Goolwa sits on the mouth of the Murray River. At 2,508 kilometres, the Murray River is the longest river in Australia and the third longest navigable river in the world.
On the edge of Lake Alexandrina, Goolwa was founded in 1853 and became a thriving sea port and home to a vast number of paddle steamers, plying the Murray before the days of rail and road transport.
Goolwa is also adjacent to the Coorong, a lagoon eco-system with mighty sand-dunes covering 467 square kilometres and home to an enormous array of birdlife, some of which migrate to Siberia and Alaska.
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| Paddleboat, PS Oscar W |
Goolwa means "elbow" in the local Ngarrindjeri language.
Goolwa is home to the Wooden Boat Festival and is the first non-European town to be given Cittaslow status. (Cittaslow is a movement set up in Italy in the late 1990s and encourages slow food and a slow, gentle way of life.)
A couple of years ago I took my dear mum for a holiday at Goolwa and we stayed in The Boat House, adjacent to a wharf full with wooden boats. It was a special time.
I nearly lost mum a couple of weeks ago and hence I haven't posted much to my blog recently. Mum pulled through but she now needs the care of a nursing home. It has been an emotional roller-coaster finding mum a place I thought was right for her. After spending 60 years in her home, it is a huge change for mum but as always she is stoic and philosophical. Goolwa will always be our special place.
Founded in 1853, Goolwa is a State Heritage Area. It is only 100 km from Adelaide.
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| The Australasian- now a luxury boutique hotel and restaurant. |
