Goolwa is an unusual yet attractive town that was once the main entry port on the Murray River and it is said that 'goolwa' is a Ngarrindjeri word meaning 'elbow'.
The town
has a wonderful feeling of
Heritage and harmony due to
the painting of the local buildings in the main street, like the Goolwa Hotel,
in heritage colours. The Genuine old hotels, like Corio Hotel, have been
refurbished and revitalised. Along with this 'gentrification' of what was once
the main seaside port
on the Murray River has come an overpowering local desire to 'develop' the
area which has brought Goolwa, and its battle with the local Ngarrindjeri
Aboriginal people over Hindmarsh Island, to the attention of all Australians.
Signal Point Centre
A good
place to start any exploration of Goolwa is Signal Point, a handsome modern
building located at the Wharf near the ferry across to Hindmarsh Island. The
Centre was completed in 1988,
opened by Prince Charles,
and is devoted to the Murray River in all its glory and complexity. There is
an extensive photographic
display, a history of human
relationships with the river, lots of information on the old river boats which
used to ply the river, and it offers an excellent explanation of how Goolwa
fits into the history of the Murray.
Historic Buildings
In
1987
the inner section of Goolwa was declared a
State Heritage Area
because of its importance as a river port from the
1850s
to the 1880s.
There is a brochure available which lists all the major buildings in this
area. They include the Council Chambers in Cadell Street which incorporate the
original Town Hall (1860)
and which were modernised in
1878 and 1907; the Goolwa
Hotel in Cadell Street which dates from
1853
and has the figurehead from the Mozambique out the front; the bow-fronted shop
over the road from
the
hotel which dates from the
1850s;
the attractive
Soldiers Memorial Gardens
in the middle of the town centre which were completed in
1917
and built on the site where the horse tramway used to go;
the Post Office (built in
1857
and used by tramway passengers until
1872)
in Goolwa Terrace opposite the Gardens;
the
Old Police Station
and Court House
in Goolwa Terrace which was built between
1859-74;
the former railway horse
stables behind the Post Office
where the horses which pulled the train from Goolwa to
Port
Elliot were stabled (built 1862);
the railway cutting behind the
post office which dates from
1852;
the
Corio and former Australasian Hotels
on the corner opposite the post office (both these buildings date from
1857
when the town was at its height - the Australasian closed in
1934
and was used as an office for the building of the
Goolwa barrage
until 1940)
and, closer to the river, the
Customs House (1859) which was
built when Goolwa was proclaimed a port. At the back of this important
collection of buildings is the
Railway Superintendents House,
known as the Round House,
which dates from 1852
and is the oldest house
in the town.
National Trust Museum
The museum
display includes the story of the discovery of the area, navigation of the
River Murray and the early history of Goolwa; Australia's first caravan and
various shipwreck items.
It is located in an old Blacksmiths shop which was built around 1872 on Porter Street.
The Cockle Train
The
steam train,
a reminder of the origins of the town and the whole region, only runs during
the school holidays but it runs three times a day from Goolwa to Victor
Harbour stopping at Port Elliot.
The Barrages
Stretching
across the Murray River this structure has been built to separate the
freshwater from the Saltwater of the Coorong.
This magnificent man made
structure is open to tourists
during regular office hours. Well worth a walk through the grounds with some
rather pleasant and well tended
gardens and across the board
walk to reach the lock where boats travel through.
On the way out to the Barrages there is a special Bird Watching Hide where people can sit and observe the local birds.
Cruises
There are a number of cruise options (up the Murray, along the Coorong, across to Hindmarsh Island) which are available from Goolwa.
Encounter Bikeway
The Encounter
Bikeway is an on-road and shared path facility that
links Goolwa to Victor Harbor.
This pathway can be used by cyclists, walkers, skateboarders, rollerbladers
and people in wheelchairs.
Brochures are available from Goolwa Tourist Information Centre (Signal Point)
and Victor Harbor Visitor Information Centre.
South Lakes Golf Club
The
South Lakes Golf Club is an historic seaside resort, where the River Murray
meets the Southern Ocean.
You can play golf on their 18 hole course with
lush fairways
and excellent greens,
set against a backdrop of sand dunes. Flat terrain and easy walk make this
course simply fantastic.
