Murray River Meanderings

Enjoying the best of the Riverland from the comfort of unique luxury accomodation, The Frames.

I have just been 24 hours on the Murray River – not long enough!

I spent time with Cath & Rick (second and third generation Riverlanders) and my friend Sharyn who owns a lovely little cottage in the Barossa – Seppeltsfields Vineyard Cottage, but that’s another story.

The Murray River is the world’s third longest navigable river (after the Amazon and the Nile) which is surprising when you consider that Australia is the world’s driest continent, after Antarctica. Having said that, the amount of water that goes down the Murray in one year, goes down the Amazon in one day, for the Murray River is old and sluggish and meanders her way across the vast flat lands of interior Australia. The Murray Darling Basin is huge and encompasses areas of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia and through our four most populous states, everybody wants to drink from her in one way or another. Irrigation and lochs have changed the form of the river and farmers and towns now rely on a supply that just over 100 years ago, did dry up.

Rick and Cathy are dynamos! They love people and they love sharing their Australian story. Their primary business is citrus production, but they built The Frames so that they could showcase the Riverland’s best assets from the comfort of very stylish accommodation. The Frames offers three private accommodation villas (one x two bedroom and two x one bedroom) and they are architecturally striking, beautifully finished and exceptionally comfortable. Lovely river views, private pools and BBQ areas, spa, sauna and more, The Frames are deliciously relaxing and a great base from which to explore.

However, Rick and Cathy know luxury accommodation alone is not enough and so they have created several signature activities that introduce you to their local life. Boating on the Murray River, perhaps sunset on an immaculately restored ‘gondola’ of unknown origin, or meandering the back channels spotting wildlife and stopping for a bush BBQ picnic. What about a moonlit kayak on the gently flowing Murray, or for older travellers the stability of a typical Murray Houseboat.

Their Food Safari includes meeting the people behind the scenes; wander the citrus & nut paddocks and then refresh with an alcoholic lemonade at the Wilkadene Woolshed. Set right on the banks of the river, the old shearing shed stills smells of lanoline but is today a popular local pub. The local Fire Station is now a coffee shop and the 23rd Street Distillery is proudly operating out of century-old landmark building. You would be right in seeing a theme here - one of reinvention, of innovation and a willingness to share passions.

It’s a winning formula! The Riverland is very much the real Australia – big blue skies, glorious gum trees, a river so clean you could drink it, fabulous food and intelligent, fun and generous local hosts. Locals that are invested in the community and that share their beautiful and relaxed lifestyle with travellers that want more than just a superficial overview of our extraordinary country.

TRAVEL PLANNING

It is surprisingly easy to include Rick, Cathy, Joe and The Frames in an Australian journey. Mildura Airport is only 90 minutes drive away; there are 8 commercial flights a day from Melbourne and the airstrip is suited to private aircraft of all types. Adelaide Airport is only 3 hours drive; the Barossa Valley is on the same road and makes for a great stop, either for lunch or for a couple of nights.

I have never been a big advocate of driving the Great Ocean Road (from Melbourne to Adelaide) but that’s because most travellers believe it to be a 2-day event. If you have time to explore and the desire to self-drive, two great options would be –

Adelaide | Barossa | The Frames | Flinders Ranges | Adelaide & on to Kangaroo Island – minimum 6 nights

(Recommended time does not include origin or destination time)

No matter your mode of travel, The Frames combines well with

· The Flinders Ranges

· The Barossa Valley

Guest User30 August 2018