Almost two years on from the devastating Riverland floods a new challenge is confronting the area's tourism industry. As River Murray levels continue to drop, houseboats are getting stuck on sandbanks created by the fast-flowing flood waters, and there are calls for the government to provide a long-term solution.
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00:00Rob Hughes has been travelling the waters of the Murray for more than a decade.
00:05I've seen a lot of floods and droughts and COVIDs.
00:09His love for the river led him to take up a life operating houseboats.
00:13But Rob's fleet and the Riverlands multi-million dollar tourism industry has had its fair share
00:17of challenges.
00:18We have been through a lot in the last couple of years but we're becoming resilient.
00:22And now they're facing an unexpected obstacle.
00:27High sand levels in several sections of the river have caused his boats to run aground.
00:32And it's getting worse.
00:34We can get through just if there's one of us or one of our experienced guys on board.
00:39It's a concern shared by Michael Poulsen.
00:41He's a volunteer on the historic paddle steamer, the PS Industry, which is based in Renmark.
00:46Michael's worried that as boating on the river becomes more difficult, so too does the outlook
00:50for the iconic vessel.
00:52If we don't keep it moving and keep it going up and down between towns and show on the
00:56flag it will get lost and you'll see it in pictures and that'll be it.
01:01Mayor Peter Hunter wants to see action taken soon.
01:04Not just tourism but it's people's lifestyles and it's people's livelihoods.
01:07So there's all three parts of that that are really, really important and we just want
01:11to get the conditions right.
01:12The Department for Infrastructure and Transport says it has visited this section of the river
01:16and has issued a warning to boat operators, but a spokesperson didn't confirm any plans
01:21to address the shallow waters.
01:23For now, it's slow and steady navigation for an industry trying to stay afloat.