River Red Gum Country on the Murray

Overview

Murray Valley National Park stretches along the Murray River in the southern Riverina, in a landscape shaped by floodplain channels, wetlands and broad forests of river red gum. It sits within the Barmah-Millewa forest system and protects part of the largest continuous tract of river red gum forest in the world, as well as wetlands recognised internationally under the Ramsar Convention.

This is a park defined less by steep terrain or dramatic peaks and more by water, forest and scale. Meandering waterways, wide floodplains and seasonally changing wetlands give it a quiet, expansive character that feels very different from the mountain parks elsewhere in New South Wales.

Highlights

The big draw here is the river red gum landscape itself. In the Millewa, Moira and Gulpa Island precincts, dense stands of towering gums line floodplain channels and wetlands, creating a scenery of still backwaters, reed-fringed lagoons and long shady stretches beside the river.

The park’s setting within the Barmah-Millewa wetland system gives it a strong sense of place. Rather than one single landmark, the appeal is in the pattern of forest, water and open floodplain, with seasonal flooding helping shape the look and feel of the country from year to year.

Best Time to Visit

Autumn, winter and spring are usually the most comfortable times to spend longer in Murray Valley National Park, when cooler days suit walking and the river red gum country feels at its most inviting. Seasonal water levels also make a real difference to how the park looks, so the character of the wetlands and forest can vary quite a bit depending on recent flooding and environmental flows.

Spring is especially rewarding if you enjoy birdlife and fresh growth through the wetlands, while the milder months generally make it easier to appreciate the park’s open floodplain scenery without the harsher heat of summer.

Plants and Animals

River red gum is the signature tree here, supported by wetland and floodplain plant communities that depend on periodic inundation. The park also protects five endangered ecological communities and recorded populations of vulnerable native plants including river swamp wallaby-grass, slender darling-pea and silky swainson-pea.

The wildlife values are unusually strong. More than 60 threatened native animal species and 40 threatened plant species have been recorded across the broader Murray Valley park system, and the national park protects breeding habitat for migratory birds as well as waterways that support 23 native fish species. Among the better known threatened animals are the southern bell frog and the squirrel glider, alongside many vulnerable woodland birds.

Culture and Heritage

Murray Valley National Park has long cultural significance for Aboriginal people, and the park protects numerous Aboriginal sites including middens, oven mounds and scarred trees. The forests, rivers, plants and animals are closely tied to cultural beliefs, stories and practices, and continued access to this country has been recognised as important for cultural survival.

Official material for this park also identifies ongoing work with multiple Traditional Owner groups connected with the river red gum forests, including Cummeragunja Local Aboriginal Land Council, Moama Local Aboriginal Land Council, Yorta Yorta Nations Aboriginal Corporation and Bangerang Aboriginal Corporation.