After great nights sleep we grabbed our cameras, cossies etc for a day on the “Ebenezer”, Dave and Barbs houseboat. The plan was to cruise up the Darling to the Murray River and then along the Murray to a place where we could moor the boat and have lunch.

The Darling River was very muddy and swiftly flowing, but with only a light breeze it was not difficult for Dave to manoeuvre the boat away from the shore with the able assistance of 2 deckhands…

We cruised up the Darling enjoying the sights – riverside homes, houseboats and bushland…relaxing on the back of the boat was made easier with the custom made “deck chairs” …

The interior of the boat was also very comfortable with lounges at the front and up top – places to get out of the wind inside if need be or areas to sit and enjoy the fresh air…

The junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers is very distinctive – the milky brown water of the Darling intersecting with the darker Murray was obvious as we approached it.

We turned up the Murray and made our way up to Dave’s mooring spot – a bushland area with built-in humpy and fire pit!

First activity was to play a game of bush bocce – and everyone was up for the challenge. Rosie exhibited great style straddling available logs to launch her balls, while Trev preferred a lob from the rear. Some very competitive natures came to light as the randomness of playing in bushland meant the balls were flying in unexpected directions despite the accurate aim of some….Other styles were fairly unique however the winner by 3 points was Dave T…. followed closely by Dave W and me on 7 points….

Barb served up a wonderful lunch with a variety of filings for wraps – we were all very appreciative of her culinary and hospitality skills!

After lunch Trev and Gordie and a swim and kayak while others relaxed, talked, and watched the wildlife go by including an echidna meandering around on the bank. The 2 Daves were exhausted after the bocce and so caught some zzz’s (was that a few snores??).

We had planned to cook a BBQ over an open fire for dinner but everyone was so full after the salubrious lunch, we just sat around the fire for a short while then made our way back to the house and cooked on the boat once we arrived back. It was a lovely end to a peaceful and relaxing day enjoying good company and God’s creation.