Goolwa - Signal Point

It's enough to make an impressionist painter's heart melt. But as the he town of Goolwa slowly comes to life on a glorious mid winter morning, the economic life blood now is largely tourism with the River Murray playing an essential role into he region's daily life just as it's always done. And if you want to truly understand the River, it's history and that of one of its major ports, then a trip to the newly revamped Signal Point Interpretative Centre is a must. There you can take a leisurely stroll down the South Australian section of this ancient waterway. "It's designed for people to walk on, to learn about our River and for example if that plug hole gets blocked up we're in bother." It's a great way to get your bearings especially at the lower reaches of the Murray. And it was here that much of the river trade made its way. During its heyday from the 1850s to the 1880s Goolwa was one of the most important river ports, dominating South Australia's intercolonial river trade with Victoria and New South Wales.

In one week alone in 1883 over eleven and a half thousand bales of wool were unloaded at the Goolwa Wharf and during its halcyon days the river trade supported 127 paddlesteamer and barges. In the early days much of this trade was taken by a horse drawn railway to the ocean port of Port Elliott. But as other railways stretched to river ports further upstream the boom years for Goolwa came to an end. "As the railway tapped the river in various places Goolwa dropped off very quickly it happened very noticeably." But Goolwa remained a centre for boat building and was the first river port to build both boat and engine. Not all of them remained in one piece, boiler explosions claimed a number of lives. The centre also tells the story of how this waterway has changed with the construction of massive barrages across the river and the bottom end of Lake Alexandrina , keeping the seawater out and regulating the flow of fresh water into the ocean. Prior to this massive engineering feat, low waterlevels in the Murray sometimes held up navigation on some stretches of the River for years. The paddlesteamer the Jane Eliza holds the record to the longest journey. Carrying building supplies for a pub at Bourke, the Jane Eliza took three years to make the trip. By the time it arrived the pub was finished. The Signal Point Interpretative Centre is open daily. Entry is $5, $4 for concession and $2.50 for children. For more information you can email info@postcards.sa.com.au