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Goodoo Dreaming Article |
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A Holiday on the Murray
(An
article that was submitted to the (VIC) North East Angler magazine Spring 2002
edition)
It’s around this time of the year when we are all starting to pack away
our winter woollies and start thinking about getting out more and enjoying
ourselves. It’s also the time when many of us start to think and plan about
where and when we would like to go on a holiday. Normally the average Aussie
holiday consists of Mum, Dad and the Kids or your self and one or two best
friends. But rarely do we think about going away with a large group of relatives
or your best gang of party friends on a week long holiday as the logistics are
just too complicated and a nightmare to organise.
How, do you ask?
It’s simple, hire a houseboat on the Murray River and you will experience a
holiday that you will not forget in a lifetime. I had this same experience in
May this year when I spent a week cruising the mighty Murray River with my
family and some very close friends. We explored the splendid stretch of river
from Echuca to Torumbarry Weir over 7 days and I must say we travelled through
some of the most picturesque parts of this magnificent waterway and some great
fishing spots.
 So
with spring and summer not all that far away I recommend you give a houseboat
holiday on the Murray River some consideration, as it’s a rare chance where
you can actually invite a whole group of friends and family that can actually
enjoy a holiday together. The cost at the end of the day is quite low once
it’s divided up by all who are going. Give it a try and enjoy some of the best
fishing that the Murray River can provide and use this as a chance to introduce
someone new to fishing. We had a few on board who never fish but by the end of
the trip everyone was fishing and having a great time. So bring along an extra
rod or two or you'll find yourself waiting inline to bait up or toss a lure.
Don’t forget the camera so you can take a photo and let a few go and then you
will experience the GOODOO DREAMING.
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What
would you say if you could go on a holiday and have 10 or 12 of your best
friends or family with you all having the time of your life with none of the day
to day worries of worrying about crowds, traffic or rushing around on a schedule
and wait for it………you can fish at the same time? Yes, FISH! Believe it or
not you can have your cake and eat it too.
We
also brought along the “GOODOO DREAMING” Hornet Trophy (my boat) along for a
holiday as well so we could take off at anytime, cast at a few promising looking
snags that we had noticed along the way and then catch back up to the houseboat
again. Absolute bliss I tell you as one moment we were kicking back and taking
in all the relaxation and socialising we can handle and then we’d see a great
looking snag and off we went with the tinnie and started casting lures at it. I
must say it worked out rather well as we caught and released a number of sized
Murray Cod and Golden Perch. You also never know whom you might meet along the
way as on one of the days that we were cruising on to our next destination we
happened to notice a familiar face casting into some snags. It was none other
than the famous Roger Dark who most people would recognise as a main contributor
to this very magazine. He is a devout native fish lover like myself so as soon
as we noticed who it was I handed the wheel of the houseboat over to my co-pilot
and hopped into our boat and motored over to say g’day and cast at a few of
the snags Darky was probing. After all if these snags were good enough for Darky
to be fishing then we were in for a chance to get a fish. Unfortunately we
didn’t get a hit but we enjoyed the chance to have a quick chat and fish with
a friend that I have known through the FISHNET.COM Forums for sometime. But to
tell you the truth on our return trip with the houseboat we tried one of these
snags again and came up with a nice 62cm Murray Cod, thanks Darky. I knew this
had to be a good spot. It’s OK Darky, my lips are sealed.
The
most common types of houseboats are very well appointed and are exactly what
their name suggests, “House”, “boats”. Most accommodate 8 to 12 people
with one main bathroom and a Kitchen/Dining/Lounge type room with plenty of room
for all guests. The Kitchens are well appointed with everything you need, and
with help from a 240 volt generator there’s even a microwave. Also TV’s and
video’s are the norm as well and the TV reception was surprisingly rather
good, even when we were a while away from the main areas. You can also use the
12-volt lighting when you want things a little quieter. We mainly used the
generator at the main mealtime and opted not to use it most of the time but it
was handy for charging the mobile phones. There is also a two-way radio aboard
so the houseboat owners can communicate with each boat. The radio is manned
24hrs so if in an emergency help is not far away. We put them to the test on a
couple of occasions with some mechanical trouble and sure enough it wasn’t
very long before help was at our doorstep. The houseboat owners call all the
boats each day at a given time so they can keep track of where their fleet are
situated and they are all ways there to assist you with any enquiries or
request’s.
It’s
a bit weird at first coming to terms with navigating these huge juggernauts on
the river but in a very short time you do get confident and are navigating the
Old Man Murray like the captains of yesteryear. A map is provided with all the
detail and shows all the places that you can stop at along the way. Once a
captain is nominated for the day the rest of the guest’s can do what they like
best. It can be one long party or one very enjoyable relaxing cruise or both.
You can choose when and where you want to stop and for how long, the choice is
yours. There is even food and supplies available at different points on the
river, just moor the boat and take a short walk and you can buy your paper,
bread, milk and more importantly, ice for the gigantic Eskie that is provided
with the boat. There are other stops to places like wineries and Services Clubs
and the best part there was even a courtesy bus provided to pick us up from
designated places to take us to places that were a little too far to walk. What
more could you ask for.