A Day Out In Mannum

We took a scenic drive to Mannum, intending to explore all the exciting places along the Murray river: Mannum, Tailem Bend, and Murray Bridge. It was a grey, miserable day up in the hills, and I had high hopes of better weather down by the river.

The view down the valley suggested that I may be a tad optimistic.

Last time I was in Mannum it was a shambles, recovering from flooding, covered in mud and under reconstruction. Now everything had been reconstructed and we picnicked on bright green grass beside the river, watching houseboats and seagulls as we drank our thermos coffee and tried to dodge fat drops of water shaken off the leaves above us by energetic little birds.

There goes a houseboat.

Further along the waterfront the PS (Paddle Steamer) Murray Princess was tied up for resupply and changing of linen, so we wandered up for a look with vague imaginings of ourselves lolling on the top deck as the Princess paddled slowly up the river.  She really was an impressive sight.

A lot bigger than I had imagined, with a top deck suitable for lolling.

The bar/dining area looked out over the paddles, with comfortable wicker chairs just asking to be lolled in.

Murray Princess details: a horn array which gave a surprisingly squeaky note, and the impressive paddle array.

We left the Murray Princess to her resupply crew and wandered the main street of Mannum, taking in the sights and visiting the tourist information centre where we discovered that a cruise on the Murray Princess would cost enough to cause choking and spluttering from tightwads such as us.  The main street of Mannum abounded in other delights however, including a memorial to the manufacture of Australia's first steam-driven vehicle with a differential;

There are bits of the car on the monument.

Up at the top of town the local lookout gave panoramic views of the Murray,  full of water  and bursting with pelicans, while Mannum's two ferries shuttled busily back and forth across the river.

Just outside of Mannum lay Mannum Waters, with hundreds of houseboats tidily moored in their very own marina, answering the question I had always had as to why everyone talked about houseboats on the Murray and I'd only ever seen the odd one or two.  They were all at Mannum Waters, tucked safely out of the current and waiting for their owners to take them for a spin.

So many houseboats...

Mannum waters was still under construction, with houses being built such that houseboat owners could sit in comfort on dry land and keep an eye on their houseboat in the marina.

After the excitement of Mannum Waters we went to see the Mannum waterfalls, on the premise that lst night's torrential 4mm of rain would have provided the essential component of water for the waterfalls.  Alas, although water could be heard rushing and gurgling under the tumbled granite boulders in the gully, not a drip of falling water was visible.  I walked from the bottom: Roger drove to the top and sipped a cup of thermos coffee while I taxed my cardiovascular system and stopped to take photos of granite boulders and valley views.

The path; the bottom waterhole.

Looking back toward the river.

Fence.

By the time I reached the top we had both come to the conclusion that it wasn't possible to squeeze Tailem Bend and Murray Bridge into our day.  We went home via the Mannum Ferry and the Murray Bridge bridge, chased all the while by clouds that threatened rain but never caught us, and were greeted with rapture by the dog and indifference from the cat

You'll have to excuse me now: I'm going to go figure out how long it would take to drive a houseboat along the Murray to Albury.

Bird of the day:  a slightly grumpy New Holland Honeyeater, posing on an agave at the Mannum lookout.