The Murray River flows, two and a half thousand kilometres from the highlands of New South Wales and Victoria down to South Australia. It pools into the shallows of Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert before its final departure into the Southern Ocean. The mouth, which may easily be missed, has been known to close. Often it is too shallow for the tour boats to pass. Back from the mouth extends a skinny estuary separated from the ocean by the Younghusband Peninsula. A finger of water 150 kilometres long, at its widest five kilometres, down to just a mere100 metres across. It's an uninterupted beach run from Kingston, in the south east of South Australia, along the Younghusband Peninsula to Goolwa. A Paradise for bird watchers, photographers, walkers and nature lovers it contains 
238 bird and 278 plant species. Come and enjoy some of Australia's most 
spectacular coastal scenery with the whole family, birdwatching, swimming or walking. 

The only hazards are the occasional four wheel drive, fishing lines near Kingston and flotsam on the beach. It's 200 kilometers of deserted beach with the pounding waves of the great southern ocean on your left. On your right unbroken sand dunes backed by the Coorong, a fresh and salt water linear lake system. 

For thousands of  years The Coorong's has been inhabitanted by the Ngarrindjeri people, they called it kyrangh "the long neck" which was interpreted by the new settlers as Coorong. Author Colin Thiele wrote that it is a benediction of the Murray  horizon after horizon insulating the traveler from everything but sea, sky and sand.
 

 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait  - Educational Website

  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander - Population

  Aboriginal Community at Raukkan - Lake Alexandrina.

 

 
 
 

The Coorong was declared in a National Park in 1966. In the years that followed the Australian Government signed agreements with Japan and China to make the Coorong a wetland of international significance. The waters are protected not only for native birds, but also for migratory birds that fly thousands of kilometres from Europe and Asia to spend the Northern winter on the Fleurieu.. 

The Coorong's emblem is the Pelican as this is Australia's largest, permanent breeding colony. They nest on a string of islands in the middle of the Coorong where they breed. 

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources MUST be advised of your itinerary.  Meningie 85 75 1200 (fax 85 75 1496), Salt Creek 85 75 7014. Rangers are Peter Tomlins, Steve Gilbert and Derek Gollan.

NB.  The beach north of the 42 mile crossing is closed from 24 Oct to 24 Dec for the Hooded Plover breeding season. These endangered birds nest in the soft sand on the beach, the sand nests and eggs are almost impossible to spot. 

The Coorong is home to professional fishermen. They fish the Lakes, the Coorong and the Ocean and earlier this year created a world first by agreeing to a voluntary self management designed to sustain the ecosystem and their livelihoods. Also there are cocklers who scrounge the ocean beach taking 400 tonnes a year of cockles to be sold as bait and for eating. 

Close to Lake Alexandrina at Raukkan, is the grave of one of Australia's most extraordinary men, an inventor, writer, poet and activist. David Unaipon has been described  as "Australia's Leonardo Da Vinci", his picture appears on the Australian fifty dollar note along with pictures of his Coorong home. 

Coorong Rambler - cruises into the Coorong.
 
 

 

Bus camping with  min facilities 

Fees payable at self registration stations, commercial outlets and Meningie Park office.

Ocean beach to low water mark. 

All boats south of the Tauwitchere barrage.

$5

$5

$3  person 
 

$3  person

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Coorong National Park 08 8575 1200
Coorong Nature Tours 08 8574 0037 
Murray Mouth Tours  08 8555 1133 
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