Recent rains in Victoria have helped ease the Murray River’s blue-green algae problem … but that might be something of a mixed blessing for some peace and quiet loving grey nomads.
While the algae, which has affected about 900 kilometres of waterway, initially hit tourism when it first appeared three months ago, it seems the lack of jet skis and other water craft actually made camping along the river a lot more attractive to many.
People were warned not to come into contact with the water as the algae can cause health problems, and the river has been off-limits from Mildura and Wentworth in the west to Corowa in the east.
Steve Grant, incident controller for the blue-green algae team in the Hume region, said caravan park bookings and the like dipped significantly at the start of the outbreak, but they had been surprised by an unexpected development.
“What we actually saw was a new group of visitors to the river,” he told the ABC. “People coming up into the area, not for going on the river but just for camping, taking advantage of the peace and quiet because there were no jet skis and jet boats and things on the river.”
Apparently, the river has been unusually peaceful and some people have been enjoying it all the more for that reason.
While the recent rain and subsequent runoff has helped dilute the blue-green algae, only about 10% of the waterway has been cleared of it.
Mr Grant advised visitors to stay aware of the blue-green algae, which is often not visible to the naked eye.
“Anybody who wants to come and use the river just pay very close attention to the information about where the red alerts are still in place and where they’ve been lifted,” he told ABC. “We really need those frosts to come in and knock the temperature of the water down.”
* Have you been enjoying the extra peaceful Murray River? What would bother you the most … blue-green algae or jetskis? Comment below.
