Why should I do the Gunbower Island Forest Drive in Victoria?

The Gunbower Island Forest Drive between Echuca and Swan Hill includes plenty of forest and wildlife. Stops include Shillinglaw’s Regulator, the Cemetery Bend camp sites, Graham’s Hut and Robsons Mill.

Gunbower Island has a strong claim to being the largest inland island in Australia (although this is disputed). It lies between the Murray River and Gunbower Creek in Victoria, just over three hours’ drive north of Melbourne. The island is best known for its camping grounds along the Murray River bends, but there’s also plenty of wildlife in Gunbower National Park.

Gunbower Island forest drive in Victoria, Australia — The forests of Gunbower National Park on Gunbower Island are a haven for native Australian wildlife. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

The best way to see Gunbower Island is on the Gunbower Island Forest Drive. Rush through and this won’t take long on the drive from Echuca to Swan Hill or Mildura. But make it into a proper outing, and the Gunbower Island Forest Drive can take half a day of sightseeing. Stop at the Gateway to Gannawarra Visitor Centre in the small Victorian town of Cohuna, and you can pick up a map with notes on the key sites.

Things to see on the Gunbower Island Forest Drive

These include the Timber-Cutter’s Steps, where massive old tree stumps have slits cut in the sides. This a remnant of the old logging industry. Woodcutters would place planks in the slits, so they could fell the tree at a narrower point.

Further along the Gunbower Island Forest Drive is Shillinglaw’s Regulator. This controls the flow of water through the forest from the Murray River. Then comes Grey’s Mill, from where a lumber mill once operated. It opened in the 1870s and was originally called Block 24.

Another key sight is Graham’s Hut, which is the last remaining hut on the Victorian bank of the Murray in this region. Then come the animal refuge at Wattle Creek, the graves and riverside camping at Cemetery Bend and Robsons Mill. The latter was the site of the first licenced mill on the island, which was founded in 1875 to provide timber for the Melbourne market.

Visiting Gunbower Island

Given that Gunbower Island is a little too far away to be a day trip from Melbourne, it is best tackled as part of a Murray River road trip. Coming from the east, you can start in Albury, then pass by Corowa and Lake Mulwala on the way to a paddle-steamer cruise in Echuca. After Gunbower Island in the Echuca to Swan Hill section of the drive, divert into New South Wales for the Yanga Homestead in Yanga National Park. Then come Mildura, the Hattah Lakes and the Mouth of the Murray River near Goolwa.