Murray River (Riverland)
Australia's Longest River
On the lands of the Erawirung, Ngintait, Ngawait people.
schedule 1 min read / Updated Apr 2026
Australia's longest river runs 2,508 kilometres from the Snowy Mountains through New South Wales and Victoria before turning south into South Australia and emptying into the sea at Lake Alexandrina. The Riverland section in South Australia is famous for citrus, almonds, paddle steamers and houseboats.
The Murray is the longest river in Australia at 2,508 kilometres and the third-longest navigable river in the world. The river forms most of the border between New South Wales and Victoria, then bends south at Renmark and flows through the Riverland of South Australia to its mouth at Lake Alexandrina, near Goolwa.
The Riverland is the irrigated agricultural region of the Murray in South Australia, around 230 kilometres east of Adelaide. The towns of Renmark, Berri, Loxton, Waikerie and Mannum line the river. Almost 80 percent of Australia's citrus is grown along this stretch, plus huge areas of almonds, table grapes and wine grapes.
The river was the highway of inland Australia in the 19th century, with paddle steamers carrying wool and supplies between river ports. A handful are still operating as tourist boats out of Mannum, Murray Bridge, and Echuca (in Victoria). Houseboats are the modern way to experience the river: rent one in Mannum or Renmark and drift downstream for a few days.
Where to stay
Holiday parks near Murray River (Riverland).
1 option via our booking partner
Bookings handled by our partner Parkbooker. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Featured in
Shortlists that include Murray River (Riverland).
You may also like
Attribution
Sources & credits
Content (1)
Images (2)
- Irrigation Channel - River Murray(GN00202).jpg · State Government Photographer · CC0
- Pike River Murray River National Park Riverland South Austra... · Yuri Obst · CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
Images sourced from Wikimedia Commons under licenses that permit commercial use. If you are the rights holder and believe an attribution is incorrect, please contact us.