Murray Mouth
Where Australia's greatest river meets the Southern Ocean
The opening where the River Murray - Australia's longest river - meets the Southern Ocean, about 10km southeast of Goolwa in the Coorong National Park.
A shifting ocean gateway
The Murray Mouth is the point where the 2,500km River Murray finally meets the Southern Ocean, about 10 kilometres southeast of Goolwa. It is one of the most hydrologically significant and ecologically fragile places in South Australia - the entire Murray-Darling Basin drains through this single narrow channel between two long sandy spits.
A changing place
The mouth is constantly reshaped by the interplay of river flow, tides, wind and sand. In times of low flow the mouth has closed entirely, requiring dredging to keep it open; in flood years it widens dramatically. The balance of fresh and salt water in the Coorong is essential to the lagoon's wetland ecosystem and to the Ngarrindjeri people whose country this is.
How to see it
The Mouth can be viewed from the Mundoo Barrage on the Hindmarsh Island side, from the Goolwa Beach over the dunes (a long walk along the sand), or from a paddle steamer or cruise boat departing from the Goolwa Wharf. Sunrise and sunset are spectacular.
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Sources
- Murray Mouth - Wikipedia - Wikipedia (accessed April 2026)
Image credits
- Keeping the Murray mouth open by Mundoo , CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons