Wildlife & Nature
Wetlands, river red gums and big skies
The best wildlife & nature in Loxton
Ramsar-listed wetlands, towering sandstone cliffs and floodplain forest alive with pelicans, regent parrots and the occasional echidna. This is some of the richest river habitat in the country.
The Riverland is wetland country at its richest. Where the Murray winds through South Australia it spills into a maze of lagoons, anabranch creeks and red-gum floodplains that rank among the most important inland wildlife habitats in the country — including the internationally recognised Riverland Ramsar wetland.
Paddle the canoe trails of Loch Luna or Katarapko Creek, watch waterbirds at restored Hart Lagoon, or lose yourself in the vast red-gum wilderness of Chowilla. Serious birders make the pilgrimage to Gluepot Reserve for malleefowl and rare mallee parrots.
Then there are the cliffs — sheer walls of ochre limestone glowing gold at dusk, like those above Headings Lookout and along the river's grandest bends. Combine wildlife with walking trails and you have endless ways to slow down and let this ancient floodplain reveal itself one quiet bend at a time.
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4 places
Bookpurnong Cliffs
Ochre river cliffs above the Murray near Loxton
Lock 4 Bookpurnong
FreeA working lock on the quiet reach between Berri and Loxton
The Murray's Lock 4 sits at Bookpurnong, a few minutes from Berri towards Loxton — free barbecues, a picnic area, a boat ramp and a front-row seat as vessels lock through.
Moorook Game Reserve
A patchwork of lagoons and red gum on the Murray floodplain
New Residence Wetland
A restored floodplain wetland near Loxton