Meet Your Guides
Tony Sharley
Founder and Guide
Tony grew up in Renmark where his love for this river first started.
When asked how long it took him to create Murray River Walk, Tony replies, "about 60 years." With a background in environmental science, Tony's passion for the river is undeniable. His belief that anyone who saw, heard, and understood the river as he does would share his enthusiasm inspired him to create the immersive experiences we share today.
Cathy Schier
Guide
A childhood spent on, in and along the river and has enabled Cathy to develop a deep admiration for The Murray River and its environment and she is inspired by Aboriginal culture and learning on country.
Cathy joined the guiding team after thirty years as an education at TAFE and a librarian in special libraries like the Royal Zoological Society of SA.
Kym Manning
Guide
Born and bred Riverlander, Kym is an outdoorsy fella with a passion for water, wildlife and environment. A carpenter by trade, Kym is well known locally as the driver of the SA Carp Frenzy – an annual community fundraiser and carp removal initiative at Lake Bonney. Kym has also been instrumental in installing fish habitats for native fish at Lake Bonney and surrounding reaches of the Murray River.
Kym has also been involved in the release of 400,000 Murray Cod fingerlings locally, clearly a champion of native fish species in the Murray River.
Heather McNaughton
Guide
Heather's passion for travel, adventure and the outdoors is hard to hide. Her enthusiasm is shared through her interpretation of the environment and her past experiences living on Calperum Station (a property you walk through) making her very familiar with the landscape and its flora and fauna.
Di Cresp
Guide
A background in nursing, Di has deep roots in the Riverland, marrying a local man and raising three children on the Murray River. Di hung up the scrubs in January 2022 to try her hand at hosting guests on the Murray River. A place where she likes to do a bit of fishing, loves the peace and tranquility of the meandering Murray.
Sophie Hoffmann
Guide
Growing up in Renmark, Sophie has fond memories of being in the bush and river as a child, particularly on horseback.
She has a background in science focused on plant and soil biology but loves learning everything about the environment and is often getting out in the field to help facilitate citizen science.
She has a strong connection to water, and loves a swim in the Murray on a sunny day, even in winter!
Sam Sharley
Sales and Marketing Manager/Guide
Sam grew up in Renmark and spent his holidays camping or houseboating on the river. The health of the Murray Darling Basin was standard dinner table conversation in the Sharley house growing up, and he recalls being particularly impressed on one occasion when his father managed to weave an update on the flow in the Murray into a speech at his brother's wedding.
He joined the guiding team in 2019 and while he mostly fields booking enquiries for the tours these days, he jumps at the chance to get back out in the field.
Kayla Mudge
Guide
Hailing locally from Barmera, Kayla has a passion for local food, footy and the Murray River. Her experience as a ranger at Banrock Station sparked an interest in birding which she has built on while guiding and helping guest identify the many species on the floodplain and river environments. When she's not guiding, Kayla plays an instrumental part in developing the local women's football league.
Mick mock
Guide
Growing up on the family farm in Red Hill in Victoria helped Mick to develop a deep appreciation for the outdoors and cultivate a harmonious relationship with nature. After participating in 9 week leadership development program, Mick pursued further education in outdoor recreation and leadership at University. Since graduating, Mick has relocated to the Riverland for his first season as a guide and is loving sharing his learnings with guests.
Cathy Ross
Guide
Cathy has made a ‘river change’ to live in the Riverland and taken on a new adventure as a boat host. The first thing you'll notice about Cathy is her love of life. It radiates from her and is as infectious as her laugh! She loves to provide guests a holistic experience from tasting great Riverland food and wine, to sharing stories around an open fire on the riverbank.
Her motto is ‘life is not a rehearsal’.
The crew were so incredibly skilled and knowledgeable and everything so streamlined. They work so tirelessly so that we could have an incredible holiday as well as learning experience. Really appreciated all their efforts.