South Australia (Fleurieu Peninsula)
Goolwa
This is an historic river Port on the lower reaches of the River Murray, the last before it empties into the Southern Ocean. GOOLWA lies 12km upstream from the ever-shifting sand bar at the mouth of the Murray River. Boaties love its position adjacent to vast Lake Alexandrina, yet with easy access to the Coorong and the ocean, and its situation has always been its fortune. 

Although so close to the coast, Goolwa feels like a real river town, and it thrived above all in the days of the Murray paddle-steamer trade, when it was the final offloading port: then a rip-roaring river town with over 88 taverns, it had the biggest police station in South Australia. The railways brought the good days to an end, and today only a few reminders of boom times remain along Railway Terrace, with its old buildings painted in Federation colours. 

Steam trains make a comeback on Sundays, however, when the Cockle Train runs along the coast to Victor Harbor and back and the Southern Encounter operates from the Adelaide Hills to Goolwa via Strathalbyn and Victor Harbor. On Railway Terrace you’ll find Goolwa Tourist Information Centre (daily 10am–4pm; tel 08/8555 1144) which has information on cruises from the end of the wharf.
Also on the wharf is Signal Point Interpretive Centre (daily 10am–5pm; $5), an innovatively designed exhibition telling the story of the Murray and its river trade. A free 24-hour car ferry crosses from Goolwa to the mostly bare and flat Hindmarsh Island (called Kumarangk by the local Aboriginal people), between the river mouth and the lake. Although apparently tranquil, the island has been at the centre of a controversy since plans to build a bridge linking it to the mainland were abandoned in July 1994, on the grounds that the development would be harmful to the sacred women’s business of the area’s Ngarrindjeri Aborigines. 

In December 1995 the Federal Court in Canberra overturned the 25-year bridge-building ban, having concluded that the women’s sacred knowledge was a fabrication. Despite outcries, and the claims of an archeologist that there are burial grounds on the island that should be protected, the state government plans to go ahead with the bridge but at the time of writing it was still looking for developers.

Goolwa Riverport Motel, on Noble Avenue 3km northeast of Goolwa, has motel units, pool, sauna, tennis court, bar and an inexpensive dining room. The alternative in town is the Corio Hotel on Railway Terrace, which is also a popular eating place. Campers can head for Goolwa Camping and Tourist Park, Kessel Road, just 1km northwest of the centre .

Attractions
  • GOOLWA BARRAGE Built between 1935 and 1940, this impressive feat of engineering consists of a concrete structure which sits on hundreds of timber piles driven into the river bed. Complete with a lock for navigation, the Barrage forms a man-made barrier between the fresh waters of the River Murray and the salty ocean water.
  • MALLEEBAA WOOLSHED Eighteen breeds of sheep are on display at Malleebaa, a few kilometres north of Goolwa. The display covers every facet of the wool industry, from sheep shearing demonstrations to woollen arts and crafts, handspun wool and woollen products.
  • NATIONAL TRUST MUSEUM This historical museum in the town's old blacksmith's shop (c1872), exhibits a collection of artefacts relating to the history of Goolwa. On exhibit are items salvaged from ships wrecked in the area, and a dining room and bedroom filled with memorabilia.
  • SIGNAL POINT INTERPRETIVE CENTRE Beginning with the time before European settlement, Signal Point uses both the latest technology and traditional display methods to tell the story of the River Murray to help spread awareness of the river's role and importance. Artefacts, charts, paintings and models are displayed in the River Museum section. Other features include the "Oscar W," a restored 1908 paddlesteamer and the Bird Hide, which enables visitors to see the varied bird life of Goolwa's wetlands areas undetected.
  • STONE AND HAYWOOD STATIONARY ENGINE MUSEUM In Belvidere, you can view a large collection of stationary engines. More than 500 working models, the earliest dating from 1898, have been collected from all over Australia. Also on display are vintage cars and buses. Damper and billy tea are provided for visitors.