Odyssey River Cruises: Ron glides along the Murray River in the Murraylands region of South Australia

Seems Des Eiffe has been driving or fixing something most of his life. Today he's working on the two-storey Odyssey, a 20-metre houseboat which is one of the most luxurious on the River Murray.

We climbed aboard as the Odyssey quietly cruised the waters from the picturesque river town of Walker Flat to the spectacular Nildottie cliffs. Unlike other houseboats, this one comes fully crewed with Des at the helm and his wife, Annette as hostess.

Annette Eiffe, Odyssey River Cruises: "We have a very friendly crew that know the river and look after people and that means they can have a wonderful holiday. So the whole thing is about indulgence, luxury and new experiences."

The Odyssey sleeps eight in four spacious rooms - each one offering guests an endless passing parade of picture postcard shots but it's the cliffs on the stretch between Walker Flat and Swan Reach which linger longest in the memory.

By close of day the mood of the Murray changes from the drama of brilliant ochre cliffs to more muted tones. With night time approaching it seems everyone's getting ready to bed town as a whistling kite makes for a safe haven in the treetops and a lone pelican glides by a bush campfire ever hopeful of a late feed.

As Des keeps pushing upstream, Craig, our chef, gets dinner underway.

Annette Eiffe, Odyssey River Cruises: "I think our chefs love the fact that they're catering for a small group. They get the reward of seeing the pleasure of being told first hand how much they've enjoyed their meal where as a lot of catering facilities they might be at they never get to hear from the client."

Over steak and a good red, we swap notes on the highlights of the day, unaware that our hosts still have plenty planned for the remainder of the evening. With Des back at the wheel, we push on to our final campsite with a floodlit Odyssey gliding through a serene Murrayland night. One of the highlights of the Odyssey experience is a floodlit tour of the spectacular Nildottie cliffs.

Next morning we wake to another magical day on the river. This time at Ngaut Ngaut Conservation Park, home to the Nganguraku people and has been for thousands of years. Ngaut Ngaut, the shacks at Walker Flat and the spectacular Nildottie Cliffs are all featured on an overnight stay with Odyssey Charters. For bookings contact Annette Eiffe on 8361 7890. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Odyssey River Cruises
Bookings: 08 8361 7890

Published 11th July 2010