile. The Murray River version is traditionally a motorized catamaran: a pontoon with a shack on top. Like a rather ponderous hippopotamus, it lumbers down the wide, eucalyptus-lined waterway.

Nearly two and a half thousand kilometers from the Alps to the sea, the River Murray is Australia’s longest. Since 2000, severe droughts have seriously lowered the water level, damaging the river’s delicate eco-systems, putting strain on river red gums, native fish and birdlife and causing the river mouth to fill with silt. Only constant dredging has kept the river mouth open and prevented the demise of the Coorong. However, recent rains have ensured that the Murray is flowing again. So, it was a good time to witness the rebirth of a river.

We finally reached the marina and located our boat, but were disappointed to discover that high winds made it too dangerous to enter the river that afternoon. Instead, after an hour’s driving lesson with Kevin, we did a lap of the marina and pulled up on the river bank just beyond the entrance – a mere 200m from where we had started! Luckily, a stormy beginning was followed by four glorious days of clear blue skies and crisp cold nights. I hadn’t been out on a river boat since I was seven, rugged up then too, not against the cold, but to disguise fat hamster cheeks from an untimely bout of mumps. Any photos that have survived depict a miserable, scowling bundle of mohair scarf and fierce eyes!

Clear of all germs for this trip, we set off up the river, dodging pelicans, ducks and cockatoos. During the week, we spotted several foxes skimming surreptitiously along the riverbank. In the early mornings, tiny, pocket-sized swallows rested on the boat’s railings, while pelicans circled down through the rose gold beams of sunrise, surprisingly graceful for a large bird that looks so ungainly on land. Surrounded by such a lush display of avian splendour, I have to admit I came frighteningly close to becoming a twitcher!

Each night, after mellow days drifting upriver, we pulled into a much debated parking spot on the riverbank, gathered firewood and built a campfire. The boys baked potatoes and corn in the coals, and they even had a go at cooking marshmallows on long sticks, although more ended up amongst the flames than in their mouths! Being mid-winter, it got dark early, but at least there was not a mosquito to be seen, and Yahtzee and Scrabble kept us entertained through those long evenings.

The houseboat itself was a delight. It is literally a box-shaped, floating shack that, against all boat-building wisdom, manages to meander remarkably smoothly down the river. With decks front and back and another on the roof, we had amazing views in all directions. There was also a tinny (dinghy) on board, although unfortunately ours had a hole in it, so rowing was not an option this time. But we made good use of the barbecue, the TV, the microwave and an extremely noisy generator!  Houseboats come in a variety of shapes and sizes: Google the glamorous 5-star, 10-berth cruiser, The River Dream Boatel. Ours was a little simpler: three double rooms, a spacious kitchen/dining/living room, a bathroom and a loo.  Simple but spacious – and we couldn’t help but compare it to a similar holiday we did with my parents on a very narrow Narrowboat in England!

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