Victoria is Getting an Adventure Trail Along the Murray River – And Development Starts This Year

 

Australia’s longest river will soon be an Explorer’s delight with the creation of the Murray River Adventure Trail, an ambitious project to deliver over 2,000km of water and land-based trails and turn the river into an international adventure destination.

Once completed, the Murray River Adventure Trail will provide hikers, cyclists, and paddlers access to a series of day, multi-day, or long-distance adventures complete with launching platforms, campsites, and interpretation signage.

Along the way, trail users will experience beautiful river gums, historic towns, and ever-changing river landscapes.  The adventure trail will wind its way through Echuca, Murray River Reserve, Gunbower National Park, and Lower Goulburn National Park. The full trail will extend from Lake Hume, near Albury Wodonga in the east, to Mildura and Wentworth in the west.

Although a full timeline for the project is yet to be released, stage one is underway and expected to be completed towards the end of 2025.

Kayaking the Murray River in Victoria

Canoe and Kayak Launching

Stage one of the project includes six new canoe and kayak launching locations: four stepped launches, one ramp, and one pontoon. Each launch site is individually designed to work with the river landscape. When complete there’ll be kayak infrastructure for 1,390km of water-based trails.

Artist’s impression of the Murray River Adventure Trail

Land Based Trails

The hiking trail upgrade will utilise existing local trails where possible. The trails will be widened to 1.5m and made of crushed rock. The multi-day long-distance trail will also include loop trails for shorter hikes, totalling 1,040km of land-based trails.

Hiking along the Murray River in Victoria

Refreshed Campgrounds

Current campgrounds on the Murray River range from in-town campgrounds, bush campgrounds that are first in first serve, and informal sites along the river. Of the 16 campsites involved in stage one of the plan, some will receive upgrades while others will just get new signage.

Explorers will be able to book campground sites in advance for their tent spot. Each campsite will have toilets, communal picnic tables, and seasonal-use fire pits.

Camping on the Murray River in Victoria

Sharing First Nations Stories

A core part of the Murray River Adventure Trail project is cultural heritage protection, which includes interpretation and story-telling signage about the cultural significance of the region. Traditional Owner groups are continually involved in trail development and infrastructure design.

The Murray River is an important and spectacular river in Australia but until now, nature-based activities have been limited. With the protection of cultural and environmental values as a guiding principle, the Murray River Adventure Trail project aims to bring more people to the region, both domestically and internationally.

Stage One of the project is being led by Parks Victoria who are working with Traditional Owners, the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change, as well as local governments in the area. The Victorian Government is contributing $10.3 million of funding through the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry, and Regions.

Images thanks to Visit Victoria