Wildlife & Nature
Wetlands, river red gums and big skies
The best wildlife & nature in Waikerie
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.
Browse wildlife & nature by area
10 places
Big Bend by Night
$$Spotlight wildlife tours below the cliffs
Guided nocturnal wildlife tours beneath the tallest river cliffs in South Australia, near Nildottie.
Gluepot Reserve
$An internationally significant mallee bird reserve north of the river, run by BirdLife Australia.
Holder Bend Reserve
FreeRiverside camping and walking reserve under the Waikerie cliffs, rich in birdlife.
Maize Island Lagoon Conservation Park
An island and lagoon reserve on the Murray at Waikerie
Markaranka Flat
FreeSprawling private floodplain reserve near Waikerie, important for regent parrots and waterbirds.
Pooginook Conservation Park
Mallee scrub and woodland north of Waikerie
Ramco Point
FreeFree grassy camps on the river, five minutes from Waikerie
A free riverside camping and picnic reserve five kilometres west of Waikerie — grassy, shaded sites along the Murray with a boat ramp and toilets at the adjacent Apex park.
Waikerie Cliffs
Ochre cliffs above the Murray
The dramatic limestone river cliffs that rise behind Waikerie, best seen from the riverfront, ferry and clifftop walks.
Waikerie Riverfront
FreeA green riverfront beneath the town's namesake cliffs, with a free ferry and houseboat moorings.
Waikerie Rotary Clifftop Walk
FreeAn hour above the Murray on a settlers' clifftop route
A 3.6 km walking trail along the ochre cliffs above the Murray at Waikerie, following a clifftop route used by settlers since the 1890s, with lookouts over the river and floodplain.