5 Animals You’ll Encounter on Murray River Safari
Murray River Safari is a brand new experience for lovers of wildlife and bird encounters. We designed this tour after feedback from our guests on Murray River Walk who commented that they’d like to experience canoeing as well more time relaxing on the houseboat while it’s cruising.
A Wildlife Journey
Murray River Safari is a short 3 day 2 night tour that combines canoeing, walking, river cruising and a driving tour around ephemeral lakes. All activities help you encounter a range of wildlife & birdlife on the Murray River at times of the day when they are most active.
Your wildlife journey begins when you board the pontoon cruiser and begin cruising along the river, eyes scanning the tree canopy for sleepy koalas along the river corridor.
There are many opportunities for animal encounters on this tour and here are 5 species we hope to see during this 3 day wildlife adventure.
1. Red Kangaroo
An Australian Icon, Kangaroos are common on throughout the river valley and they can be seen bouncing by in mobs during our birdwatching driving tour of the ephemeral lakes. We see Red Kangaroos and Western Grey’s mostly and sometimes, Euros which are slightly more ‘scruffy’ and muscly species. Kangaroos can be seen drinking from the river's edge during our sunset canoeing tour where they quietly sneak down to the water when they suspect no one else is watching.
Image: Quentin Chester
2. Koala
You might be surprised to learn that there are koalas on the Murray River around Renmark and quite a healthy population too, we saw 5 koalas during a recent river cruise!
From 1959 to1960, 8 koalas were brought to Renmark from Kangaroo Island and by the late 1960s, the population had increased to nearly 30 koalas.
We see koalas on day 1 of our wildlife adventure, it's a treat to see them in the wild.
3. Echidna
The masters of stealth, the presence of Echidnas are often seen along the sandy banks of the river. They like to dig in the soft earth hunting for ants and if you look carefully into their diggings, you’ll see a very small hole that looks a bit like someone has poked their finger into the sand.
This is where their beak has poked into the ground to collect delicious ants. Sunset is the best time for Echidna viewing, if you’re quiet, you’ll be rewarded with a sighting.
4. Brush-tailed Possum
A lover of the night, the possum is best seen on our nocturnal walks after dinner. Your guides will help you spot possums as they leave their tree hollows in search of food. While out searching the treetops for possums, when the canopy clears, the starry night sky is easy to see.
We have some of the darkest skies over the Murray River and with your guides, you can spot many constellations.
Image: E Moore
5. Goanna
A large tree-climbing reptile, sometimes you can walk right under a goanna and not notice them perched high in the treetops! Goannas are more common during the warmer months and we do sometimes see them walking from tree to tree before they swiftly climb to their new vantage point.
These beautiful reptiles are often seen sunning themselves high on a tree branch.
Join us on a murray river safari
Our Murray River Safari wildlife adventures are short, 3 days and 2 nights, and depart on Tuesdays and Fridays from March through to November each year.
Tours depart from Renmark in South Australia, flights are available into Adelaide airport.
As with all our tours, nightly accommodation is on board a comfortable houseboat and you will be accompanied by 2 friendly guides.
Other activities on this tour include a guided bushwalk, canoeing through quiet creeks, driving tour of ephemeral lakes and a tour and tasting at the Woolshed Brewery.
See a diverse range of waterbirds including Black Swans, Spoonbills, Red-necked Avocets and Pied Stilts, migratory waders, and of course our beautiful bushbirds, Rufous Whistler, Red-capped Robin and Fairywrens, Red-rumped Parrot, Australian Ringnecks and Yellow Rosellas, and migratory Rainbow Bee-eaters.
The next tours depart March 2021 - view these dates by clicking HERE.
