Fishing on the Murray and other stuff on the Riverlands, SA

On entering the ‘Riverlands’, fruit/vegetable quarantine signs greet you-advising you to place all in bins. However if you have a receipt to prove that you have bought the goods in SA, you can continue to carry these – we continued driving. There are random checkpoints along the highway, with instant 200-400$ fines.

Fishing on the Murray requires patience…

·         No commercial bait is required

·         3 cooked sweetcorn kernals are mounted on a #2 hook

·         Or bacon rind or

·         Shrimps – freshly caught in your net or

·         Red meat or

·         Fresh carp

DO NOT THROW the shit fish back, (carp or red fin) – you can be liable for on the spot fines from the marine police who patrol the river in their yellow fizz boats. Just throw the carp up onto  the river bank or give to other fisher people who keep them for crab bait. Fresh meat is no longer a ‘safe’ bait to use for crabbing – apparently it is a shark attractant. There is no bag or size limit for carp.

Apart from fishing there is a lot of nautical entertainment;

·         Houseboats driven by inexperienced skippers who try to come alongside the pontoon to expel or refill. The expelling of effulent is very well organised with huge sunction hoses that suck the stuff from your tank and deposit in huge sullage tanks.

·         The vehicle  ferry/punt 24/7, takes 2-3 minutes and is free.

·         Jetboating

·         Waveboarding

·         Stunt jet ski riders/drivers

·         Paddlesteamer

·         Flocks of white lorrikets sweeping just above the water

·         Turtle and lizard spotting

The majority of campsites are free and can accommodate up to 15 tents/vans. Rubbish bins and flush toilets are provided. No fresh water. Fortunately we have been lucky to secure a riverside site each time we have stopped. And the pleasant aspect is there are no flies, mozzies, mice or gowonas!