Gunbower / Torrumbarry

Overview

West of Echuca these two towns are gateways to the Murray River. Gunbower Island is Australia’s largest inland island. This highly accessible area is forested and includes a number of swampy lagoons. Torrumbarry Weir is a major piece of infrastructure crossing the breadth of the Murray (73.5 metres), including a lock to allow boats to pass through the weir, a drop of some 13 metres.

This stretch of river provides a range of riparian environments from the typically Australian sluggish brown overhung with gum trees, to sections of deep wide blue upstream of the weir. It is this section of river that hosts the Southern 80, the world’s longest water-ski race. The bushland surrounding the river is desert country on the northern side, whilst the land in the swampy areas south of the river are so lush they could be dressed as the tropics.

History

The town of Gunbower was proclaimed in 1869, named for the surrounding Gunbower Station, settled in the mid-1800s. The town serviced the surrounding tobacco farms and had a population consisting substantially of Italian migrants.

Approval for the construction of Torrumbarry Weir and Lock was given in 1919, and water for irrigation was first diverted from the pool created by Torrumbarry Weir in 1923.  The Weir Pool now supplies water for the Torrumbarry Irrigation System.

Places of interest

Accommodation

A mecca for holiday campers, the area also provides pub-style accommodation and caravan parks, including one right beside Torrumbarry Weir. For more substantial accommodation the town of Echuca, just half an hours drive east, has in excess of 4200 beds with many accommodation providers that offer an excellent range of accommodation choices from heritage guesthouses, motels, hotels, holiday parks and B&Bs. Echuca offers a toll free telephone number for its accommodation booking office. This Office operates seven days a week and can be contacted on 1800 804 446 or online at www.echucamoama.com.

 

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