Celebrate love along the river

Valentine’s Day is here again, but instead of the tra­di­tion­al ideas, be inspired by the Riv­er Mur­ray for a roman­tic interlude.

Not only are these activ­i­ties per­fect for cel­e­brat­ing love on 14 Feb­ru­ary, they’re unique and enjoy­able expe­ri­ences year round.

Cou­ples

Take a leisure­ly trip down the riv­er on one of the old-school pad­dlesteam­ers, cruis­ing past red gum forests and through stun­ning gorges.

Aus­tralia has the largest col­lec­tion of active pad­dle­boats and pad­dlesteam­ers in the world and these beau­ti­ful boats have been oper­at­ing since 1853.

Fam­i­lies

For a more extend­ed riv­er cruise, or for those with the rest of the fam­i­ly to con­sid­er, a house­boat is a great option. You can enjoy the trip at your own pace and explore the many towns along the way.

On land

Pre­fer to stay on land? There’s a pletho­ra of places to escape with your loved one, rang­ing from the basic to the luxurious.

If you’re look­ing to go tru­ly rus­tic, pack the tent and go camp­ing in one of the nation­al parks in the region. Chow­illa Game Reserve, Karte Con­ser­va­tion Park and Loch Luna and Moorook Game Reserves all pro­vide options for snug­gling up in a sleep­ing bag with your spe­cial some­one. First time camp­ing? Check out our camp­ing guide for beginners.

If get­ting active gets your heart rac­ing, head to Ngarkat Con­ser­va­tion Park and try out one of the walk­ing trails to see how many of the more than 120 species of birds you can spot. If you can’t bear to head off with­out your fur baby, the Lyrup Flats sec­tion of Mur­ray Riv­er Nation­al Park pro­vides fan­tas­tic walk­ing options for dogs on leads. Be sure to check out our insider’s tips for vis­it­ing this park.

Win­ing and dining

There’s a ver­i­ta­ble feast of options when it comes to toast­ing your loved one along the riv­er. Check out some of the winer­ies in the River­land wine region for a fab­u­lous chardon­nay or shi­raz. Or if you’re look­ing for some­thing a lit­tle more left of cen­tre, head to the 23^rd St Gin Dis­tillery in Renmark.

Feel like keep­ing things clos­er to home? Bring a lit­tle bit of the Riv­er Mur­ray to you by cook­ing up a storm with some of the region’s most deli­cious pro­duce. Pick up some farmed Mur­ray Cod from your local fish mar­ket and try this Mur­ray Cod in white wine with cit­rus recipe.

All images cour­tesy of the South Aus­tralian Tourism Commission.