Team Sirocco Driving up the Murray Darling Basin on a Sealegs 6.1 Amphibious RIB

A TEAM from Sirocco Marine is currently in South Australia with the intention of becoming the first to drive the length of the Murray – Darling River system in an amphibious boat. Upstream.

David Seargeant and Liam O’Halloran will head for Coorong, near the Murray mouth, towing a Sealegs 6.1m amphibious RIB.

There, they will launch the Sealegs and head along the Murray, turn left when they reach the Darling River (near Wentworth in NSW) and power north until they run out of water, hopefully to Bourke, the official headwater of the Darling River.

Their trip has several unique features. They intend to drive around the many Murray River locks by using the Sealegs’ unique ability to drive on dry land. The New Zealand built RIB, powered on water by a conventional outboard, uses a Honda four-stroke inboard to lower the landing gear and to provide propulsion on land.

It should be the fastest trip ever done up the Murray-Darling as the Sealegs has a top speed of more than 40 knots.

David and Liam will camp along the riverbanks at night.

Their timing is right: this is the first time in many years the river system has had enough water to support such a trip.