Destination Nelson Not Just an Anglers Paradise

Bear takes us on a picturesque trip down the Glenelg River to a sleepy little hollow know as Nelson.

Nelson is a sleepy little hollow that is rarely spoken of - mainly because those that enjoy the Glenelg River and surrounds want to keep it a secret.

They say “there’s always another river–somewhere” but there are very few other rivers to match the wonderful treasures of the Glenelg River as it gently flows through the “Green Triangle” that spans the border of Victoria and South Australia. This magnificent waterway spills to sea at the cozy little town of Nelson where the relatively deep, wide river broadens to a fertile coastal estuary that simply enchants fishing and boating enthusiasts.

This sleepy little hollow is rarely spoken of - mainly because those that enjoy Nelson and the Glenelg River want to keep it a secret. The pretty little riverside township boasts a good pub, general store and a service station plus a couple of caravan parks, yet from a boaties point of view it has untold opportunities.

The headwaters of the 350km long Glenelg River flow off the timeless sandstone rises of the Grampians mountain range, gradually gaining momentum through the western Victorian broad acre rural plains, filling the massive Rocklands Reservoir before broadening downstream to the coast.

The river becomes navigable at around Dartmoor over 40nm upstream from the coast before reaching the natural beauty of the Lower Glenelg Conservation/National Park. Here, lush forests often succumb to high limestone cliffs with many riverside campsites, boat ramps, access points and facilities all in managed bushland settings.

The flow through the National Park winds basically east to west before turning south east and briefly into South Australia just before the rural hamlet of Donavans with its timeless river side cottages and an array of quirky boat sheds that line the river banks. Some of these boatsheds have been used as holiday dwellings over the majestic river. It’s a wide river of perhaps 100 metres at this point and quite deep in most sections. There’s a boat ramp at Donavans and designated water sports/ski sections for more active boating on the mostly mirror calm protected waters.

I personally love the peace and tranquility of the miles of waterways, quietly fishing and cruising amongst the tangled riverside snags and drop offs. The limestone river gorges feature ancient cliffs rising over 50 metres high, gaining a feeling of exploration on every visit.

Cruising amongst the riverside fisherman’s shacks reeks of historic boating – it’s sometimes like turning the time back 100 years.

There’s an abundance of native wildlife with a vast variety of birds, including Sea and Wedge Tail Eagles, kites, parrots, cockatoos and galahs, plus kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, possums, koalas and yes, even snakes in the warmer months.

Cruising the mighty river downstream from Donavans winds you down through lush rolling hills of rich coastal grazing country and even more forested edges until you reach the outskirts at the Nelson Streamside Reserve and Simpsons Landing boat ramp. Whilst strict speed limits apply throughout much of the river, there are plenty of boat ramps to service the section you wish to explore. The enchanting streamside boat houses begin again as you cruise down the river past the little rocky Isle of Bags and in sight of the highway bridge marking the main township.

An elegant Great Egret in full mating plumage on the banks of the Glenelg River –image by Sue Carrison.

The iconic Gang Gang cockatoo –image by

A beautiful and hard working Kingfisher living peacefully on the Glenelg – image by Sue Carrison.

The little township of Nelson is approximately halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne, making it just a little too distant for most weekend travelers, but terrific for a more extended stay.

When driving through the township, you could easily blink and miss it with the key feature of the bridge over the river giving only a glimpse of its potential. Most never even drive through the area even though it is officially on Highway one, as most traffic flows from Portland some 70 km to the east, to Mt Gambier only 35 km to the nor-west via the inland route through Heywood and the “Green Triangle”. The region is aptly named due to its 6 million hectares of extensive plantation softwood and hardwood resources, creating one of Australia’s major forest regions.

The facilities are more than adequate, with a terrific country style pub (since 1852) with home-grown hospitality and good counter meals. There’s a General Store (Kiosk) with a selection of all the usual commodities plus some terrific takeaway food, a service station, Parks Victoria Office, cottage, motel, Airbnb’s, holiday houses and luxury chalet accommodation as well as a couple of caravan parks. The River-Vu Park is in the middle of town, and a little further out you can find the much larger Kywong Caravan Park and its 25 acres of quiet bushland–plus the riverside camping in the Lower Glenelg National Park.

Nelson and its beautiful surrounds are a terrific spot for a family holiday or serious sweetwater fishing trip. Plus the sunrises and sunsets are awesome!

There are good boat ramps on both sides of the river in town, and another at the Isle of Bags and Simpsons Landing. There’s more launching facilities at Donovans and in the Conservation Park at Sandy Waterholes, Sapling Creek, Wilson Hall, Pritchards and Saunders.

Below the township, the river widens yet again, becoming known as Oxbow Lake. It’s a relatively shallow run to sea through the estuary, with the green rural grazing land of the coastal plain giving way to the white sandy dunes and beaches of Discovery Bay. The sand spits and beaches of the lower estuary are a lovely place for a family swim in warm weather, however further down the pounding surf and strong currents of the river mouth can create quite hazardous swimming conditions. The river mouth is not considered navigable even on the best of days, however I guess a shallow running PWC or jet boat may be the exception.

Make no mistake, this is a big river, especially by Victorian standards, and is the longest river in sou-west Victoria. Parks Victoria has recognised the area’s significance with the Lower Glenelg National Park, which leads out into the coastal Discovery Bay National Park. Parks Victoria’s devotion to providing pleasant facilities, a variety of bush camping opportunities, easy access, with functional boat ramps and docking facilities is a breath of fresh air. It’s a terrific getaway for camping, with sites along both sides of the river all with two-wheel-drive access. You must book in prior to camping.

The big, safe river provides opportunities for all sorts of activities. You can be as strenuous or as slack as you like with water skiing, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boats, tourist cruisers, houseboats, swimming, nature and bird watching. You can get into some active sportfishing, or just lazily drown some bait — all with a reasonable expectation of success, whether land based or in a vessel.

The Glenelg River provides wonderful opportunity for all kinds of watercraft and shore based anglers alike.

There are trout and a few native species in the Glenelg’s upper reaches, and some great Australian salmon, gummy shark and mulloway action on the nearby beaches. For me, the estuary species are what makes this place special. It’s a haven for three of our prime recreational fishing species — estuary perch, mulloway and bream — but also holds most of the other bread-and-butter types like mullet, luderick, trevally and garfish. Interestingly, there is apparently no flathead in the system–now there’s a challenge!

If you get tired of boating you can pull into one of the many waterside landings – image by Sue Carrison.

Structure is the key to fishing success and there’s plenty of it along the pristine Glenelg River. Casting around the boat sheds or fallen tree branches will mostly prove more successful than out in the middle of the river as the fish take shelter in the structure.

Just a few of the character filled waterside boat sheds – this one opposite the little hamlet of Nelson –image by Alison Kuiter.

The Nelson General Store (Kiosk) has a selection of all the usual commodities plus some terrific takeaway food, and you can visit in your boat!

Lure fishing for bream, mulloway and estuary perch is very popular with all manner of bibbed swimmers, walk the dog, surface sticks, soft plastics and vibes all gaining great success on their day. The area is live bait heaven with crabs and mullet, but for lazy fishos like me, a peeled smelly prawn still finds some scaly success.

When driving through the township you could easily blink and miss it with the main feature of the bridge over the river giving only a glimpse of its potential.

The river is navigable for a very long way and would take many days to explore properly. At night you will see old clinkers and carvels, dingies, row boats, modern sportfish rigs with electric outboards, and everything in between silently trolling live mullet, aiming to tempt the famous Glenelg River mulloway. There are also loads of options for canoe, kayak and land-based fishos.

You could easily spend a fortnight winding your way up the navigable waterways in a comfortable cruiser, or perhaps in a smaller boat with appropriate camping equipment. Personally, I reckon I could lose myself for many months in this watery playground.

If you really want an adventure to remember, have a look into Paestan Canoe Hire. They not only supply fully equipped canoes and kayaks, but can also help you plan the entire trip with accommodation alternatives, 4WD pick-up and drop-off and qualified instructors and guides.

Parks Victoria’s devotion to providing pleasant facilities, a variety of bush camping opportunities, easy access, with functional boat ramps and docking facilities is a breath of fresh air.

There are some magnificent protected ski zones on the river plus some beautiful beaches to relax.

Well known angler and charter operator Matt Cini, holds one of the Glenelg’s superb mulloway for Reel Time Television.

Another superb Nelson sunset. “Believe me my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

Ratty – Wind in the Willows

Nelson is a central base from which to explore numerous attractions in the region. Lower Glenelg National Park is crisscrossed with fire trails that offer short scenic bush walks. The Great South West Walk allows for a number of short or long walks. The 250 km loop walk starts and finishes in Portland and the route passes through forest and heath lands, along rivers and via wind swept coastal cliffs and beaches including the historic maritime adventures of Cape Bridgewater, Bridgewater Bay, Cape Nelson and the Mt Richmond National Park.

The Livingston Island Nature Walk on the lower reaches is very popular with birdwatchers, particularly for wading birds such as spoonbills and egrets, but also for the vast numbers of swans, pelicans and herons. You can get to the lower reaches of the Glenelg estuary and the beaches of Discovery Bay Coastal Park via a reasonable vehicle access road from Nelson. The long expanse of the Coastal Park provides some great opportunities for sun seekers and fishos alike.

The Nelson region also features tours of the beautiful Princess Margaret Rose Caves with its beautiful stalagmites, stalactites and helictites forming a veritable underground fairyland. There’s the historical South Australian coastal town of Port MacDonnell (30 km) and the large regional city of Mount Gambier in South Australia (35 km) with pubs, ports, offshore fishing, restaurants and some very interesting antique and historic attractions – plus the wineries, Blue Lake and sink-holes.

For experienced, well-equipped underwater cave divers, there’s a series of world-famous adventures including the popular Piccaninny Ponds. For the less experienced swimmers, snorkelers and free divers, there’s an array of other popular crystal-clear sinkholes to explore, including Ewans Ponds.

The little hamlet of Nelson and the Glenelg River is best appreciated at a slow displacement pace to really appreciate its beauty. In fact, it always seems like a Huckleberry Finn adventure. I’m reminded that “A day spent on the water is never a waste of time!”

john ‘bear’ willis