Murray River: High Country - where the Murray River begins. Keith travels the length of the Murray River through New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia (Part 1)

The Murray River is Australia's greatest waterway. It's many things to many people: a seemingly endless aquatic playground, a way of life, a workplace and, of course, an essential source of water.

The Murray River provides a convenient physical border divide between Victoria and New South Wales but its wider role effects the whole nation. The Murray's massive catchment fans over four Australian states. Millions of people rely on its fragile existence

So it's little wonder the Murray is the subject of some high-pressure water politics - in good times and dry!

In coming weeks and months we'll put all that aside and explore the wonders of it all and, as we'll see, in drought or flood or in between, the Murray is brimming full of great yarns.

Our first story begins where the Murray does - way up in the Victorian high country more than two thousand kilometres by river from the Murray's modest meeting with the Southern Ocean in South Australia.

With the help of Adam Cassin of Bright Helicopters we fly over the upper Murray's first obstacle - the mighty Hume Dam. Despite the alarming low levels after the record dry, the Hume waterway is still impressive from the air. It's a massive storage and a great story, which we'll come back to.

For now, we head further up and over the ranges and into the romantic and legendary high country. Up here, the Murray is a fresh, clear, tumbling mountain stream. There's a bracing, crisp, clear purity up here. It's a trout fishers' dream and it doesn't really matter if they're not biting!

Adam takes us on a speeding serpent of a ride through the spectacular Murray Gorge or The Gates as it's sometimes called. In the autumn, it's not exactly a ranging torrent - but it's still a dramatic passage.

When the season breaks the ripples give way to a fearsome roar. When the rain comes down and the snow melts higher up this becomes a truly wild and torturous part of the Murray's journey.

The very first trickle begins with the squelch of a mountain spring further up. Half a day's walk in fact. It forms a creek that joins another. In fact, several creeks and small rivers twist and turn along the valleys and gorges until one by one, they come together to form the Murray.

Adam and I marvel at how small the top reaches of the river is. "It's literally a mountain stream," said Adam.

It's wild and tough country - so much of it is barely accessible. But occasionally the dense bush has yielded to the pioneering bushman's axe. "That clearing is Tom Groggin Station," announced Adam. "This is where the Man from Snowy River lived - his name was Jack Riley."

Jack Riley was the REAL Man from Snowy River. The immigrant Irish tailor-turned-legendary horse whisperer, brumby hunter and high country stockman lived alone in an isolated log cabin up here for nearly twenty years.

There's an ongoing pilgrimage to his grave at the nearest town of Corryong. It's a modest, no nonsense memorial. Legend has that Banjo Patterson shared a grog or two with Jack in his hut in 1890. The bush poet was so inspired by Jack's tales of horsemanship that later that year he penned his classic Aussie ballad, "The Man from Snowy River".

The tale of his wild down-the-mountain ride has become part of our Australian psych but the spirit of Jack Riley lives on with the annual Man from Snowy River Bush Festival.

Every year, thousands of bushies and city folk pull on the RM Williams boots and don their Akubras and head to Corryong to celebrate that famous poem, Aussie bush folklore, music and, of course, Australia's finest horsemen.

Only the nation's very best compete in the Brumby Catch. Riders have to get a halter on a wild brumby and lead him around the arena. It's not an easy task though because the brumbies are wild - caught up the mountains.

The crowds witness that amazing alchemy that transforms horse and rider into one exceptional unit. It's extraordinary horsemanship... and it's quintessentialy Australian... just like the High Country itself.

So too is the Murray River which, as we've seen starts way up here in the great mountain range that runs up the fertile edge of Eastern Australia.

Next, we'll begin our long journey west down the river, across the continent to the Murray Mouth, almost two and a half thousand kilometres away in South Australia.

If you want to see it for yourself head to Albury/Wodonga - a great base from which to explore this part of the Murray. We stayed at the Best Western Meramie Motor Inn in Albury. They'll look after you.

Bright Helicopters will take you on the flight of your life. They do joy flights and charter work out of Albury and Bright. They also have a flying school in Albury. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Published 20th May 2007