Albury Wodonga Area - River cruising

Tumbling from its source in the High Country, the Murray is one of the world's great rivers, flowing through river red gum forests, wetlands teeming with birds, rich agricultural land and historic river towns.

Commune with nature or take a step back in time to discover the charm of the paddle-steamer era, when the Murray was a vital transport system, linking the inland to the coast.

The area is rich with activity - sample wines at boutique wineries, water ski for kilometres, catch a famous Murray cod or hit a round of golf at one of the exceptional golf courses.

The best way to explore the Murray is by water. Take a paddle-steamer cruise or hire a houseboat overnight and awaken to the sounds of currawongs and kookaburras. After breakfast, you can cruise and take in the magnificent scenery of river cliffs, old homesteads and forests filled with wildlife.

Echuca-Moama, the paddle-steamer "capital", is home to the famous "Adelaide", built in 1866 and reputed to be the world's oldest wooden-hulled paddlewheeler.

Riverside towns are rich in history. In Swan Hill, you can recapture the past at its Pioneer Settlement heritage park. Corowa has a colourful history as a river port and is the centre of agriculture in the region. Albury-Wodonga is a great base from which to explore the whole region. You'll also find many locations that hold a special place in the Australian mythology of bushrangers, our agricultural pioneers and the Aboriginal Dreamtime.