The national park was proclaimed on 20 June 1991 under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972,[6] "to conserve a significant proportion of South Australia’s floodplain environments which are not represented widely in other reserve systems".[7]
The national park originally consisted of the first three sections listed below,[6] with the following three in existence (six in total) as of 2022[update]. All of the sections adjoin the Murray River, extending from near Loxton in the south west to near Renmark in the north-east.[8][5]
Katarapko (9,500 ha (23,000 acres)), on the north side of the river between Loxton in the south and Berri in the north
Lyrup Flats (2,000 ha (4,900 acres)), on the north side of the river midway between Berri and Loxton
Bulyong, or Bulyong Island, on the west side of the river upstream from Renmark, accessible only by boat
Paringa Paddock (1,161 ha (2,870 acres)), including Goat Island, between Renmark and Paringa
Gurra Gurra (520.8 ha (1,287 acres)), just across the river south of Berri, directly opposite Katarapko
Kingston-on-Murray (931 ha (2,300 acres)), next to the township of Kingston-on-Murray
Katarapko section includes the Ngak Indau Wetland trail, with a bird hide;and the Rilli Island, Media Island, and Kapunda Island Conservation Parks are also part of Katarapko.[5]
The protected areas provide for a number recreational activities such as walking, bike riding, canoeing, bird-watching and bush camping. There are parking facilities, designated camping areas with some toilets, walking trails, and a self-guided drive trail.[5]
In 2021, a group of people in the Riverland region started a campaign to rename Goat Island to Ruby Hunter Island to honour the legacy of singer-songwriter Ruby Hunter. As Goat Island is part of the Murray River National Park, the Department for Environment and Water has the final say.[9]
Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU) licence.
