Reflections of the Murray River

Arrive in Melbourne and transfer to the rural town of Echuca in northern Victoria. This is where you'll board the PS Emmylou, your floating home for the next four nights, where you'll be greeted by your Travelmarvel Cruise Director. The moment you step aboard, be transported to the golden age of paddle steamer travel, where life moved at a slower pace and travel wasn't simply about the destination, but the journey itself. Stay Four Nights: PS Emmylou (D)

Breakfast is served on the deck of the PS Emmylou as the paddle steamer makes a leisurely course for your next stop: Perricoota Station. Watch as scenes along the Murray unfold as you cruise – the majestic river red gums, the sunlight bouncing off the river's surface, and the hopeful glimpse of a kangaroo hopping beyond the tree line. Listen out for the laugh of a kookaburra over the rhythmic splashing of the paddle steamer. (B/L/D)

This morning, wake to the sound of native bird song as your paddle steamer gently rumbles to life. Enjoy breakfast on board before a half-day exploration starting in town. After, enjoy an Explorer Cruise through Barmah Wetlands, where you can get up close to Australian nature and wildlife. Back aboard the PS Emmylou, keep on the lookout for emus or wallabies as your vessel cruises to Deep Creek Marina, where it will moor overnight. (B/L/D)

By this point in your journey, you will have well and truly adjusted to the unhurried, relaxed pace of life along the Murray River. Your paddle steamer spends the day travelling back upriver towards Echuca, and you can enjoy your last day on board relaxing on the decks enjoying the views while swapping tales with your fellow cruisers, reading a book, or sipping a barista-made coffee and settling in to one of the many cosy nooks hidden throughout the vessel. Dinner is a celebration of local flavours and produce, served on board this evening before the PS Emmylou docks back in Echuca. (B/L/D)

After breakfast, disembark the PS Emmylou and board a coach for your journey to Swan Hill. Along the way, pause at Mount Hope and Gunbower National Park for a chance to stretch your legs. Gunbower is celebrated for its birdwatching opportunities, so keep on the lookout for kookaburras, blue-feathered superb fairywrens, dusky woodswallows and more during a leisurely walk through the forest and wetlands.

If you're feeling active, join a moderate hike up Mount Hope where you'll be rewarded with picturesque views of the Murray Riverlands. Stay: Swan Hill, Burke and Wills Motor Inn (B/D)

Insider Experience: Savour a delicious two-course dinner before attending the Heartbeat of the Murray laser light show, a visually dynamic storytelling experience showcasing the history of the river.

Following breakfast, set off for the natural wonders of World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park. Spend time exploring this lunar-like landscape, from the unique formations of the Walls of China trail to the Mungo Woman and Mungo Man, some of the most important human remains ever found in Australia. The national park's namesakes are the Mungo Woman and Mungo Man. Their 42,000-year-old ritual burial sites contained the oldest human remains outside of Africa and are a tribute to the resilience of the Paakantyi, Ngiyampaa and Muthi Muthi people, descendants of the Mungo people. Stay: Mungo National Park, Mungo Lodge (B/D)

Insider Experience: Partake in a Mungo Lodge Sunset Tour and follow your guide to the Walls of China during golden hour to capture the perfect sunset photo. While you're chasing sunsets, look out for local kangaroos, emus and other birdlife.

Arrive in South Australia today, stopping in the rural town of Renmark for lunch at leisure. This charming town is another Murray River gem, located along a sweeping section of the river and surrounded by ochre-coloured cliffs, wetlands abundant with birdlife and a fantastic brewery and distillery scene. After time to peruse the town, continue to the world-renowned Barossa Valley, stopping en route at Waikerie for chance to stretch your legs and admire the Murray River cliffs and Silo Art. Stay: Discovery Parks – Barossa Valley (B/D)

After breakfast, set off on a Sorbet, Gelati and Chocolate tasting at Barossa Valley Chocolate Company. Here, chocolatiers have matched their white, ruby, milk and dark chocolates with four house-made sorbets and gelati, resulting in a decadent dessert combination.

Afterwards, farewell the Barossa Valley's stunning network of patchwork vineyards as you are transferred to Adelaide, where your tour comes to an end. (B)