About the Walking Trail

New trails were built in June 2020 in the Murray River National Park, in the Lock 4 and Eckert Creek section and the Katarapko Creek section of the park. The trails were built during an upgrade of the park, with works to improve the health of the Katarapko floodplain.

Experience some of the birdlife and views of the River Murray and it’s creeks and floodplains.

The new trails now provide four different walking experiences in the Murray River National Park. The three new trails supplement the existing Ngak Indau Wetland Trail. The three new trails are shared-used with mountain bikers, and some short sections are shared with vehicle traffic.

1. Katarapko Trail (marked in pink on the map), 10.4km one-way, follows the banks of the River Murray between Berri and Lock 4
2. Rodeo Trail, a 9.2km circuit, follows the banks of the River Murray south from Berri, looping into the plains following Eckert Creek
3. Rodeo Trail Shortcut, a 4.5km out-and-back trail with a small loop at the end, follows the banks of the River Murray south from Berri to the northern arm of Eckert Creek
4. Ngak Indau Wetland Trail, a 3km circuit through the wetlands, watch out for the birdlife including spoonbills, an array of duck species, herons and whistling kites.

All three of the new trails start in the same location, on Draper Road, on the south-western outskirts of Berri (near the Berri Rowing Club, just south-west of the river bridge), and share the same trail for the first 2 kilometres.

Between the southern and northern arms of Eckert Creek the Katarapko Trail and Rodeo Trail follow a shared-use road for 800 metres. The road services campsites along the river. The Katarapko Trail also follows a shady shared-used road near Booky Cliffs for about 1.5km.

The Katarapko Trail is 10.4km one-way, so organise a car shuffle or plan to return on the same route (making a 20.8km return hike.) With plenty of campsites in Murray River National Park, you could book a stay at one of the campsite on the banks of the Murray.

The works to improve the health of the Katarapko floodplain were completed in June 2020, after 18 months of work and park closures. The works included new regulators and fishways, and provide the ability to manage water flow and create a more natural wetting and drying cycles within the floodplain, creeks and wetlands. Watering a large area of the floodplain will improve the health and condition of important tree communities such as the river red gums, black box, and lignum and support the populations of water birds, turtles and yabbies.

The works also included an upgrade and connections to the main road route through the parks. Visitors to the Lock 4 and Eckert Creek section and Katarapko Creek section of the park can now access the entire park without having to exit and re-enter through another section.