Things to see and do on the river

Hire a dinghy for serious fishing success, exploring the creeks, or just family fun on the river.  Our largest dinghy has a poweful 30HP motor, and a forward control with steering wheel.

Above Renmark Houseboats is located on the banks of the River Murray  in the grounds of historic Wilkadene Homestead, just 20 minutes drive from Renmark and close to the South Australian border.
Here, in the upper reaches of the Murray, you will discover the river in its unspoiled state - tranquil and serene.

We Offer....
A range of houseboats, farmstay accommodation, gardens for weddings, and heritage listed buildings.  We hire out kayaks, dinghies with outboard motors and fishing gear.

Close to....
Riverland Biosphere, Headings Cliffs, Chowilla Creek, Lock 6, Vic/NSW borders, Vineyards, Orchards, Almond Groves, and vibrant Riverland towns.

Are you interested in ....
Kayaking, Bushwalking,  Photography, Fishing, Waterskiing, Tennis, River History, Prolific Birdlife, Kangaroos, Karaoke or watching DVD's or football  on a huge  home cinema screen...
Did you know that we can offer one of the few 'nearly white water' kayaking experiences in South Australia?
                    

We hire a range of 3 aluminium, outboard powered dinghies (or tinnies)....

12 ft  Flat Bottom with 15HP motor     Capacity 3 adults.  Ideal for serious fishing amongst the snags or towing a lure for catching cod.  $70 for 3hrs with fuel supplied or $125 for 1 day, $210 for 3 days, $285 for a week all with 1 tank (24litres) fuel supplied.

'Go camping on an isolated sandbar up Chowilla creek.'

13 ft  V  Bottom with 25HP motor     Capacity 4 adults.  Ideal for exploring the larger creeks which run for many kilometers.  $85 for 3hrs with fuel supplied or $145 for 1 day, $250 for 3 days, $325 for a week all with 1 tank (24litres) fuel supplied.

'The old stock bridge up Amazon creek.'

14 ft  Flat Bottom with 30HP motor Forward Control with Steering Wheel  Capacity 4 adults.  The power and stability of this dinghy makes it ideal for a wide range of water activities.  $90 for 3hrs with fuel supplied or $160 for 1 day, $295 for 3 days, $425 for a week all with 1 tank (24litres) fuel supplied.

'Enjoy the scenery at Gordon's sand bar.'

Prices include launching and retrieving the dinghy for you - or trailer hire (have 50mm ball couplings). Dinghies are provided with full safety gear & with maps of the river and creeks. The creeks which you can explore with a tinny or kayak open up a whole new world to houseboating.

The attractions of this section of the river, some say it's the best part of the Murray, include :

 An abundance of bird life
 Red Gum forests born from past floods
 Rich ochre coloured cliffs sculptured by nature
 Inspirational sunsets echoed in the still waters
 Chowilla Creek - a great spot to fish and explore
 Bookmark Biosphere - a huge world famous wilderness reserve
 Lock 6, and state borders to cross
 Your only neighbours at dusk are likely to be kangaroos

You can choose your spot to fish, waterski,  read a book, or just spend time with people who are special to you.

Fishing

Fishing in our part of the river has improved dramatically over the last few years due to professional fisherman being removed from the river.  Our boats are set up with rod holders, so you can easily use 4 to 6 fishing rods out the back of the houseboat (2/person is allowed). No licence is needed in S.A. waters.

Callop (Yellow Belly) and Murray Cod prefer live shrimps as bait whilst Carp prefer worms. If you are using worms, put the hook through the tail of a shrimp first so that it is curving back away from the head of the shrimp, and then add a worm.

We suggest that you tie up the houseboat securely using all 4 ropes so that it will not move around, and then tension your fishing lines with a bell added to the end of the rod to warn you when a fish is taking your bait.  Pick the outside of bends so as to be in the deeper water and be organised to start fishing early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

You can hire or buy from us fishing rods, bells, bottom assemblies, landing net, and a yabby net to catch shrimps.  It is a good idea to also have a shrimp keeper to keep shrimps alive and also a fish keeper so that you do not have to worry about filleting your catch until later when the fishing action has eased off.