A Coaster Bus Adventure
I don’t know about you, but I love being on, by or around the Murray River. Waikerie in South Australia is one of the best towns on the Murray River and is a perfect destination for you and your Toyota Coaster motorhome. Waikerie is about a 90 minute drive from where I live which makes it a great destination for a weekend trip in the Coaster Bus, or even a mid week getaway. Let me tell you about the 10 best things to do in Waikerie:
1. Park your Toyota Coaster at Waikerie Holiday Park
The Waikerie Holiday Park is right on the River and it has a great feel to it. This is a great place to base yourself whilst you are exploring Waikerie in your Toyota Coaster. The bathrooms are spotlessly clean, the staff are friendly, and both the town and caravan park feel very safe – especially important since I am a female camping on my own. Everything you need is a short walk away. Supermarket, bakery and pub are all a ten minute walk.
Back to the caravan park, and it is quite the relaxing place to be. There is a great variety of sites so you will find one that suits your set up. I have been three times with Molly the Coaster Bus and they put us on a nice, big grassed site each time. The services – water and electricity- are easy to connect up, and the TV reception works fine. Not that I watch much TV when I am here, it is generally a time for switching off and being with the river.
At night, there is a communal fire pit and barbecue in the caravan park that everyone is welcome to use but I haven’t used it to date. The camp kitchen is clean and well stocked with cups, kettle, toaster, fridge etc. There is also a communal lounge where you can watch TV or play games. As I mentioned before the bathrooms are spotlessly clean and conveniently located throughout the park. Access to the bathrooms is by code which works well. There is also a good selection of different sized cabins throughout the park for those who don’t have a caravan/camper, or for those that do but can’t be bothered taking it.
2. The Cliff Top Walk
I especially love the cliff top walk in Waikerie, the start of which is a five minute walk along the river to the right from the caravan park. I love to walk it first thing in the morning, and again just before sunset. It takes about half an hour to walk to the end, and another half hour to walk back again.
The scenery is absolutely stunning, made even more special by the light. At dawn and dusk it is like a pastel filter has been placed over the sun, and everything has a hue of pink, blue and yellow. The river itself is the hero in this setting – powerful, imposing and beautiful. A reminder that we humans are truly small and insignificant in our place in the world.
The first section of the walk has quite a few stairs which is a great work out and stunning scenery to go with it. Just when you think the stairs are finished, there is a look out on top of the first cliff that has more stairs leading up to it. You already got this far though so keep going and check out the view! From here you can see up and down the river, and over to the lakes beyond. The car ferry is a nice little juxta position bringing a human element to the vast natural landscape.
3. Bird Watching
The bird life is amazing. Birds of prey survey the river like kings and queens of their kingdom, and it is truly humbling to be in their company. Pelicans are abundant here, big and clunky yet graceful in their own way. I love watching them take off using all of their runway to get airborne, and the landing is just as spectacular as the sheer size and bulk of them glide down and skid along the river surface. Seeing them fly in a flock is like watching a squadron of small planes pass over. A true natural wonder, and one of the best things to do in Waikerie.
4. Silo Art
The Cliff Top walk passes the silo’s which have been adorned with a beautiful painted mural that has been created using the theme of “Healthy River, Healthy Community” by artists Garry Duncan and Jimmy Dvate. The paintings are of things found in the local environment and are well worth a look. It is amazing how much detail can be included in paintings so big.
At the time of writing there is a free camp in the car park at the Silo’s which is an alternative to the caravan park if you are self sufficient with your camping set up. It is positioned just back from the top of the cliffs and has a sheltered picnic table a short walk away so would be a great spot to stay for a day or two. The Silo’s are also right opposite Nippy’s citrus fruit outlet and factory, which is open Monday to Friday to buy fruit direct from the factory.
5. Picnic by the Murray River
There is a mooring for houseboats a short walk from the caravan park. An eclectic gathering of water vessels that is a feast for the eyes, and fun to ponder which one you would like to own for yourself. There are run down old boats that look like they would sink under the first wave that hit them, right through to the luxury models that you can picture yourself sitting on balcony of, sipping Mumm from a crystal champagne flute. There are also the renovator’s delights – tradies and owners working to restore boats to their former glory.
Pick a grassy spot on the riverbank, pull out the picnic lunch and get a further taste for the river life and a window into what it’s like to live on the river full time. Truly one of the best things to do in Waikerie. Imagine waking up and seeing the river out of your bedroom window. Seeing the water and the trees through that pastel light filter. Making a coffee and drinking it out on your boat deck. Sharing your breakfast with the river birds. Watching the pelicans coming in to land right by your boat, like a Qantas A380 landing on an airstrip.
6. Enjoy a coffee at HeBrews
He Brews coffee on Francis street is great for a quick coffee whilst you are exploring Waikerie in your Toyota Coaster Bus. I love ordering a long black and sitting on the outside table in the sunshine. It’s a great place to watch the people of Waikerie as they start their day and go about their business.
7. Treat yourself at the Waikerie Bakery
The Waikerie Bakery (is there a more perfect name for a bakery?) is also a popular stop for both tourists and locals for their baked goods, lunch options and coffee. Put it on your list of things to do in Waikerie.
8. Dinner at the Waikerie Hotel
The Waikerie Hotel/Motel is the best place to watch the sunset from its huge balcony, or if the weather is a bit cold it is a great view from inside the pub as well. The meals are very good and they have a wide range of drinks available. They have a few big screen TV’s in different areas which is great for sports fans, and gives you a few options of games to watch. Certainly better than watching sport on a small screen by myself in the bus.
9. Take a drive out to the Overland Hotel
Worth a visit is the historic Overland Corner Hotel which is just a short drive from Waikerie. The day I visited they had live music in the beer garden and it was so relaxing sitting there under the gum trees with a glass of wine, grazing on a pizza, and listening to live country music.
This is a great side trip to do whilst you are exploring Waikerie in your Toyota Coaster Bus. This place is a truly amazing piece of history. According to its website, it was built in 1859 which makes it one of the oldest buildings in the state. It was built to cater for overland drovers in their journey between Adelaide and NSW, and you can just imagine thousands of sheep grazing nearby whilst the drovers rested, and ate and drank their fill.
Out the back of the bar they have a few rooms set up with historical artefacts and a gift shop so make sure you take the time to have a look at it.
10. Hire a Houseboat
Park the Coaster bus and hire a Houseboat!
A few years ago our family organized a house boat holiday. To be honest I wasn’t looking forward to the holiday at all. I love active holidays where there are lots of adventures to be had. Hiking, swimming, cycling, exploring caves, snorkelling – anything that involves exploring the world around me. Sitting on a boat for five days just didn’t seem appealing to me. Eating, drinking, talking, reading, playing board games and looking at the river just seemed so boring.
That opinion changed virtually as soon as I boarded the house boat. The wide brown river was simply majestic and awe inspiring at first sight. Towering gum trees danced in the wind and the bird life was abundant and beautiful. Nature’s orchestra was in full swing and we hadn’t even left the mooring yet.
The next five days were like a transcendental meditation being totally immersed in the natural environment of the Murray River. The way the light shone on the cliffs at different times of day, bringing out completely different colour palettes between morning and night. The bird song, especially first thing in the morning and again at dusk, was better than any concert you would pay to go to. Loud, musical and mesmerizing.
As for activity, there was plenty of that too. We moored the boat on the river bank and strolled through the bush exploring as we went. There was a kayak attached to the house boat that we made good use of, paddling out to the base of the cliffs and back again. Pausing to admire the giant bird nests in the trees, interesting plants on the river banks and being ever so close to the river itself, being at one with its ebb and flow. After five days on the Murray River I felt like I had been on holidays for a month. If you have never had a holiday on a houseboat, put it on your list of things to do in Waikerie.
Enjoy exploring Waikerie in your Coaster Bus
I look forward to exploring other towns along the Murray River, but Waikerie is definitely my favourite at the moment. It is familiar, I know the location of the caravan park, am comfortable setting up the bus there, it feels safe, and everything I need is either at the caravan park or a short walk away. Do yourself a favour and check it out for yourself.
I hope my list of top things to do in Waikerie has been useful for you. For more location inspiration for you and your Toyota Coaster Motorhome visit our Destination ideas page.
Happy Coasting!
