Far from rushing to visit relatives during the holiday period, we took a quieter approach this year.

A boat, a BBQ, a swag and the mighty Murray to Murrabit were the order of the day.

With a meagre 5,700 megalitres a day flowing past Barham, we set off for Murrabit. The first mate and I were eager to explore what is quite a unique part of the Murray River system.

Despite the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s best attempts to hydraulically dredge this part of the river, its narrow nature remains. Historically, 40,000 years ago, this stretch of the river was once the path of the Goulburn River. With a great tectonic shift known as the Cadell fault, the Green Gully/Wakool River path for the Mighty Murray saw the river eventually divert to the path we now know and love.

What has changed is the shape and condition of the river banks, as well as the depositional and erosional zones of the river channel, with lifelong river dwellers now seeing a new phenomenon, banks with two opposing erosional zones, rather than the yin and yang of depositional and erosional zones opposing.

The river snakes through red gum dense forests with towering trees reaching to the heavens. Those who have succumbed to the erosion now rest in their watery grave. At times these fallen giants almost span the entirety of the waterway.

A melodic hum from the four-stroke outboard as we achieve a steady 5.8 knots. Our calm progress is at times, interrupted by the unusual sight of holidaying jet skiers in this snag-infested stretch of the river. Sporadic camping sites are filled with happily waving families enjoying a fish or recovery from the Christmas rush.

The first mate appears at ease with the progress. A comfortable 3 hours with 20 litres of fuel consumed has us in Murrabit. The constant crossing flights of Kingfishers continue as we settle down for the evening. The mozzies descended as the sun shone its last light. Good time for bed.

The return leg of the journey saw us settle for 4.8 knots as we meandered upstream. A black duck acting the fool attempts to lead us away from the frantically paddling ducklings by flapping on the water, leaping over logs and short fits of flight. The spectacle lasted for nearly half a kilometre.

A red belly casually swam unknowingly interstate from Victoria to NSW. Its pace quickens with the presence of us as onlookers. After a failed attempt to video, I settled for an average photo.

Our perfect run downstream without contacting a submerged log was soon a distant memory. An overnight reduction in river height and an altered upstream attitude proved challenging, though no damage was done. That was until I stopped to chat to some friends in the mouth of the Little Murray. Despite approaching the bank contact-free, the reverse from the bank proved problematic. My very slow contact with the submerged log soon deprived us of half a propellor blade.

With our hum now resembling more of a rattle, we limped home.

Recharged, refreshed and thankful for where we live.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 9 January 2025.