Chowilla Station on the River Murray: Amber explores the back waters of the Murray River in the Riverland region of South Australia
As another glorious day breaks on the River Murray - one of the best ways to enjoy it all is by getting out on the water and we're doing it in style onboard the purpose built cruiser, Spirit of the Murray. Our Skipper, Trevor Bedford is a floating encyclopedia on the river and as we head past the spectacular Heading Cliffs, just upstream from Renmark, he tells us they were carved out over 20 million years ago.
Trevor Bedford, Skipper 'Spirit of the Murray': "The clay cliffs were scoured relatively smooth and rainfall and wind have weathered them into the shapes we see today. People have likened some of the shapes a pipe organ in a cathedral."
The cliffs tower 30 metres above the water but we only see half of them. Trevor reckons they descend another 20 metres into the river. As the kilometres click by we keep track of our progress on the flat screen and all the while the landscape is constantly changing. Soon, Trevor carefully nudges the Spirit into the bank at a River Murray landmark - historic Chowilla Station.
It's sprawling 94,000 hectare property which takes in a network of anabranches and backwaters - part of the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve - a UNESCO sponsored conservation program…
For fifth generation owner, Jock Robertson, running Chowilla means wearing a number of hats - one minute he's a tour guide, the next he's running a working station that's been in his family since 1864.
The shearing shed is the heart of Chowilla Station. It's more than a century old and way back in 1881 more than 70-thousand sheep were shorn here. Of course that was in the days before rabbits and goats. The woolshed is testament to Aussie ingenuity and the tough times of early settlement. Built in the 1870s it's held up by locally felled timber posts which have been worn smooth by decades of shearers and rouseabouts brushing past. Wander around here and you could be forgiven for thinking you're in a Tom Roberts painting.
Soon we're bundled onto a mini-bus and Jock takes us on his floodplain tour. As we head further away from the river he points out how the country changes. The Black Box trees give way to the saltbush which feeds Chowilla's 10-thousand odd sheep. It's clear the combination of drought and the absence of high river levels for at least a decade are taking a toll. But there are some bright spots.
Jock Robertson, Chowilla Station: "We're looking at what's known as Coppermine Waterhole - it's one of the lagoons that's being watered under the 'Living Murray Program.' It's artificially watered and principally watered to keep the redgums around the edge alive which obviously it's succeeded in doing and also to provide habitat for waterfowl."
Along the way, Jock points out a canoe tree - a sign of the original landowners. Aboriginal heritage has been traced back 12,000 years. In fact, the name Chowilla is an Aboriginal word meaning 'place of spirits and ghosts'. And at our next stop at Pilby Creek you get a real sense that there is something pretty special about this place.
This part of Chowilla is famous for another river story too. A story about a man named Possum. David James Jones or Possum was a legendary hermit who lived in this amazing wilderness for more than fifty years. Just before the Depression he arrived from New Zealand to work as a shearer but 'no ticket - no work'. He turned his back on civilisation and went bush.
Jock Robertson, Chowilla Station: "He lived successfully in the bush for 54 years but he hardly ever wanted to speak to another white man. He was never lonely because he had the bush around him."
His body was found in a bush camp in 1982 and his remarkable story has become synonymous with the backwaters of the Murray. And so too is Chowilla's success in combining conservation with productivity. While Jock admits it's a challenge he reckons it's one we can win.
Jock Robertson, Chowilla Station: "Sustainability as a grazier is paramount because if you don't look after the country it won't look after you. If you look after the country it will look after you. So our principle objective is to look after our natural, historical and cultural values and have feed in front of us all the time."
It seems to be working and if you want to experience the charm of it for yourself you can pitch a tent in the designated camping areas or roll out your swag in the converted shearer's quarters which can take up to 26 people. Jock and the gang also run full and half day tag-along tours.
Chowilla is just one of the stops on the Spirit of the Murray Cruise. Contact Spirit Australia Cruises for their range of tours which include the Coorong and Port Adelaide. Call toll free - 1800 442 203.
Chowilla Station
Via Renmak
Ph 8595 8048
www.chowilla.com.auSpirit Australia Cruises
Goolwa
Toll Free 1800 442 203Published 14th March 2010
