The following itinerary covers some of the hundreds of camping possibilities between Albury and Mildura.
Start in Albury Wodonga, where you can choose between holiday parks close to town or at Lake Hume. Take the time to enjoy the fabulous bushwalking tracks, watersports and golf on offer in and around Albury Wodonga. Drive west on the Murray Valley Hwy to Yarrawonga Mulwala, a popular spot for caravanners thanks to Lake Mulwala and the excellent golf resorts. For riverside camping, head downstream to Cobram Barooga where there’s beach camping at Horseshoe Lagoon and Quick’s Beach. There are more sandy camp sites and great fishing spots between here and Tocumwal.
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Moving on to Echuca Moama, you have the choice between several quality holiday parks or doing something uniquely Murray, like hiring a luxury houseboat or staying overnight on a paddlesteamer.
About 7km from town, Christies Beach is a free riverside camping area with toilets and fireplaces.
While in Echuca, be sure to visit the historic Port of Echuca and Discovery Centre, play a round of golf or follow the food and wine trail and pick up culinary goodies for your travels.
Around 30km northeast of Echuca, Barmah National Park boasts the world’s largest river red gum forest with plenty of basic bush camping sites, including the Barmah Lakes area.
Further north in NSW, Murray Valley National Park is a serene place for riverside camping with established sites at Swifts Creek and Edward River Bridge among others. Continuing to Deniliquin, there are several holiday parks and the lovely Willoughby’s Beach campground to choose from.
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Head south to Gunbower Island, one of the great bush camping areas on the Murray River. Just drive around until you find a shady spot or sandy beach along the Murray or Gunbower Creek. Access is via Koondrook, Cohuna or Gunbower.
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Stay at one of the many quality holiday parks on the Kerang Lakes and around Swan Hill. While there, visit the Pioneer Settlement in Swan Hill, play a round of golf or travel the backroads trail and visit farm gates and historical sites of the region.
Continue up to the Nyah-Vinifera State Forest, which has some good riverside camping sites among the beautiful red gum and box tree forests.
A possible detour from the Murray is up to Yanga National Park on the Murrumbidgee River, where you’ll find the Mamanga and Willows campgrounds in pristine riverine forests.
Finally, Mildura has a number of quality holiday parks to choose from, many with river frontages, or try camping at Merbein Common. Otherwise, round out your visit along the Murray with a stay on a luxury houseboat – ‘glamping’ at its finest.
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