Murray Valley National Park, NSW: What are the best things to do?

Things to do in the Murray Valley National Park in New South Wales include birdwatching from the Reed Beds Bird Hide boardwalk, the Moira scenic drive through river red gum forest and kayaking on the Murray River. Other options include camping at Edward River Bridge or Swifts Creek, and public barbecue facilities at Five Mile picnic area.

The Murray Valley National Park is one of the newest in New South Wales. It was declared in 2010, largely to siphon off vast tracts of river red gum trees. But the forests and waterways plenty of things to do.

Murray Valley National Park: Birdwatching at Reed Beds Bird Hide

Budding birdwatchers will probably want to try the walk to Reed Beds Bird Hide, looking out over an important RAMSAR wetland. The 1km return boardwalk is close to the Mathoura entrance to the Murray Valley National Park, and is adorned with spinnable circular images. These are of the birds that can regularly be spotted at the wetland.

Turn them around, and the bird’s call plays. The Australian bittern has a deep, bassy coo. The white-faced heron sounds like a cawing seagull. And the eastern great egret is close to a motorbike attempting to start on a cold morning.

emus and waterbirds in Murray Valley National Park wetlands — Emus and waterbirds on the RAMSAR-listed wetlands of the Murray Valley National Park, New South Wales. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

Murray Valley National Park: Moira scenic drive

Elsewhere, try a scenic drive through the river red gum forest. The Moira Drive weaves through the forest near the Murray River. Kangaroos and emus can often be spotted bounding and scuttling through the clearings.

The river red gums are fascinating trees. The higher reaches of their trunks are a dappled white and grey, but the lower sections are always darker and soggier-looking. While many members of the eucalyptus family seek fire to spread seeds, river red gums thrive on sporadic floods. Black, scar-like lines indicate just how high the water level has got in the past.

The reason there are so many river red gums in the Murray Valley National Park and the neighbouring Barmah National Park is the Narrows. This is the narrowest part of the Murray between Albury and the Southern Ocean. The banks are generally less than 30m apart.

This acts as a bottleneck, with the water pushing through considerably faster than elsewhere. Once the water flows upstream get too much, the Narrows floods spectacularly. The result is a 25km wide wetland, and deliriously happy river red gums.

Kayaking along the Murray River is also popular, with four official Murray River canoe trails to explore in the area. The problem for overseas visitors is that you need to bring your own kayak – there’s nowhere to rent one near the Edward River Bridge kayak launch.

Murray Valley National Park camping

There are also several Murray Valley National Park campgrounds. The New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service boasts of 130 campsites along the river. Popular options include the Mulwala campground, plus those at Edward River Bridge, Quicks Beach and Swifts Creek.

Picnics and barbecues are popular, too. There are several picnic areas with tables within the Murray Valley National Park. Meanwhile, public barbecue facilities are available at the Edward River Bridge picnic area, Five Mile picnic area, Ski Beach picnic area, Swifts Creek campground and Willoughbys Beach campground.

The nearest sizable towns to the Murray Valley National Park are Echuca and Moama to south, and Deniliquin to the north. Echuca is the most appealing of these towns to stay in, with attractions including paddlesteamer cruises, the Port of Echuca Discovery centre and after-dark ghost tours.

How to get to the Murray Valley National Park

The national park is a 746km drive from Sydney and 257km drive from Melbourne. The nearest airport served by scheduled flights is in Albury, 244km away. Regional Express operates direct flights to Albury from Sydney and Melbourne. The Murray Farm Gate Trail is explorable along the drive from Albury to Echuca.

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