The mighty Murray spins a winning yarn

Heading Cliffs on the Murray River. Photo Belle Jackson

I'm so pleased to say that my yarn about boating through the backwaters of the Murray River, in South Australia's Riverland, has won 2018 Best Australian Story under 1000 words at Saturday's Australian Society of Travel Writers' pomp-and-glitter awards in Bangkok. It was an equal first, I'm sharing the award with Andrew Bain, whose work is damned fantastic.

My story was published in Fairfax’s Traveller section, and while I was there, my host Rick Edmonds, from The Frames asked me why the tourism boards don’t promote the mighty Murray as an Australian icon, as they do Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef.

I don't have the answer, but at a time when rural Australia needs our support, I hope that can change, and the Murray receives its due recognition. Thank you to Tourism Australia for sponsoring this award, and for supporting the ASTW. In the words of another Aussie icon, the immortal Jeff Fenech, I love youse all.

Murray River at sunset. Photo: Belle Jackson
You can read the story here: http://www.traveller.com.au/murray-river-cruise-along-the-h…

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