Murray Bridge: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
The river here is the Murray, Australia's longest, a few days from the end of its 2,500 km journey to the sea. Murray Bridge grew where the first bridge in South Australia crossed it, and the town still lives on the water. This walk starts at the bridge, follows the riverbank through the reserves and ends at the highway bridge downstream. About two hours, flat; take the car for the last stop, and look out for pelicans.
A short history of Murray Bridge
Murray Bridge grew up where the road from Adelaide to Melbourne crosses the Murray River, the longest river in Australia, on the land of the Ngarrindjeri people. In 1879 the first bridge over the Murray in South Australia was opened here, and the town took its name from it. In 1886 the railway to Melbourne also began crossing it, and the place became a junction of roads, railways and paddle steamers on the river. In the years that followed, dairy farms and orchards irrigated with river water developed around the town, and it became one of the largest towns in South Australia outside Adelaide.
The ten best sights in Murray Bridge
1The Round HouseThe oldest building in town, beside the first bridge; the place to start
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2Captain's Cottage Museum
Local history and river life in a small house museum; check opening days
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3Bridge Arts
A small gallery by the station with local artists
4Old Tailem TownA pioneer village of real old buildings, 20 minutes south; give it two hours
5RaukkanThe Ngarrindjeri community on Lake Alexandrina; visit respectfully, ask before photographing
6Mary Ann ReserveThe riverfront at Mannum where the river's steamer age began
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7Sturt Reserve
Lawns, red gums and the river below the bridge; picnics and pelicans
8BunyipA monster that rises from a pool when you feed it a coin; children love it
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9Long Island Recreation Park
River wetlands and walking tracks just downstream of town
10Swanport BridgeThe highway bridge south of town, with a riverside reserve beneath it
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Murray Bridge →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Murray Bridge:
Free walking tours in Murray Bridge
Two bridges and a bunyip
The river here is the Murray, Australia's longest, a few days from the end of its 2,500 km journey to the sea. Murray Bridge grew where the first bridge in South Australia crossed it, and the town still lives on the water. This walk starts at the bridge, follows the riverbank through the reserves and ends at the highway bridge downstream. About two hours, flat; take the car for the last stop, and look out for pelicans.
- The Round House · The road bridge beside it, opened in 1879, was the first bridge across the Murray in South Australia, and the town took its name from it. The Round House, from the same years, is counted as the oldest building in Murray Bridge.
- Murray Bridge Station · When the railway to Melbourne arrived, the trains at first had to share the road bridge with carts and stock. A separate rail bridge, the one you see downstream of the old one, was opened in 1925.
- Sturt Reserve · The reserve is named after Charles Sturt, who in 1830 rowed a whaleboat down the Murray to its mouth to find where the inland rivers went. He then had to row all the way back upstream, against the current, when no ship came to meet him.
- Bunyip · The bunyip is a creature of Aboriginal stories, said to live in swamps, billabongs and rivers and to drag down whoever comes too close. Murray Bridge's version has sat in its cage by the river since the early 1970s, and rises roaring from the water for a coin.
- Long Island Recreation Park · This is Ngarrindjeri country. In their story the ancestor Ngurunderi chased a giant Murray cod, Ponde, down the river in his canoe, and the thrashing of the fish's tail carved out the wide bends of the lower Murray.
- Swanport Bridge · Opened in 1979, the Swanport Bridge took the main highway between Adelaide and Melbourne around the town, a century after the first bridge had brought it through. The reserve under it is a good place to see the river at its widest near town.
Upstream to Mannum
North of Murray Bridge the river winds between limestone cliffs and green irrigated flats. The road follows it to Mannum, where the paddle-steamer trade that carried wool and wheat on the Murray began. Cross on a free ferry, look at the old boats, then come back by the Monarto road for the animals. About 90 km and a full day; the safari park closes in the late afternoon.
- Mypolonga · The flats along this stretch were river swamps until the early 1900s, when they were walled off with levee banks and drained for dairy farms. The paddocks lie below the level of the river beside them.
- Mannum · Before the railways, the Murray and its tributaries were Australia's inland highway: paddle steamers carried wool down and supplies up for thousands of kilometres. Mannum was where the trade began and where many of the boats were built.
- Mary Ann Reserve · In 1853 William Randell launched the Mary Ann here, a small steamer he had built himself, the first paddle steamer on the Murray. The same year Francis Cadell's Lady Augusta raced it upstream, and both boats reached Swan Hill in Victoria, which opened the river to trade.
- Mannum #1 Ferry · South Australia runs its river ferries free of charge, day and night, because for many river towns they are still the only crossing. You drive on, switch off, and a deckhand cables you across in a few minutes.
- Murray Princess Office · The Murray Princess is a modern stern-wheeler built in the style of the old river boats, and it runs cruises of several nights from Mannum. It is one of the largest paddle boats ever to work the river.
- Monarto Safari Park · In the 1970s the state government planned a new city of up to 200,000 people at Monarto and bought the land for it. The plan was abandoned, and part of the land became the open-range zoo, where the animals now live where the suburbs were meant to be.
Down to the lakes
Below Murray Bridge the river turns south at Tailem Bend and runs out into Lake Alexandrina, a vast shallow lake that opens to the sea through the Coorong. This is the heart of Ngarrindjeri country, and the drive ends at their community on the lake shore. About 140 km as a loop, on quiet roads with a short ferry crossing at Wellington. Fill up at Tailem Bend; there is little after it.
- Tailem Bend · Tailem Bend grew as a railway junction, where the lines to Melbourne and to the south-east divided. The great bend of the river below the town is where the Murray stops flowing west and turns south for the lakes.
- Old Tailem Town · The village is made of real buildings — a school, a church, shops and houses — collected from around the region and rebuilt along streets. It shows a South Australian country town from the early 1900s to the 1950s.
- The Bend Motorsport Park · The circuit opened in 2018 on farmland outside Tailem Bend, and its longest layout runs for more than 7.5 km, one of the longest permanent tracks in the world. On many days you can ride a hot lap in a race car with a professional driver.
- Wellington · Before the bridge at Murray Bridge, Wellington's ferry was the main crossing of the lower Murray for travellers between Adelaide and Victoria, and the village had a courthouse and police station to match. Today the free ferry and the riverside pub are almost all that is left.
- Lake Alexandrina · The lake is kept fresh by five barrages, low walls built between it and the sea and finished in 1940. During the Millennium Drought its level fell below sea level, and the exposed lake bed began to turn acidic.
- Raukkan · Raukkan, once the Point McLeay mission, was the birthplace in 1872 of David Unaipon, a Ngarrindjeri inventor, preacher and the first Aboriginal author published in Australia. His portrait is on the Australian fifty-dollar note, and the church on that note is the one here.
Getting to Murray Bridge and getting around
- Murray Bridge Station · The Overland to Melbourne stops here a few times a week; no suburban trains to Adelaide
- Information Centre bus stop · Coaches to Adelaide stop by the visitor centre
- Mannum #1 Ferry · Free car ferries cross the river round the clock; just drive on
Cheap eats in Murray Bridge
Murray Bridge is a working river city, and it eats like one: bakeries and takeaways along Bridge Street and the terraces, and a fast-growing mix of migrant kitchens. The irrigated flats around it produce milk, vegetables and fruit, and the town's large meatworks supply a large share of South Australia's lamb and beef. Lunch is cheap and quick; for a view of the water, take it to Sturt Reserve.
- Lovells Bakery · Pies, pasties and buns, about A$5-8
- Afghan Charcoal Kebab House · Charcoal kebabs and rice, about A$15-22
- Dalat Street Food · Vietnamese rolls and noodles, about A$10-18
- Murray Bridge Fish and Chips · Fish and chips to eat by the river, about A$15-20
- Murray Bridge Pizza Bar · Pizza by the slice or whole, about A$15-25
- Mojo Espresso · Coffee and a toastie in the centre, about A$5-15
- Noti and Folk · Café breakfasts on South Terrace, about A$15-25
Museums in Murray Bridge
- The Round House · The oldest building in town, by the bridge
- Old Tailem Town · A whole pioneer town to walk through
- Captain's Cottage Museum · Local history and river life
- Bridge Arts · Local artists by the station
- Mary Ann Reserve · Mannum riverfront and the steamer story
Nature and day trips near Murray Bridge
- Lake Alexandrina · The end of the Murray; big skies and pelicans
- Sturt Reserve · Riverbank lawns in town
- Long Island Recreation Park · River wetlands and short walks
- Kinchina Conservation Park · Mallee trails on the edge of town
- Ferries-McDonald Conservation Park · A quiet mallee loop south of town
Things to do in Murray Bridge with kids
- Monarto Safari Park · A full day of big animals; the bus takes you into the enclosures
- Bunyip · Put in a coin and wait for the roar
- Old Tailem Town · Old shops and a schoolroom to explore
- The Bend Motorsport Park · Go-karts and race days
- Mannum #1 Ferry · A free ride across the river
Where to eat in Murray Bridge
- Wellington Hotel · A pub on the water at the old crossing, 30 minutes south
- Riverscape · Dinner overlooking the river by Sturt Reserve
- Rivergum Restuarant · A sit-down dinner on Bridge Street
- The Mustard Seed · A local favourite on East Terrace
- Sakura Sushi · Sushi and Japanese plates
- Cods Bar · A drink in the centre
Frequently asked questions about Murray Bridge
What is there to see in Murray Bridge?
The top sights in Murray Bridge are The Round House, Captain's Cottage Museum and Bridge Arts. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Murray Bridge?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Murray Bridge without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Murray Bridge?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Murray Bridge, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Two bridges and a bunyip.
How do you get to Murray Bridge and get around?
The main ways are Murray Bridge Station, Information Centre bus stop and Mannum #1 Ferry. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Murray Bridge, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Murray Bridge that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Murray Bridge for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.