Murray River Queen: In the Riverland region of South Australia

Early morning and the deck of the Murray River Queen at Waikerie is the ideal place to take in the sheer beauty of Australia's longest waterway - the Murray.

But it’s not long before you realise you’re not the only one awake as the river birds and other animals begin their search for breakfast in and around the shimmering waters.

Downstream, Chef Paul Kennedy is also up and is climbing aboard his boat to take a relaxing half-hour journey to work. As Chef on the Murray River Queen, the recently refurburbished paddle wheeler, Paul makes the trip twice a day for lunch and dinner sittings. While most of us stress-out in city traffic, Paul remains the epitome of the "calm commuter".

“There's nobody around. That's the beauty of this - it's very quiet,” Paul said. “You don't see any fishermen anymore out checking nets and things like there used to be. You've got the river to yourself. A lovely way to go to work.”

The picture postcard image of Paul chugging along the river passed majestic cliffs might look idyllic, but in reality he’s probably thinking about today's menu and the likelihood of up to sixty lunch orders. He's got his hand on the tiller out here as we sweep by Broken Cliffs but soon enough he'll be in control of up to eight kitchen and restaurant staff as the day begins at the floating motel and restaurant.

With 48 cabins, a dining room and café, the Murray River Queen is an important addition to the Riverland tourism scene. But getting her this far up the Murray proved to be a feat in itself with the lack of water stopping her progress just short of Lock Two.

“It sat there for two months and when the weather changed we got quite a good southerly and we got a lot more water up the river. So a couple of the guys thought that they could get it through so they made a dash for it and got as far as Lock Two. It took them five hours but they did get through - it was quite an adventure.

So it was a wind shift that help get the Queen this far and a shift in attitude. A group of local investors decided it was time Waikerie and the surrounding district had its own focal point. The Murray River Queen was the first paddle wheeler built by the Veenstra family back in the 1970s. She's now doing regular twilight and lunchtime cruises downstream and at night she's moored at the Waikerie riverfront offering up market accommodation for people in need of a little luxury and something a bit more basic for those on a budget.

“We have our dining room and our cafe and we have our top deck where we can do barbecues,” Maureen Sullivan told us. “So we can cater for any function.”

The night the Postcards team was on board, a group of local business people was dining in. Man were keen to sample a local drop and for Christine Caudo, the owner of Hog Wash Bend Winery and a part partner in the boat, the Murray River Queen is the perfect one-stop shop for Riverland food and wine.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to bring all the Riverland wines together in one venue that can be tasted by the public.” she told us.

For bookings on the Waikerie Murray River Queen contact 8541 4411.

Murray River Queen
Waikerie Waterfront
For bookings Phone (08) 8541 4411