Mannum - Caravan Park & Bolto Campground

Table of Contents

Quick guide

Bolto Reserve Camp Ground

Location – About 100km east of Adelaide, directly across from Mannum.
Cost – $10.00 per night per vehicle.
Campsites – Bush camping suitable for motorhomes, caravans, camper trailers and tents.
Facilities – Flush toilets and non-potable tap water.

Mannum Riverside Caravan Park

Location – 98km east of Adelaide, on the River Murray.
Cost – Various prices, from $24 for an unpowered site.
Campsites – Powered and unpowered, cabins and bunkhouse.
Facilities – Toilets, showers, laundry, camp kitchen, basketball ring, tennis court, playground, boat ramp and fish cleaning shelter.

Comprehensive information at the bottom of the post.

Our Visit to Mannum

On the weekend we had planned to camp at Mannum the weather was to be mediocre at best. In fact, rain was predicted for much of the time. Dwayne thought we should give camping a miss altogether, but I had my heart set on it. Therefore we came to a compromise and ended up staying in the caravan park. In this post, I will tell you about the Mannum Riverside Caravan Park as well as the campground across the river from Mannum.

Antiques and Op Shops

We spent four nights in Mannum. As I mentioned earlier, the weather was not supposed to be very good; however, it did not end up being as bad as expected. We went for a walk through Mannum having a look at some of the antique shops, boutiques and bought a couple of coffee mugs at Scrooges Op Shop. We walked past a couple of appealing murals (street art) and on to Mary Ann Reserve, where we saw the Murray Princess moored and awaiting guests. There is also a water-marker that indicates the depth of the 1956 flood (over 5m!).

Birdwatching

One evening we walked to the Herman J. Gass Bird Sanctuary for a little bird watching. We saw pelicans, superb fairy-wrens, honeyeaters and a family of wood ducks. On a morning walk along the other side of the river, we saw galahs, sulpha crested cockatoos, corellas, purple swamp hens, cormorants, darters, magpies, coots, an egret, ibis, a white-browed treecreeper, a black kite, whistling kite and a black swan, plus many more unidentified feathered friends.

Dining

We dined one night at the Mannum Hotel and lunched another day at the Pretoria Hotel. At the Mannum Hotel, we had schnitzel and chicken kiev. At Pretoria Hotel, we had braised pork belly with spiced pumpkin hummus, pickled red cabbage and apricot hoisin glaze, and the spiced lamb salad with freekeh, roasted pumpkin, feta, balsamic glaze, spinach, red pepper aioli.

Sightseeing

On the day that it did rain a little, we went for a drive. We just had a look around and did find one spot that gave us a good lookout over the river. We also had a look at the Bolto Reserve Campground that we were initially going to camp in.

In hindsight, we wish we had camped at Bolto because although it did rain, it wasn’t heavy rain and the campground did not get muddy. Also, as it was the beginning of the school holidays, there were a lot of children in the caravan park, and they woke up very early in the morning. The Mannum Riverside Caravan Park only has three unpowered sites, and they are right next to the tennis court, basketball hoop and playground. Therefore, if listening to excited children playing nearby, very early in the morning is not your thing, do not get an unpowered site!

It was great to get out and see more of our great state and pleasant to spend some lazy days by the Murray River. I’m sure we will be back soon to camp at Bolto Reserve which has beautiful riverfront campsites!

More Information

Currency

Australian Dollar – AUD – written here as $

Mannum Riverside Caravan Park

About – it is a nice caravan park situated on the Murray River.

Location – In Mannum, about 100km east of Adelaide.

Cost – An unpowered site cost us $26.00 per night for the first three nights we booked and $30.00 for the extra night we stayed.

Bookings – Yes. You can book online here.

Campsites – Over 60 powered and three unpowered sites. Cabins, riverside villas and a bunkhouse.

Facilities – Camp Kitchen, free electric BBQs, toilets, showers, laundry (washing machines, driers and clothesline). Free wifi plus there is LPG refills, boat ramp and fish cleaning shelter: Tennis court (1/2 court), basketball ring and playground.

Camp kitchen – Fridge/freezer, an oven, four-burner electric stovetop, a large hotplate (BBQ), kettles, toaster, large electric frypan, some cutlery and crockery. There is instant hot water and a combustion fireplace (BYO wood). Inside seating for about 24 and two large picnic tables outside would comfortably sit 16 to 20 people.

Dogs – Permitted, but there are some exceptions, i.e. only limited cabins are dog friendly, and no dogs are allowed during busy holiday periods. It would be best to phone ahead to find out about your furry friend.

Fires – Permitted in the fire pits or your own brazier, outside of fire season only, bring your own firewood.

Water – Yes + rainwater available.

Wifi/phone reception – Yes + free wifi

Things to do – Birdwatching and walking/hiking. Swimming and fishing, an excellent place to kayak and launch a fishing or ski boat. Also, there is a Mannum Dock Museum, Mannum Lookout, take a river cruise.

Things to do nearby – Visit Murray Bridge and see the bunyip, art gallery and Rocky Gully Wetlands.

Other information – Pretoria Hotel has bands and DJs on Saturday nights, and Sundays live soloist from 1 pm out on the deck.

Our thoughts

Pros – Clean amenities and a good camp kitchen. There are some sites by the river, and the caravan park is very close to the ferry and town.

Cons – The unpowered sites are situated right next to the tennis court, basketball ring and playground and can get noisy.

Our verdict – It is a lovely caravan park with well-maintained facilities. However, in hindsight, we would have preferred bush camping across the river as many children were on the playground at sunup! (In fairness it was school holidays).

Bolto Reserve Camp Ground

About –Bolto Reserve is right on the edge of the Murray River, and studded with red river gums. It is very picturesque. It is a short ferry ride (free) across the river from Mannum, so it is very close to shops, pubs etc.

Location – Situated just over the ferry from Mannum on the east side of the river, about 100km east of Adelaide. It is south of the ferry – turn right once you have crossed the river.

Cost – $10 per vehicle/per night, payable by a coin-operated ticket machine located at the toilet block at the reserve (The device also takes credit card).

Bookings – No

Campsites – Campsites are suitable for caravans, motorhomes, camper trailers and tents. Bush camping only, no powered sites. There are designated campsites and some fire pits.

Facilities – Flushing toilets, picnic table and a boat ramp.

Dogs – Permitted on a leash.

Fires – Permitted outside of fire season only, bring your own firewood.

Water – Yes, there is water. It is non-potable – not suitable for drinking. This water can be used for washing dishes etc. Bring your own drinking water.

Generators – not sure

Wifi/phone reception – Yes

Things to do –Birdwatching and walking/hiking. Swimming and it is an excellent place to kayak and launch a fishing or ski boat.

Things to do nearby –Mannum has the Mannum Dock Museum, Mannum Lookout and river cruises.

Other information – Closest fuel is at Mannum, and there is a dump point at Haythorpe Reserve which is free to use. Haythorpe Reserve Campground is on the same side of the river as Bolto Reserve, but it is north of the ferry crossing.

Our thoughts

Pros – Flush toilets, water for washing and a boat ramp. Plus it is just gorgeous with the river and gum trees.

Cons – You can only camp for five days at a time.

Our verdict – This is a fabulous camp on the river. We do hope to stay there soon.

More Accommodation Options

We typically book our accommodation through booking.com. We like the convenience of booking online, and we are usually able to pay for our accommodation on arrival at the hotel/resort or room. booking.com advertise many different accommodation styles at Mannum, so you are sure to find the perfect place.

Booking.com