Lake Bywaters

In the morning we enjoyed the sight of a number of houseboats cruising up and down the river. Some of them are huge. As we headed out for a walk along the riverbank we came across a number of them moored up just at the end of the camp ground. It turned out to be a number of members of a houseboat club similar to camping clubs. Most of them were from the Adelaide area and cruise just for the fun of it.
We spent the rest of the day exploring Walker Flat and the surrounding area. The township itself is really only a general store and a ferry crossing across the river. We walked along the western bank and checked out all the houses/shacks on the riverfront. Apparently they were all originally fishing shacks that were essentially squatters, it was all crown land. In 1989 the government decided they should all be removed but after a long protracted battle with the squatters it was decided the Walker Flat shacks should be converted to freehold if the people improved the blocks with septic systems and a few other restrictions. Some of the “shacks” now are quite palatial. The views across the river are spectacular to the river cliffs on the eastern side.
I also stumbled across a news article detailing one of the biggest drug busts in SA history in Walker Flat where a drug laboratory was found. A quote from ABC News at the time..
“The raid at Walker Flat also uncovered about 48 kilograms of MDMA powder and more than 190,000 bagged MDMA pills with an estimated street value of $48 million. Firearms seized included eight semi-automatic and bolt-action rifles, along with ammunition.”
Who would have thought? We took the free cross-river ferry to the eastern side to explore a little. The cliffs that enclose the river around the area are quite high and we really didn't expect to see anything like them. The lookouts were great, if only the wind wasn't trying to blow us over the edge. A lovely campfire that evening as the winds died down a little.Read more