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| The ferry
across the Murray near Morgan
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Morgan
Historic port on the 'Great Bend' of the
Murray River.
Located 165 km north-east of Adelaide, Morgan is
situated on a bend in the Murray River which is
variously known as the 'North West Bend', 'Great
Bend' or 'Great Elbow'. There are two ways to
enter Morgan from the south. At Cadell it says
13 kms to Morgan on an unsealed road or 19 kms
on a sealed road. The sealed road reaches a
ferry across the Murray a few kilometres before
Morgan. The unsealed road comes to a ferry at
Morgan. Both trips well worth taking.
Prior to European settlement the area was
inhabited by the Naralte Aborigines who were
described by one early settler as 'very friendly
and quickly picked up a smattering of English.
They were willing to work ... and attempted to
instruct the newcomers in their methods of
hunting.' The river provided abundant food and
they lived well off a diet of kangaroos, emus,
wombats, goannas, lizards, ducks, turtles, fish,
snakes and bird eggs. These Aborigines reputedly
called the district 'coerabko' meaning 'meeting
place of the tribe'.
The first European into the area was Captain
Charles Sturt who, being assigned to solve the
great mystery of why so many rivers flowed
westward from the Great Dividing Range (often
known as the question of whether Australia had
an 'inland sea') rowed a whale boat down the
Murrumbidgee in late 1829 and reached the
junction with the Murray River on 14 January
1830. He continued down Australia's largest
river passing Morgan in early February and
reaching Lake Alexandrina, at the mouth of the
river, on 9 February, 1830.
With the development of the river as a major
transportation route in the 1850s and 1860s
Morgan became an important stopping point for
the overlanders bringing sheep to Adelaide.
The town was officially proclaimed in 1878
and named after Sir William Morgan who was Chief
Secretary at the time. Town lots were auctioned
on 16 May 1878 with some selling for as much as
£1540 per acre. The reason for this was that
smart investors realised that the arrival of the
railway that year would ensure that the town
became one of the major transport nodes on the
river. They were correct. In a few years Morgan
was the second-busiest port (after Port
Adelaide) in South Australia loading and
unloading both trains and steamers. At its
height there were six trains a day leaving for
Adelaide and steamers were literally queued up
along the banks for loading and unloading.
Slowly the river trade disappeared and the
town became a small rural centre and a crossing
point for travellers wanting to make their way
across the Murray River. Today it is a pleasant,
sleepy little town which is used by people who
are travelling or holidaying on the Murray.
Things to see:
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Port of Morgan Historic Museum
Located in the old railway buildings on the
riverfront, the Port of Morgan Historic Museum's
display includes the PW Mayflower (1884) the
oldest paddle wheeler in South Australia and an
impressive display of memorabilia much of which
relates to the town's era when it was an
important port. For details of opening times
contact (08) 8540 2085.
Morgan Wharf
Built in 1878 this was the hub of all the
activity in the town. It is a reminder of the
scale of activity, and the level of
transportation, which drove the town's economy
at the end of the nineteenth century.
Railway Terrace
Close to the river and the ferry, this is the
main historic street in town and has a number of
old cottages and buildings which date from the
earliest years of the town's development. Of
particular interest are the Customs House and
Court House - a pair of interesting buildings
which were constructed around the time the town
became an important port (circa 1878). They are
reminders of the expectations that the early
residents had for the town. Nearby is Landseer's
former Warehouse and the Post Office.
Morgan Conservation Park
Located opposite the town this 363 hectare area
on the north west bend is predominantly river
flats characterised by red river gums, mallee
and wattle all of which are home to a wide
variety of birdlife.
White's Dam Conservation Park
Located 9 km north west on the road to Burra
this park is notable for its arid region
vegetation including blue bush, native boxthorn
and bladder saltbush. There are over 60 bird
species in the park which is notable for its
large populations of red and western grey
kangaroos.
The Road to Burra
The road to Burra crosses marginal land with
scrubby little bushes with sheep hidden between
them. The road is 84 kms. The ruins of houses,
symbols of the failure of crops and long periods
of drought, beside the road bear grim testament
to the fact that this is extremely marginal
land.
