Tony talks river journey

Tony talks river journey

Tony sat down with the Stock Journal recently to chat about his path from environmental scientist to tourism operator.
From Kakadu to Canberra, he is still proud to call the Riverland, South Australia home and believes a combination of the beautiful Murray River nature, wine & food is the perfect stage to create magical experiences for the traveler who is seeking a deeper connection with the destinations they explore.

Read the full article by clicking here.

Excerpt from the Story

Despite COVID-19 dealing a significant blow to his fledgling tourism business, staunch Riverlander Tony Sharley says it's an "exciting time" to be in the industry, particularly as his region pivots into new opportunities.

"We have a phenomenal opportunity to develop Riverland tourism further, because the stage we play on - the Murray River - is absolutely beautiful," he said.

Tony 30 Nov 2021

Tony grew up in Renmark, before studying environmental science in Adelaide, after which he worked as a research scientist for a number of years, in places such as Kakadu National Park, NT.

He then worked in water policy with the Murray-Darling Basin Commission in Canberra, before returning to the Riverland in 1995 to work at the Primary Industries Research Centre in Loxton.

It was this role that took him out to the newly-opened Banrock Station Wine & Wetland Centre, where he taught staff about how the wetlands functioned.

"I loved my wine tourism experience at Banrock that I thought why not help diversify our economy?

"That's where the idea of establishing Murray River Trails came from."

"I have always found that combination of food and wine and nature, particularly in an awesome setting like the Murray River, with its cliffs and red gum trees, is such a really great stage with which to create a magical experience for visitors," he said.

Continue reading

Click the button below to read the full article written by Alisha Fogden,
published on the Stock Journal website (November 2021)

Meet the rest of the team

Learn more about our Murray River Trails team and some of their favourite 'green' tips by clicking here.