Murray River Horse Trails with Padge & Deb

Murray River Horse Trails

Padge (Graeme Padgett) & Deb (Debbie Jackson) run Murray River Horse Trails along the banks of the Murray River at the Eastern fringe of the Barmah Forest near Strathmerton in Northern Victoria. Padge calls himself a modern day bushranger born 100 years too late and no one doubts he is the bushranger of the Barmah forest. His rallying cry of ‘Wacko Bluey!’ is known around the district and he is widely sought for his abilities as a horse healer.

Padge was a large part of the inspiration for the foundation of The Bushranger Cup golf tournament. He donated the Cup from which the tournament takes its name which now sits atop the greatest trophy in Australian golf. He taught Pw Jones how to ride and how to shoot. The three bullet holes in the Bushranger Cup were put there by Pw with a lot of help from Padge one autumn afternoon in 2004 at the Murray River Horse Trails property near Strathmerton. The success of the Bushranger Cup was the catalyst for the foundation of Bushranger Golf and Padge is the #1 ticket holder of The Bushranger Golf Club.

Padge & Deb have 25 beautiful horses and run trail rides from 2 hours to three days for private groups and regularly host a range of school groups for extended stays. They run specialised rides for advanced riders and provide professional tuition on every ride. Camping facilities are available and guests are encouraged to bring a song to sing or a yarn to spin around the campfire.

To find out more or to inquire about a ride, their contact numbers and email address are below.

Murray River Horse Trails Morgans  Mill Road, Strathmerton, Vic, 3641 (see map below) Phone:  (03) 5868 2221 Fax: (03) 5868 2259 Email: wackobluey (at) gmail.com Days & Hours of Operation: seven days most weeks. Bookings are essential. Click here for PDF of Assumption of Risk form. Associated Venues:  Barmah State Park "The Bushranger Cup" The bullet holes that decorate The Bushranger Cup (above) were arranged and inserted by Pw Jones one autumn arvo in 2004 with a little assistance from Padge and his 222. The cup was placed on horse dung in a paddock at Murray River Horse Trails and Pw casually fired off a few shots from a range of about 50 metres.