Travel&Vacation

"Ohhh, yes. She'll flood again. Too right," the man said, with the conviction of near seven decades spent in the bush.

He affirmed his verdict with the single shake-nod of the head that complements a bushman's confidence in predicting nature's moods.

"Ohh, yes. No doubt about it. She'll flood again, for sure," he said, gazing across the River Murray's still ample girth, linking the NSW town of Moama with Victoria's historic Echuca.

"You know, early last century, in 1906…" he continued, reeling off the river's historic highs and lows for a bunch of fascinated onlookers.

No-nonsense river shipwright Kevin Hutchinson has spent a lifetime on the Murray, restoring old paddle steamers to their former beauty.

Evoking a heritage movie character in bib 'n' brace denim overalls, well-stubbed heavy duty boots and Greek fisherman's cap, he was speaking a few weeks before Christmas, in flint-dry early summer as we stood on the legendary river's bank deflecting persistent sorties by sticky flies, another seasonal certainty in these parts.

After years of severe drought had finally brought farmers to their knees and governments to surrender to the prospect of desalination projects, it seemed a bold prediction, a vain forecast indeed given the national awareness of a Big Dry across much of the continent.

Yet, miraculously, the old river man was proven right not long after new year's dawn. While the Murray itself is not yet in flood, much of the country is — or at least is emerging from the ravages of cyclical climate cruelty, and the waters are winding their way down the national map, ultimately towards some 2560km of our greatest river.

In times of bounty, and of scourge, the mighty Murray inspires awe. Dorothea Mackellar put her finger on it a century ago, around the time the river hit one of its historic peaks, close to 95m — although by then the river had all but seen its day as our major highway, the lifeblood of the inland.

We'd flown into the NSW-Victorian town of Albury-Wodonga and followed the border west some three hours by road, passing through fascinating countryside and rural settlements that beckoned us to pause. But our houseboat booking awaited us.

Our destination, Moama-Echuca (Moama on the northern, NSW, bank; Echuca, Vic, on the southern side), is a similarly comfortable drive due north of Melbourne.

I'd envisaged a rustic experience on a temporarily turgid waterway. Yet the river, its flows managed by a series of locks and weirs, displayed scant sign of drought: to the contrary, it was munificent.

And we found the people of the Murray have the knack of combining the experiences of yesteryear with the know-how and accoutrements of the 21st century.

Our houseboat, Luxury on the Murray V, boasted four king bedrooms each with fast-flowing shower and flushing loo; a magnificent designer kitchen, with icemaker fridge, opening onto an open-plan dining room; a top deck with spa, barbecue and bar fridge; a vast sitting room opening onto river views through sliding glass doors all round and a huge plasma screen on the wall — one of seven in all on board: one in each bedroom, another in the aft bar-lounge retreat, and one beside the barbecue for (of course!) watching the cricket.

A quick lesson in driving the boat — similar to operating a video-game controller — saw us setting out to ply the river, powered along reliably by a pair of massive outboards.

We thrilled to the sight of century-old restored paddle steamers, whoop-whooping their whistles at us, deckhands and tourist-passengers waving as we went by.

We marvelled at the sheer number of private and commercial houseboats moored along the river's edge. We drew in fresh country air emanating from tall stands of riverside gums and spotted fascinating birdlife high in the branches.

We thrilled to the antics of speedboats towing zigzagging water-skiers and a wakeboarding cattle dog. We saluted shore-bound families idling out front of their riverside holiday cabins perched on the river's lofty banks.

We rafted up with newfound buddies on houseboat Simply Irresistible IV. And we turned off the motors and pulled in to shore at will to frolic in the spa, feast from our own kitchen, sunbathe on deck and r-e-l-a-x under the infinite blue canopy of a clear Aussie sky.

Being waterborne was infinitely satisfying; workday stresses slid away effortlessly. Albeit we enjoyed all the mod-cons, the effect was of simple communion with nature.

But we are city animals, after all, and couldn't resist the pull of several top-flight restaurant experiences. One day, we let the gangplank out at Morrison's Winery at Moama and feasted on a canopied open-air deck amid the riverside vineyards on fabulous fresh seafood and Morrison's delightful signature pink Frontignac.

The next, we docked at Echuca's historic port and strolled to Ceres, a fascinating restaurant inside a 10m-tall historic former wool store, lunching from a tapas menu betraying a definite Melbourne elan.

At night, we skipped from boat to boat and boarded the restored paddle steamer P S Emmylou for a sunset cruise, wining and dining on the aft deck and watching the sun's descending orb cast a golden path along the fluttering ribbon of the river's surface.

On another evening we donned smart casual and visited the famous Oscar W's, an impressive indoors-outdoors setting high up above the Murray, amid towering red gums spotlit and silhouetted like giant living sculptures.

A superb degustation menu and fabulous matching local wines had us lingering long under the stars, with only a stumble down the bank back to our "water" beds.

Sleeping at night on a river is immensely peaceful, and waking in the dawn to the sound of the birds, the sight of busily paddling ducks and the sounds of the river traffic gets you keen to embrace the day.

We explored the port with all its myriad old-time attractions — vintage car and history museums, old drays on display, horse and carriage rides, a blacksmith at work, a penny arcade, rum and whisky stores, and more — and paused for a bite at the Star Hotel.

The riverside hotel is almost the last of the one-time 60 or more watering holes that supported the thriving Echuca community in its heyday. Its intriguing cellar, down a narrow staircase and with a rear escape route, was an illicit tavern when government prohibition came to town at the turn of the last century.

Echuca was Australia's greatest inland port until depression and progress in the form of alternative transportation saw it lose its prominence as a centre for shifting wool bales, wheat and timber along the vast interior to meet the railhead.

But it has done an excellent job of reinventing itself as a living modern history museum treasuring the past.

Now the Murray, with its enduring early settlement towns, stands out as a natural-environment icon, like Uluru, Kakadu and the Great Barrier Reef, that begs us to get acquainted with our unique heritage.

Getting there: Echuca-Moama is less than three hours by road from Melbourne. Rex, Qantaslink and Virgin Blue fly regularly between Sydney and Albury with hire car facilities at Albury airport.

Virgin Blue's new services (from February 5) have prompted keen airfare deals from operators. Alternatively, making the trip by road through southern NSW offers great scenic experiences.

Where to Stay: If driving to the destination, check Tourism NSW's website at www.visitnsw.gov.au for unique country B&Bs and local attractions en route.

Luxury on the Murray houseboats: (03) 5483 6244; chilloutluxboats.com.au. Simply Irresistible houseboats: (03) 5480 3111; infosimplyirresistiblehouseboats.com.au.

For other options, including land-based accommodation, contact Echuca-Moama Visitor Information Centre: 1800 804446; infoechucamoama.com, or visit Tourism Victoria's planner at www.visitvictoria.com.