Houseboating and fishing on South Australia‘s River Murray leads to some hilarious and awe-inspiring moments for a family on an adventure. This is Part 1 of a two-part story by Vincent Ross.
What bright spark invented the fishfinder? Obviously not a person with children.
If they did have children, they would know that the size of the fish the finder finds should be faithfully reproduced to scale on the small LED crystal screen. It would certainly save a lot of arguments on the River Murray.
Small crewman: “Stop the houseboat!”
“There’s a really big fish underneath us!”
Nominal captain: “We can’t just STOP the houseboat. By the time we turn around the fish will be long gone. We’ll find a spot where we can stop and fish.
“Besides, I don’t think the fish was THAT big. It’s an electronic representation. Don’t take it so literally.”
Small crewman (five minutes later): “Stop the houseboat!!!”
“There’s heaps of fish under us only 1.5m below. THOUSANDS of them!”
Nominal captain: “It’s probably a log.”
Small crewman: “NO! NO! Look at the screen! All the little images have little tails.”
Nominal captain: “We can’t stop in the middle of the river. We have to find a safe mooring. We can fish from there.”
Small crewman (sulkily): “There probably won’t be any fish there….”
He was right.
Like endless rows of animated Space Invaders, clouds of large and small fish images regularly crossed the small screen as our houseboat made its way upriver from Blanchetown towards Morgan, in South Australia.
Carp and young boys have a symbiotic relationship. On a good day, the fish virtually throw themselves on the hook, and the boys throw all their efforts into catching them.
Pelicans are also part of this food chain. With round, wise eyes, they patiently wait. When the fish hauled up from the depths of the Murray is small, the boys must eat their pride. But the pelicans get to eat the carp.
Casting longer distances became a challenge amongst the boys — one which cost the nine-year-old his fishing rod.
The shock of the impact of lead on head from a wildly swinging sinker not only caused a large lump but ended with the rod in the river.
After that, it was hand-line fishing.
Cruising into the glittering path of a shaft of morning sunshine, with the smell of bacon and eggs cooking on the barbecue, it’s easy to see why people choose to live on the river. Life is visibly slower.
Squadrons of swallows skim low over the water ahead of the bow. An occasional pelican, looking like an overloaded seaplane, cruises in for a precarious landing.
The riverine sunshine loosens the chilly grip of early morning as the houseboat meanders upriver, past the mouth of Cumbunga Creek, Roonka Conservation Park and Reedy Island, to moor for the night on a sandy bank at Glenforslan.
As sunset turns the clouds orange, then plum red, raucous flocks of white cockatoos roosting in the river red gums quieten their chaos in the fading light. The trees are like ghostly black cut-outs on the evening sky. It’s a uniquely Australian experience.
Cruising upriver on a houseboat with a large kitchen/living area is something like living in a glass-walled lounge room. The landscape slips by. Holidaymakers and river folk sitting around a breakfast campfire wave from the bank. On the river, travellers don’t just pass through the scene. Like an animated Hans Heysen painting, they are a living part of it.
The next morning, hidden kookaburras laugh at our fishing efforts as the houseboat passes Donald Flat lagoon. Two kilometres upriver lies the ruins of the Woods Flat post office, opened in 1901 and closed in 1971.
Past clifftop homes commanding magnificent views of the river, caravans and huddles of simple holiday homes, and occasionally, sprawling riverside residences — contemporary mansions in all but name.
Mooring for a night opposite Donald Flat Lagoon, hordes of white cockatoos screeched goodnight. And goodnight. And goodnight. Then, as if on cue….silence.
Photo Credits
Brothers fishing on the Murray © Vincent Ross. All Rights Reserved.
“Blanchetown Houseboat 110” © Vincent Ross. All Rights Reserved.
“Caught a carp – young son on the Murray” © Vincent Ross. All Rights Reserved.
“Houseboating on the Murray” © Vincent Ross. All Rights Reserved.
“Murray River, Big Bend, Blanchetown, South Australia” © Vincent Ross. All Rights Reserved.
Recent Vincent Ross Articles:
- A Mate Drops in
- The Lost Battalion - Kokoda’s forgotten foot soldiers
- Water for Elegance - One Man’s Dream
- Transported to Devils’ Island - Part 2
- Transported to Devils’ Island - Part 1
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