Tammy van Wisse, the new "Queen of the Murray" fulfilled a dream on 18th February 2001 when she completed her 2438km swim of the Murray River.

The champion marathon swimmer has swum the length of the Murray River from the alps to the ocean – a feat no one else in the world has achieved.

Tammy completed the Berri Healthy Rivers Swim, a distance of 2438 kilometres, in 106 days and established a world record for the feat.

Tammy admits she is exhausted.

“I have been through the pain barrier many times on marathon swims, but swimming the Murray was different from anything I’ve ever done before.

“I was in the water for 106 consecutive days. The last month was very tough. There were 3 weeks when the temperature was over 40 degrees. It was hard to sleep and I was tired and it affected my swimming.”

The Berri Healthy Rivers Swim was developed as an environmental initiative to highlight the issues affecting the Murray.

“I’ve been campaigning for healthy waterways for 10 years. It’s been a long-held dream to swim the Murray, so to bring the two elements together in the Berri Healthy Rivers Swim has been tremendous.”

During her marathon journey, Tammy has had to contend with floodwaters, strong currents, eddies, whirlpools and snags. She has dodged poisonous snakes, been battered by logs and suffered a stomach virus, as well as ear and eye infections, which left her weak. On top of that, she has dealt with the mental and physical fatigue. And she was stung by a bee!

As the swim progressed, Tammy noticed considerable changes in the river.

“When I started the swim in Corryong on November 5, I was swimming in snowmelt from the Snowy Mountains. The water was very cold, but it was clear and I could see my hands in the water. As I swam further down the river, the water became darker, milkier and saltier, testimony to the Murray’s increasing salinity problems.”

Tammy said the swim has been a wonderful journey.

“It has been an incredible experience. I have developed enormous respect for the river. I’ve learnt a lot about its history from local river communities and I am passionate about the future of the Murray.

“The Murray is an Australian icon. So many communities and industries depend on it. But, if the river’s sick, everyone suffers.”

When it comes to the river’s future, Tammy is calling for a unified approach.

“We need a strategy that is above politics and state boundaries. We need to put the health of the Murray on the national agenda because it concerns all Australians.

“My swim is over, but the Murray is worth fighting for and the battle must continue.”

Tammy has paid tribute to her support crew, Royal Lifesaving Association, her friends and family, as well as the communities all along the Murray for their unswerving support.

“I couldn’t have achieved my dream without their help. I was constantly amazed at the amount of support from locals who came out to cheer, wave banners and urge me on all along the river.

“That support made a tremendous difference to my mental and physical state.”

The swim would not have been possible without the support of sponsors Berri, Australian Conservation Foundation, XSIQ, Oamps, Play It Safe By The Water, Nissan, Telstra, New Balance, Jayco Caravan Manufacturing, Redwin Industries, River Murray Tourism and Foodworks.

“After I recover from the swim, I’d like to come back and spend some more time on the Murray so I can truly enjoy the river I’ve come to love.”

Things you didn't know about the Murray...

• The Murray is the third longest navigable waterway on earth..... Tammy swam the equivalent distance of driving from Melbourne to Brisbane!
• Beginning as a snow melt trickle at Australia's highest mountain, Kosciusko, the river water temperature was dangerously low when the swim began on 5th November 2000 and hypothermia was a major concern for the first 3-4 weeks.
• The Murray Valley has a high snake population and black snakes, tiger snakes and brown snakes may be seen in the water or lying on the riverbanks. They generally avoid people, but Tammy had to contend with 25 "close encounters" of the reptilian kind
• Tammy spent a total of 472 hours in the water during her 106 day epic journey of the Murray
• On average, Tammy maintained a stroke rate of 72 strokes per minute, traveling at speeds between 4.5 - 7kms per hour. In total, the number of freestyle stokes she took was over 2 million.

This is how Tammy progressed on her journey down the Murray -

5 NOVEMBER 2000 - 12 noon. Swim start from Bringenbrong Bridge, Corryong, Victoria. Tammy heads into the river with full wetsuit, hoping to become the first person to swim to the mouth of the River Murray.

13 NOVEMBER - arrives in Albury with 231km swum, but behind schedule because of a stomach virus which almost stopped her.

16 NOVEMBER - Corowa. Meets local school children and is treated to dinner at the Corowa RSL Club.

21 NOVEMBER - Yarrawonga/Mulwala. Swims into a huge crowd of school children awaiting her arrival. Tammy speaks at the Mulwala Rotary Club and is treated to the wonderful hospitality of the Mulwala water Ski Club.

23 NOVEMBER - Cobram

24 NOVEMBER - Tocumwal

29 NOVEMBER - Barmah Forrest. Tammy swims through the black water caused by flood water lying over large amounts of vegetation. The tanin and warm water combine to deplete oxygen in the water, forcing yabbies to flee to dry land for air.

30 NOVEMBER - Echuca. Four paddle steamers accompany Tammy into Echuca as she clocks up 700km with crowds chanting "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" on the banks.

7 DECEMBER - Barham. Big-hearted town folk in Barham come out in droves to support Tammy.

12 DECEMBER - Swan Hill. The paddle steamer PYAP accompanies Tammy into Swan Hill and she is greeted by Swan Hill Rural City councilor May Ward, who presents Tammy with some local produce.