The Murray River
Anglers, campers, water skiers, houseboating holidaymakers, canoeists, power boat enthusiasts, and nature-lovers are gravitating to Echuca-Moama as the preferred aquatic playground along the Murray River.
Named by the indigenous Yorta Yorta peoples as a place that means ‘meeting of the waters.’ Echuca is the spot where the Goulburn and the Campaspe rivers join the Murray. These stretches are great for independent exploring in a canoe or why not camp on the bank overnight with only the sounds of birds, frogs and splashing fish to break the tranquil silence.
The Murray River stretches for over 2,600 kilometers, from the Great Dividing Range in the north east of Victoria to its mouth at Goolwa in South Australia. The Murray River is one of the world’s longest navigable rivers and a major source of water for much of south-eastern Australia. The river’s standing as one of the greatest in the world has been recognized since the late nineteenth century. The Murray is the lifeblood of the agricultural industry for much of inland Victoria and is often referred to as the ‘food bowl’ of Australia.
Murray River Flag
The Murray River Flag is flown from paddlesteamers and other vessels in SA, NSW/VIC that ply the waters of the Murray Darling river system. Thea earliest recorded reference to the Murray Flag was at Goolwa to honour the first paddle steamer to go into service on the Murray River " The Mary Ann".
It's the only flag in the world to be named in honour of a river.
The flag bears a red cross with four horizontal blue bars. The cross being charged with 5 stars as emblems of the Colonies while the upper corner is taken up with British connections which is depicted by the Union Jack. It is believed that the blue bars represent the four major rivers the Murray, Murrumbidgee, Lachlan and Darling.
Today the Murray River is represented by two flags. The Upper Murray Flag has darker blue bands on its flag, representing the darker waters of the river's upper reaches. The Lower Murray Flag, used predominantly in South Australia, is distinguished by the use of pale blue bands representing the lighter coloured waters of the lower reaches of the Murray.