The persistent huge rain events on the east coast and eastern inland areas of Australia are making the news every day, and with rainfall now filling rivers and making its way down the river systems, there are many nervous communities.

This is especially true in areas where rivers meet up and become one, namely the Murray River which flows through three states.

In South Australia, along the banks of the Murray there are many popular spots for camping and caravanning and quite a few caravan parks are in prime position on the water too.

In every town along the Murray and in quite a few other locations along its length, you’ll see giant gum trees with river level markers attached to them.

They are always amazing to see and we often look at them in disbelief unable to imagine the river ever being at those levels, particularly when the signposts are way above our heads. There are many historical photos in these Riverland towns though that show the devastating effects that floods have had in the past.

For some communities in Victoria at the moment, this is a scary reality that they are living through now. South Australia is at the end of the river’s run so we have more time to watch and predict what the flow will likely do to our infrastructure and towns that are on, or near the river.

Some of the effects are being felt already with one of our favourite spots to visit in the Riverland, having to close its doors for an indefinite amount of time. The attraction of Caudo Vineyard at Cadell, is that it sits on a bend of the river with a lovely big grassed area that is terraced down to the river.

Here visitors can sit and watch the river traffic while enjoying the wines and excellent food on offer, but sadly at the moment the carpark has already been inundated with water, so visiting is out of the question for the foreseeable future.

Another area impacted at the moment is Loxton, where the Riverfront Holiday Park is experiencing high water levels and some of the low lying areas used for caravans and camping are already inundated. That’s not to say that they aren’t still operating though, with other areas of the park opened up for visitors.

Many parts of the Riverland and Murray lands areas of South Australia are not affected at all and it’s unfortunate for some of these towns that people may be avoiding travelling there. The best advice is rather than cancelling visiting, contact the caravan parks or local authorities to see what the current situation is and whether they will be impacted in the near future.

Typically it takes four to six weeks for water from the northern basin areas to reach South Australia so it will be a waiting game to see what impact it will have for us, but predictions are being made and a good website to keep your eye on, is WaterConnect SA, which has weekly updates on the Murray River flow levels.

At the very end of the river at Goolwa, the Murray empties into the Southern Ocean and Coorong National Park, and the high river flow is having a very positive effect. The extra water is expected to boost the wetlands water flow and increase the amount of tiny invertebrates that come down with the river.

This will help with fish populations as well as the wetland bird population and should mean a good breeding season for pelicans and black swans that frequent the area. When I visited the Goolwa barrage a few days ago it was teeming with birdlife and plenty of (pest) New Zealand fur seals were also enjoying the conditions.

Unfortunately another bad side effect of the increased water is the rise in mosquito populations and we’ve noticed more around already. It is going to be a bad summer for mosquitos so make sure if you are anywhere near a water source to take precautions and cover up to prevent being stung by them.

If you can, take a drive to see part of the River Murray system at its powerful awesome best.

Stay safe

Glenys