Table of Contents
Murray River / Gunbower Creek camping at Koondrook
see also:
Introduction
- the small towns of Koondrook and Barham (not to be confused with Barmah Forest which is east of Echuca) lie on the Murray River almost mid-way between Echuca and Swan Hill and the areas nearby are popular camping, fishing and boating destinations
Surface floating duck weed often occurs after high waters
Azure kingfisher
Pair of tawny frogmouths
Purple swamp hen
Getting there
- Koondrook is 3hrs (275km) NW of NW suburbs of Melbourne via Marong and Bridgewater-On-Loddon, or via Elmore and Torrumbarry
For whom is it best suited?
- best for adults who like either:
- fishing (although most likely to catch carp)
- peaceful, relaxing canoeing/kayak (or flat bottom boats - there is a boat ramp which also makes a great swimming entry location)
- bird watching / photographers - much nicer scenery and wetlands to explore by kayak compared to the Murray River - see the Canoe Trail
- walking through forests
- swimming in a deep river with slower currents than the Murray River (bring a floaty or life jacket to just float around - but keep an eye out for the occasional swimming snake)
- NOT great for kids
- swimming is not really suitable for kids
- no beach areas
- as with all the Murray River areas in mozzie season, lots of potentially disease-carrying mozzies, even some during the day, but especially so all night as it is close to swampy areas
- not much to do for kids in this region - unless they like fishing for carp or catching yabbies and shrimp - but they could go to Koondrook swimming pool
- NOT for speed boats or jet skis!
Flood and weather watch
-
- Note that a large Murray flood upstream from Barmah is not indicative of future Murray flooding downstream between Echuca and Swan Hill as the Barmah Choke restricts Murray River flows past Barmah to around 35,000 ML/d with the balance being forced northwards into NSW along the Edwards River.
- in addition, some of the floodwaters from the Goulburn River which enters downstream of Barmah Lake and just upstream of Echuca will flow upstream and into the Edward River system
- Barmah:
- Oct 2022 was the highest level since 1974 and was 7.32m with flows of nearly 39,000ML/d
- Echuca:
- minor flood level is 93.5m AHD
- floods are mainly dependent upon inflows from upper Murray (but these are limited to 35,000Ml/d) and the Goulburn River, as well as the Campaspe River which reaches the Murray River at Echuca
- the next major river system to enter the Murray River downstream is the Loddon which joins the Little Murray River at Winlaton and then this joins the Murray near then and at Swan Hill
- Campaspe River at Rochester:
- major flood level 114.5m, mod. 114.0m, minor 113.0m (Jan 2011 hit 115.4m) - most of Rochester is flooded at over 115m
- major flood of Oct 2022 hit over 115m equating to 9.29m measurement
- Torrumbarry Weir:
- primary embankment height is 5m, with water height of 86.05m, capacity 36,810ML, and during minor flood levels and higher, outflows = inflows as weir does not have impact on flows
- Torrumbarry Weir downstream:
- peaked at 7.83m in the Oct 2022 floods
- “minor flood levels” are 7.3m at this point
- usually drops to around 1.5m by March and usually peaks around 6m in Oct
- water temp usually rises from 9degC in July to 28degC by end of Jan
- Barham / Koondrook:
- minor flood levels are at 5.5m which may impact camping tracks; major flooding is 6.10m and higher;
- Loddon River at Kerang:
- major flooding occurs over 77.8m (minor flood level 77.0m) at the Murray Valley Highway Bridge Gauge (19/1/2011 hit 78.03m, 10/12/2010 and Sep 2016 hit 77.4m)
- this roughly equates to Loddon River levels of ~2m (peak of major flood in Jan 2011 was 2.1m)
- Laanecoorie Reservoir:
- primary embankment height is 22m, with water height of 160.21m, capacity 7980ML and during minor flood levels and higher, outflows = inflows as weir does not have impact on flows at FSL of 160.21m
- Cairn Curran Reservoir:
- max water height of 208.46m, capacity 147,130ML
- Locks 1-9 are downstream of Mildura
Nearby amenities
- Koondrook (Vic)
- there is a potable water tap at the RV camp in View St
- commercial caravan park and motor inn
- swimming pool
- cafes, food store, public toilets, wharf
- Long Paddock Food Store is a great place to stop for coffee and cake or a gourmet lunch
- fresh baked bread from the General Store on Thursdays and Sundays
- Mate’s Royal Hotel pub meals
- road bridge over the Murray River to Barham
- Koondrook redgum forest walk
- Gunbower Island Canoe Trail, the 5km self-guided paddle on the canoe trail at Safes Lagoon
- Wetlander cruises
- River Daze Festival ?Labour Day
- Barham (NSW) town
- 2 commercial caravan parks, motor inns, motels
- two hotels and the large Services Club, cafes, IGA, Foodworks, Barham Vines winery / pizza, lake, golf
- regional town of Kerang on the Loddon River
- 17min (24km) to the SW
- main town facilities and railway station
- IGA, Woolworths, bakery, pharmacy
- 2 hotels - Royal for dinners?;
- commercial caravan parks
- town of Cohuna on Gunbower Creek:
- 16min (23km) SE
- commercial caravan park; cafes, small hospital; petrol; swimming pool; Mitre 10 hardware; golf course
- town of Gunbower:
- 31min (45km) SE via Cohuna and Murray Valley hway
- small town, cafe, commercial caravan park, free camp area;
- Mystic Park Hotel
- nice evening meals Thurs-Sun
Nearby attractions and activities
- Torrumbarry Weir
- 46min (64km) to SE via Cohuna and Gunbower and Murray Valley hway (at least 2hrs and 60km if take the 4WD River Track)
- commercial caravan park
- Lake Charm sunset view and Milky Way viewing
- 34min (48km) to NW via Kerang
- no free camp on Lake Charm itself, closest free camp seems to be the Beau Morton Park Rest Area near NE shore of Racecourse Lake between it and Spencers Lake on the Murray Valley Hway just out of Lake Charm town
- commercial camp ground on south-west side
- Kangaroo Lake speed boat racing
- near Lake Charm
- commercial caravan park at the north end near Mystic Park
- Terrick Terrick National Park
- views
- unique flora
- picnic area ?can still camp there - drop toilets - 54min (69km) to SE via Cohuna
- other reserves
- Wandella near Kerang
- Plumptons
- Mystic Park near Lake Charm
- various swamp wildlife reserves south of the Murray/Gunbower area
- Kow Swamp archaelogical site and also has toilet block on the north-west side
- Kerang wildlife reserve
- Little Lake Charm wildlife reserve
- Ibis rookery Middle Reedy Lake
- Lake Elizabeth wildlife reserve
- Johnson Swamp
- Hird Swamp
- Rowland
- Tragowe Swamp
- The Bannacher
- regional city of Swan Hill is 53min (74km) NW
- regional city of Echuca is 1hr (87km) SE
- regional NSW city of Deniliquin 55min 86km NE via Barham
Wildlife and flora in Gunbower Forest
- Gunbower Island is a 26,400 ha flood plain and is the largest inland island in Australia and considered one of the 10 most important wetlands in the Murray Darling Basin
- it features two significant forest areas:
- the Gunbower State Forest is located to the north and accessible from Koondrook
- the Gunbower National Park is to the south and accessible from Cohuna
- birds:
- at the Twin Bridges camp site:
- tawny frogmouths, blue wrens, willy wagtails, purple swamp hens, ducks, kookaburras, weird sounding largish night bird making a Darth-Vader like deep breathy call
- group of white winged choughs - usually early in the mornings
- pelicans flying high overhead, other birds high in the trees at times including budgerigars, galahs, rosellas
- in the adjacent forest - emus
- along Gunbower Creek if you go by kayak upstream:
- azure kingfishers, egrets, cormorants, lots more purple swamp hens, swallows, sulfur crested cockatos, rosellas, kites, etc
- perhaps sea eagles, ibis, spoonbills and herons
- reptiles including:
- goannas up to 1m long
- carpet python (rarely seen)
- other lizards and the usual venomous snakes (Red-bellied Black, Tiger and Brown Snakes)
- freshwater turtles
- fish:
- European carp, Murray Cod, Golden Perch (Yellowbelly) Silver Perch and native Australian Catfish.
- if you place a trap you are likely to be rewarded with yabbies and shrimp - but seems the Murray cod prefer tasty cheese
- other animals:
- water rats, kangaroos, black wallabies, platypus, bats, brush tailed possum, Yellow-footed Antechinus, frogs
- trees:
- 80% of Gunbower Island contains magnificent Red Gum in Riverine Forest and Black Box in Floodplain Woodland
- in the late 19th and early 20thC, the biggest trees were ring-barked (evidence of these remain) to allow sunlight in and new denser forest growth which is what is there now
- flora:
- Safes Lagoon near the canoe launching site has tall rushes which is a haven for nesting birds
Camp grounds
- in addition to these named camp grounds, there are a multitude of bush camps in the region - see wikicamps!
- wikicamps have 25 sites along Gunbower Creek between Koondrook and Cohuna and 36 along the Murray between Koondrook and Torrumbarry Weir and 15 sites downstream from Koondrook to Winlaton!
- there are not many on the NSW side until you get to Emu Bend near Moama - presumably as private land ownership is allowed in NSW to the river in many areas
- virus carrying mosquitoes can cause severe illness along the Murray River regions - take precautions to minimise bites
- Murray Valley encephalitis, Barmah Forest encephalitis, Ross River fever, and now Japanese encephalitis if there are pig farms nearby
- MOST camp areas do NOT have toilets or potable water! Bring plenty of water!
- area subject to flooding and track damage - CHECK conditions BEFORE going! Most areas do NOT have mobile reception!
- venomous snakes are common near waterways and may be displaced after floods - take first aid gear and be watchful
- unlike most of Victoria, the Murray region is also home to nocturnal tree dwelling non-venomous pythons such as the Murray Darling Carpet Snake and the Diamond Python
- do NOT swim in flood waters - they carry a lot of bacteria as well as toxic chemicals from industries and farms
- do NOT camp under the river red gums, branches can fall without warning even on dry sunny days with no wind and this can be fatal - in addition, whole trees can fall over in strong winds after floods
- it can get VERY HOT with severe storms in summer - take precautions!
- hot conditions encourage excessive alcohol intakes, aggressive behaviours and loss of tolerance - so take care to reduce risks of aggressive behaviours and manage them safely
upstream of Koondrook
- ie. within Gunbower Forest
- along Gunbower Creek:
- Koondrook Twin Bridges
- ~1km down Koondrook Track alongside Gunbower Creek (some of this track dips to 84m elevation and may be subject to flooding)
- turn R after the bridge on the main road and cross over the weir which connects Gunbower Creek with the Murray River (elevation ~85m)
- -35.66284835615723, 144.1301935905579
- drop toilets and room for some 30-50 campers
- 5G Telstra and Optus as long as there are only a few campers
- camp ground elevation is 84-86m according to Google Earth Pro
- various bush camps along the Gunbower Creek accessed from Koondrook Track (but access points to some can be flooded or very mushy)
- Koondrook Canoe Trail and Kayak launch site
- 3km further down Koondrook Track alongside Gunbower Creek
- -35.68508109403256, 144.14772414772096
- only room for 1 site
- Tree Tops Gunbower Island
- access via Spences Bridge Rd off the Cohuna-Koondrook Rd
- Lowndes Camp near Cohuna
- access via Rifle Butts Track via Cohuna Island Rd
- Cohuna Flora Reserve camping
- near Cohuna rec reserve and near playground and swimming pool
- Gunbower Creek Halls Rd camp
- access via Halls Rd / Deep Creek Track via O'Reillys Rd off the Murray Valley Hwy near Leitchville
- Gunbower camping reserve
- on recreation reserve in township of Gunbower
- along the Murray River itself
- tracks are subject to closure due to flooding if Murray River reaches near minor flood levels
- apart from those below, there are many unnamed bush camps
- via Link Track:
- “Koondrook camp ground”
- -35.64626949945072, 144.14812798781583
- via River Track:
- Glenos camp near Cohuna
- Chris' camp site just downstream of Torrumbarry Weir
- upstream of Torrumbarry Weir to Echuca:
- campsite Torrumbarry
- Turner Bend
- Benarca campgrounds, Wharparilla
- Carpenters
- Wills Beach
- Planta Road
- Irene's corner
- see https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/gunbower-national-park for more extensive listing of camp areas in Gunbower Nat. Park
Nearby backup campgrounds NOT on the Murray River or Gunbower Creek
- Mystic Park Hotel near Lake Charm
- hotel open Thu-Sun evenings
- seems mainly for RVs but tents allowed, no toilets if hotel closed
- Mt Terrick Terrick picnic area
- small camp area with drop toilets
- 53min (69km) Sth from Koondrook
-
- 1.5hrs (138km) Sth of Koondrook
-
- 1.5hrs (145km) Sth of Koondrook
- Notley camp ground, Whipstick, north of Bendigo
- 1.5hrs (146km) Sth of Koondrook
-
- 1.5hrs to SE (128km)
- Lake Wooroonook
- 1.5hrs (133km) SW of Koondrook and 31min (44km) north of St Arnaud, 71km (52min) from Melville Caves
-
- almost 2hrs (171km) Sth of Koondrook
-
- just over 2hrs (186km) Sth of Koondrook
- Lake Lascelles Hopetoun
- just over 2hrs (186km) W of Koondrook
-
- 2hrs 20min (199km) SSW of Koondrook
- Ackle Bend, Little Desert
- just under 3hrs (247km) SW of Koondrook
-
- ~3hrs SSW of Koondrook
-
- 3hrs (261km) SSW of Koondrook
-
- just over 3hrs (274km) SW of Koondrook
Nearby RV short stay sites not for tents
- Koondrook RV campsite
- Apex Park RV campsite, Reedy Lake
- 29min (37km) via Kerang
- RVs only, no tents - max 72hrs; ?closed due to bridge collapse on Apex Park Rd
- Kerang golf club
- Kerang turf club
- Lake Boga
- 44min (62km) NW
- ?RV only; showers, toilets, need camp permit (not free) from Lake Boga Caravan Park at the highway