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The River Port of Goolwa

© Kath Hobson

G'day,

This month I thought I would take you to visit one of my most favorite holiday spots in Australia, Goolwa on the South Australian Fleurieu Peninsula.

Goolwa is a picturesque village nestled beside the mouth of the mighty Murray River on Lake Alexandrina to the Coorlong National Park and the River Murray Lakes system. Goolwa is a "River Port" and is in fact the only registered inland port in Australia.

Goolwa is an Aboriginal word meaning elbow, this area of South Australia was once the most highly populated Aboriginal area in the country, due to its abundant food and fresh water supplies. The Goolwa area was originally the home of the Ngarrindjeri people and despite many years of white occupation this area still holds deep spiritual significance for its original inhabitants.

Under white habitation Goolwa was originally a bustling township. When Australia was first settled the river systems were our major highways. All sorts of goods were shipped down the Murray to Goolwa by the paddlesteamers and from there they were shipped to Victor Harbour and Adelaide. Also good for export overseas were shipped from Adelaide to Victor Harbour via Goolwa's port. Goolwa was also a major shipbuilding area. However with the advent of the rail system in 1854, the need for the Port at Goolwa slowly declined. Goolwa became a sleepy hollow until tourism once again bought the town to life.

There are so many things to see and do in Goolwa and it is also only a short drive to Victor Harbour, another of my favorite spots for family holidays. Once place you simply must not miss is the Signal Point Murray River Interpretive Centre. The centre brings to life the early days of Goolwa as well as providing an insight to the Aboriginal culture and history of this area. The Interpretive Centre is also a good place to pick up loads of information on what to see and do in this part of the world.

Coorlong National Park is also another "must see" destination when you visit Goolwa. The Coorlong as it is known, is a long narrow area of sand dunes and wetlands that lies on the southern ocean side of the Murray mouth. A number of Eco-tours can be taken to the Coorlong, where you can travel the shallow lagoons in specially designed water craft and view some of the more that 240 species of birds that take refuge here on their migratory trips from Japan, Siberia and China. You can also explore Aboriginal archeological sites which attest to the occupation and use of this area for many thousands of years before white settlement.

The copyright of the article The River Port of Goolwa in Australia/South Pacific is owned by Kath Hobson. Permission to republish The River Port of Goolwa in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.