Top places to visit in the Riverland
Bella Lavender garden at Winkie
The Riverland area of South Australia is an easy 2 hour drive from Adelaide, I've done day trips as well as a recent weekend trip with an overnight stay.
Summer has begun in Australia, there's been a serious lack of rain for the past few years, the drought conditions were dramatically illustrated when stopping at the lookout past Blanchetown and seeing the parched earth stretched out infront of me.
Quite dramatic, dry and dusty with the road cutting through the landscape
The towns in the Riverland rely on the water from the River Murray, irrigation keeps farming in the area viable. Vines are now the main crop and there are various vineyards in the region. The first major one you can visit when travelling from Adelaide is Banrock Station. (It's just outside the small town of Kingston-on-Murray)The site had been a sheep station (ranch), the sheep were removed, and a restoration program introduced to bring back the wetlands. A visit to Banrock Station isn't one just to taste and buy wines, there are paths around the wetlands to walk along and experience them.
Banrock Station Centre entrance
Wetlands
More information on Banrock Station from my visit there.
Banrock Station
Cross over the River and you arrive in the town on Barmera, it's a very popular holiday destination due to its location on the shores of Lake Bonney.
Barmera main street, closed off on this particular Sunday as there was a street market.
Lake Bonney with walking trails and sandy beaches.
Between Barmera and Berri are some smaller towns, take the turn off for Winkie and you'll come across Bella Lavender a small lavender farm with a shop and restaurant that's well worth stopping at for lunch.
The Riverland area of South Australia is an easy 2 hour drive from Adelaide, I've done day trips as well as a recent weekend trip with an overnight stay.
Summer has begun in Australia, there's been a serious lack of rain for the past few years, the drought conditions were dramatically illustrated when stopping at the lookout past Blanchetown and seeing the parched earth stretched out infront of me.
The towns in the Riverland rely on the water from the River Murray, irrigation keeps farming in the area viable. Vines are now the main crop and there are various vineyards in the region. The first major one you can visit when travelling from Adelaide is Banrock Station. (It's just outside the small town of Kingston-on-Murray)The site had been a sheep station (ranch), the sheep were removed, and a restoration program introduced to bring back the wetlands. A visit to Banrock Station isn't one just to taste and buy wines, there are paths around the wetlands to walk along and experience them.
More information on Banrock Station from my visit there.
Banrock Station
Cross over the River and you arrive in the town on Barmera, it's a very popular holiday destination due to its location on the shores of Lake Bonney.
Between Barmera and Berri are some smaller towns, take the turn off for Winkie and you'll come across Bella Lavender a small lavender farm with a shop and restaurant that's well worth stopping at for lunch.
Rows of lavender amongst the vines.
My most recent visit was in December so I did get to see the purple lavender flowers, I miscalculated my first visit (early October) and the flowers had all been harvested and I just saw stubble!
Next stop was Berri to exercise off lunch. A walk from the river up to the water tower that has been made into a lookout was in order.
Berri Riverside
Top of Vaughan Terrace going down to the river.
View from the water tower with the river in the distance.
The bridge to Loxton
The bridge across the river to Loxton was finally built in the mid 1990s are years of lobbying, the previous crossing had to be done by ferry.
Charles Sturt marker, he passed by this point, didn't actually stop! (Loxton)
Charles Sturt was an European explorer who mapped out the River Murray, the highway that travels to and through the Riverland is called the Sturt Highway.
View of river at the Loxton caravan park.
On my last trip to the Riverland I stayed a night in a cabin at the Loxton B4 caravan park, the location was lovely, right on the river. All very peaceful and serene.
The Riverland's major industry had been oranges, there were orange groves all through the area. Sadly the majority had been removed as there was no money in oranges due to cheap imports. Vines were planted instead, so the area is still very scenic in summer with rows of vines. As it was a major orange growing area, and Australians were obsessed with 'big' tourist attractions, it was the location of the Big Orange. Much to my surprise it's still there! I thought it had been dismantled when it closed, I can remember visiting it on a few different occasions. It's behind a security fence now, with no access for the public but I took a photo for nostalgia's sake!
The Big Orange (It can be found outside Berri on the road to Renmark)
Renmark riverside
Renmark is the largest of the Riverland towns and each October hosts a Rose Festival. I attended one a few years back.
Renmark Hotel
Restored paddle steamer PS Industry at Renmark.
The Riverland is a popular holiday destination, especially for those who enjoy water sports. There's a profusion of houseboats (some that are quite luxurious!) for hire, other people bring their own boats and waterski along the river. Accomodation now ranges from very basic unpowered sites at caravan parks, to cute little B&B cottages for a romantic weekend. With so many towns close together, it's easy to drive between them and create your own itinerary. I've barely touched on the wineries that you can visit, the latest in 'alcohol' tourism sites, a gin distillery can be found near Renmark.
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