2021 River Ramble

The first of  seven locks on the Murray River in South Australia, the Blanchetown Lock was opened in 1922. The lock is named the William Randall Lock honouring a pioneer of river navigation in the mid-1800's. Originally, the river crossing was by ferry (now boat launching ramps). They were superseded by a bridge, but a new bridge was later built to handle the large B-Double trucks that were brought into service. The old bridge has an excellent view of Lock 1 and flocks of pelicans and other birds that feed downstream of the spillway. The Blanchetown cliffs provide good views of the river and hide a wealth of fossils that were laid down when the area was a shallow sea.

Although My Lady was moored at Murray Bridge when they bought it, Mark and Alexa have had their houseboat moored at the Blanchetown Boat Haven Marina since 2004 (17 years in 2021). It provides an excellent staging point to go up and down the river. It has the convenience of a Waste Disposal Station just downstream of the bridges before Lock 1. Historic Blanchetown Hotel is within walking distance of the marina and the town has a couple of general stores and road house on the highway. The large township of Waikerie is only 20 minutes away (by car) if more comprehensive shopping is required.

My Lady is normally moored in the marina near where the white course line ends, but at the time the satellite took the image, it was out on a Christmas Cruise. Because the images along the river are from different dates and times, it appears that My Lady has disappeared from the river, but it hadn't been taken from the river or sunk - it's just an artefact of the way Google Maps work.