Murray River National Park Explained

Type:	protected
Murray River National Park
State:	sa
Iucn Category:	VI
Iucn Ref:	^[1]
Coordinates:	-34.3869°N 140.5397°W
Relief:	yes
Pushpin Label Position:	bottom
Nearest Town Or City:	Berri
Area:	135.92
Area Footnotes:	^[2]
Established Footnotes:	^[3] ^[4]
Url:	https://www.parks.sa.gov.au/parks/murray-river-national-park

Murray River National Park is a protected area in South Australia located between and 240km (150miles) north east of the Adelaide city centre, lying along the Murray River. The national park is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area.^[1] the national park comprises more than, and includes a vast network of Murray River wetlands and floodplains.^[5]

The national park was proclaimed on 20 June 1991 under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972,^[6] "to conserve a significant proportion of South Australia’s floodplain environments which are not represented widely in other reserve systems".^[7]

The national park originally consisted of the first three sections listed below,^[6] with the following three in existence (six in total) . All of the sections adjoin the Murray River, extending from near Loxton in the south west to near Renmark in the north-east.^{[8] [5]}

• Katarapko, on the north side of the river between Loxton in the south and Berri in the north
• Lyrup Flats, on the north side of the river midway between Berri and Loxton
• Bulyong, or Bulyong Island, on the west side of the river upstream from Renmark, accessible only by boat
• Paringa Paddock, including Goat Island, between Renmark and Paringa
• Gurra Gurra, just across the river south of Berri, directly opposite Katarapko
• Kingston-on-Murray, next to the township of Kingston-on-Murray

Katarapko section includes the Ngak Indau Wetland trail, with a bird hide;and the Rilli Island, Media Island, and Kapunda Island Conservation Parks are also part of Katarapko.^[5]

The protected areas provide for a number recreational activities such as walking, bike riding, canoeing, bird-watching and bush camping. There are parking facilities, designated camping areas with some toilets, walking trails, and a self-guided drive trail.^[5]

In 2021, a group of people in the Riverland region started a campaign to rename Goat Island to Ruby Hunter Island to honour the legacy of singer-songwriter Ruby Hunter. As Goat Island is part of the Murray River National Park, the Department for Environment and Water has the final say.^[9]

See also

• Katarapko Game Reserve, historical game reserve on Katarapko Island
• List of islands within the Murray River in South Australia
• Protected areas of South Australia
• Riverland Biosphere Reserve
• Riverland Mallee Important Bird Area

External links

• Murray River National Park official site
• Murray River National Park webpage on protected planet

Notes and References

1. Web site: Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab) . CAPAD 2020. . 19 March 2022 . 2020. (Access from this web page.
2. Web site: Protected Areas Information System - reserve list (as of 25 November 2014). Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources. 8 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160308020401/http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/b88e6e26-4bd9-4c68-8fff-9e800114eb69/park-management-protected-areas-gen.pdf. 8 March 2016.
3. Web site: Blevins . F.T. . NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE ACT 1972 SECTIONS 28 (2) AND 43 (2): MURRAY RIVER NATIONAL PARK ALTERATION OF BOUNDARIES . The South Australian Government Gazette . Government of South Australia . 8 September 2019 . 1920 . 20 June 1991.
4. Web site: Blevins . F.T. . NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE ACT 1972 PART III: RECONSTITUTION OF CERTAIN RESERVES AS NATIONAL PARKS . The South Australian Government Gazette . Government of South Australia . 8 September 2019 . 1920 . 20 June 1991.
5. Web site: Murray River National Park . . 15 November 2021 . 19 March 2022. Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU) licence.
6. Web site: Murray River National Park Management Plan (including Rilli Island, Media Island and Kapunda Island Conservation Park). Department for Environment and Natural Resources . 16 January 2015. 1994. vi-vii. https://web.archive.org/web/20190403111949/http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/7589f3c0-69c8-4dd5-a0ed-9e4f00b1cf45/PARKS_PDFS_MURRAY_RIVER_NP_MP.pdf. 3 April 2019.
7. Web site: Murray River National Park (Including Rilli Island, Media Island and Kapunda Island) Management Plan Amendment 2010. Department for Environment and Natural Resources . 16 January 2015. 2010. 1. https://web.archive.org/web/20160414205126/http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/5248692b-f15c-4392-8bf7-9e4f00b1710c/murray-river-np-mp-amendment.pdf. 14 April 2016.
8. Murray River National Park. Government of South Australia, National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia. 2020.
9. Web site: Bradbrook . Sam . Push to rename Murray River island after iconic Aboriginal musician Ruby Hunter . ABC News. . 18 March 2022 . 19 March 2022.