Sunrise over a river

Chowilla Game Reserve

Detour into one of SA major arid wetlands

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.

John Muir

Chowilla Game Reserve is an integral part of the Riverland Biosphere Reserve, comprising 18,000 hectares of floodplains and wetlands. This is a quick look at the waterways of the reserve and those just across the border in NSW. For more details about the reserve itself, please visit National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia

My intended first detour is to paddle Salt to Punkah to Chowilla (56.6 km) with a possible extension on Monoman creek (tad longer at 58.1 km). This detour is only about 10 km longer than the Murray River itself, depending on detours taken on the detour.

The second detour is technically a shortcut. Aiming to paddle both the Big Hunchee and Ral Ral Creeks at 34.9 km 1, 5.1 km shorter than the mainstem of the Murray.

Other online guides for the area include:

  • Big Hunchee Creek
  • Boat Creek
  • Bulyong Creek
  • Chowilla Creek
  • Hypurna Creek
  • Kylie Creek
  • Monoman Creek
  • Nelbuck Creek
  • Pilby Creek
  • Pipeclay Creek
  • Punkah Creek
  • Ral Ral Creek
  • Salt Creek
  • Slaney Creek
  • Suders Creek
Creek beside cliffs

Quick Stats

Park / Reserve
Chowilla Game Reserve
Council Areas
UIA Riverland
First Nations
First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee
13.8°C
Feels like 10.8°C
4.3°C
07:08am
13.8°C
12:20pm
Gentle Breeze
S at 13 kph, gusts to 15 kph
Strongest Gust: 22 kph SSE at 12:04pm
0.0 mm since 9am

Sun and Twilight Times

07:01—17:07 / 10hr 5m
Civil: 06:36—17:33 / 10hr 57m
Nautical: 06:05—18:04 / 11hr 59m

Moon Info

Waxing Crescent
10:20am 8:06pm
Banner image is of a sunrise at the mouth of Chowilla Creek