STAY WITH The Swans

SO ANYWAY, THIS LAST year of riding the Murray has reinforced in me the abundance of beautiful locations along its length. And it’s revealed a plethora of damn fine pubs (and camping spots) along its banks.

But just maybe, the southern run of the Murray, from Nor West Bend to Mannum has the most beautiful spots - some secluded, some open - of the river’s two and a half thousand kilometres.

It also has some of the very best pubs. Some are memorable for their history or their service or their publicans or their characters or their view. Few boast all of these to a degree that equals the Swan Reach Hotel’s.

I rock up after an eventful day which has just climaxed by exquisitely timing my arrival on the far side of the river with the passing across my bows of the Murray Princess, largest paddle boat in the southern hemisphere.

And now in