The Source of the Murray
History and logistics of finding the source of the Murray.
Murray River Gorge
Wild rivers are earth's renegades, defying gravity, dancing to their own tunes, resisting the authority of humans, always chipping away, and eventually always winning.
The river has four distinct sections between Tom Groggin and Bringenbrong Bridge.
- Grade II-III
- Tom Groggin to Grassy Flat.
Pools and mostly Grade II rapids, ~7 km - Grade III-IV
- Murray Gates
The main upper gorge, ~15 km - Grade I-III
- Lower Gorge
Below Hermits Creek the river eases ~10 km - Flatwater
- Below Biggara
~45 km flatwater paddling
Above Grassy Flat, there is one notable harder drop, Grade III "Riley's Ride". From Grassy Flat you enter the gorge proper and you will be facing up to a ~15 km swim if you can not handle the Grade III+ to IV rapids. Below Hermits Creek the river eases from a series of Grade III+ rapids, to easing Grade I-II rapids before exiting out into farmland and flattening out.
Walking the main gorge is not an option. There is a hiking trail that bypasses the gorge if you do not want to paddle this section of whitewater. More details about walking this track can be found in the Hiking and Camping page. The track rejoins the river at Hermits Creek just before the final Grade IV rapid. You can continue walking or you could tackle the lower sections with a packraft. From Hermits Creek the grades slowly ease from Grade III+ down.
Guiding Companies
Alpine River Adventures
Inflatable kayaks and / or rafts. Bespoke guiding on the upper sections including the top 150 km mixed hike / kayak of the Murray River.
Rafting Australia
Guided rafting trips down the Murray Gorge starting from Tom Groggin Station
Whitewater Guides
This is a summary of the rapids taken from the old archived whitewater guide from Paddle Australia referenced above.
Starting from the Grassy Flats Track:
- Grade
- III - IV
- Season
- Late winter to early spring
- Time
- 4 - 6 hr
- Length
- 16 km
- Level
- 0.8 - 1.8 m
- Gauge
- Bigarra (Indi), add 0.35 m
With a water level above 1.8m it was given a grade of Grade III+ - IV+ with minimal scouting opportunities.
| Grade | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Grade II+ - III | The Wall (Pink Floyd) | 500 m downstream. Recommended to stop if you have difficulty here. |
| - | Gates | ~1-2 km downstream. Two cliffs on either side of the river with a creek (Baxter Ck) tumbling from RR |
| II+ - III | Headbanger (Bobsled) | 1st Rapid before short pool |
| III | Guides Mistake | |
| Grade III - IV | South African Swim | 150 m downstream. Easily scouted on RL |
| Grade III - IV | Sharks Tooth | 150 m downstream. Rapid 100 m that is hard to scout and finishes with the abrupt drop and undercut rock of "The Thing". |
| Grade III+ | The Thing | Ending of Sharks Tooth. Drop and undercut rock. |
| Easier 400 m section with the following 3 rapids: | ||
| Grade III | Long Island | |
| Grade II+ | Rock Garden | A bony scrape in low water |
| Grade III | Himalayan Wrap | |
| A couple more pools bring you to a classic section of whitewater. | ||
| Grade III - III+ | Tanks Garage | |
| Grade III - III+ | Hole in the Head | |
| Grade III+ - IV | Hermits Creek | |
| Grade III | Easy Over | |
| Another pool before: | ||
| Grade III - III+ | Swimmers Joy | |
| Grade III - III+ | Gorgeous George/Gorge | |
| Grade III-III+ | Roller Coaster | ~200 m downstream. There is a nasty sieve on the right. |
| Grade III | Jellyfish Rock | ~450 m downstream. Last rapid of note in the gorge |
| Another 10 km of fun II+ and III getting easier as you go down the gorge. | ||
