Renmark, South Australia

Renmark is a town in South Australia's rural Riverland area, and is located 254 km (157.83 mi) northeast of Adelaide, on the banks of the River Murray. The Sturt Highway between Adelaide and Sydney runs through the town; Renmark is the last major town encountered in South Australia when driving this route. It is 31 m (101.71 ft) above sea level. At the 2011 census, Renmark had a population of 7,491.[2]

Renmark
South Australia
A view of Renmark from the Murray River
Renmark
Coordinates34°10′27″S 140°44′30″E[1]
Population4,634 (2016 census)[2]
Established1904 (town)
16 March 2000 (locality)[3]
Postcode(s)5341
Elevation31 m (102 ft)
Location
LGA(s)District Council of Renmark Paringa[1]
RegionMurray and Mallee[1]
CountyHamley[1]
State electorate(s)Chaffey[4]
Federal Division(s)Barker[5]
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
24.8 °C
77 °F		 9.6 °C
49 °F		 243.7 mm
9.6 in
Localities around Renmark:
Renmark North
Renmark West		 Renmark North Renmark North
Paringa
Renmark West Renmark Paringa
Renmark West
Renmark South		 Renmark South
Cresent		 Paringa
FootnotesAdjoining localities[1]

History

It has been suggested that the name Renmark refers to a local Aboriginal word meaning "Red Mud" – the original inhabitants of the area were the Naralte tribe. Alternatively, it could be derived from "Bookmark" (later Calperum), the station founded by the Chambers brothers, from which 20,000 acres was excised for the town and irrigation project.[6] The first unambiguous use of the name (as "Renmark Flat") in newspapers was in October 1888.[7]

Captain Charles Sturt was the first European to pass through the area in January 1830, as he navigated the length of the Murray River from the Great Dividing Range, eventually reaching Lake Alexandrina.

A settlement began to grow in 1887, when the Renmark Irrigation Settlement was established by George and William Chaffey, who created a system of open drains using water from the Murray River, (called 'Renmark Irrigation Trust') to allow orchards to be planted in the area. By pumping water onto the hot red sand they transformed it into a fruit growing area similar to California. Renmark was proclaimed a town in 1904 and a municipality in 1935.

  • William Chaffey
  • George Chaffey

Bush poet and soldier Breaker Morant worked locally, at J. F. Cudmore's Paringa Station in the 1890s, before serving in the Boer War.

Paringa Bridge approach from Renmark showing where the railway used to cross between the road lanes

The Renmark Hotel was the first community-owned hotel in the British Empire and became the town's major landmark.

Renmark was connected to Adelaide by rail on 31 January 1927[8] when the railway line across the bridge to Paringa was opened. It was later extended west as far as Barmera but then closed in 1983 then the last scheduled train to cross the bridge was on 31 December 1990.[9]

The process for packaging 'cask wine' (box wine) was invented by Thomas Angove, a winemaker from Renmark, and patented by his company on 20 April 1965.[10]

Heritage listings

Renmark has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Climate

Renmark is surrounded by mallee scrub. It is situated in a grassland location, north of Goyder's Line, with hot dry summers and cool winters. Under the Köppen climate classification, Renmark has a semi-arid climate (BSk) with seasonal temperatures a few degrees above Adelaide's temperatures, although it has many more touches of frost in winter, and it also lacks Adelaide's sizeable winter precipitation. The average rainfall of Renmark is 233 millimetres (9.2 in) , falling evenly throughout the year, as thunderstorms in summer, with cold fronts in winter, and a combination of the two in spring and autumn. Record temperatures have ranged from 48.6 °C (119.5 °F) on 20 December 2019 to −6.1 °C (21.0 °F) in June 1998.

Renmark today

Renmark is a multicultural centre for the Riverland area. It consists of elegant wide streets. The river itself offers excellent spots for fishing, waterskiing and boating.

The area is known for the cultivation of grapes, citrus fruits, tomatoes, vegetables, wheat and wool. Orange trees stretch for hectares as do vineyards and stone fruit orchards. Other industries include almond growing and pistachio nut cultivation.

Renmark is also home to the region's only restored paddle steamer, wine companies and the rose industry. Renmark hosts the Renmark Rose Festival every October.

Renmark contains a modern shopping complex titled "Renmark Square" boasting a famous Woolworths, camping grounds, and a 380 metres (420 yd) dirt oval speedway known as the Riverland Speedway.

Governance

Renmark is located within the federal division of Barker, the state electoral district of Chaffey and the local government area of the Renmark Paringa Council.[5][1][4]

Media

Newspapers

Renmark prints a range of newspapers, such as The Murray Pioneer (founded in 1892 as the Renmark Pioneer).

Television

WIN Television broadcasts Network Ten programming, Channel Seven broadcasts Seven Network programming & Channel Nine broadcasts Nine Network programming. The programming schedules for these channels is the same as Channel Nine, Channel Seven and Channel Ten in Adelaide, with local commercials inserted and some variations for coverage of Australian Football League or National Rugby League matches, state and national news and current affairs programs, some lifestyle and light entertainment shows and infomercials.

Radio
ABC
Commercial
  • 5RM (801 AM)
  • Wild Country Radio (1557 AM)
  • Magic FM (93.1 FM)
  • TAB Racing Network (95.5 FM)
  • Riverland FM (100.7 FM)

Sporting teams
  • Renmark Olympic (Football)
  • Renmark Rovers (Aussie Rules)
  • Renmark Royals (Cricket)

See also

References
  1. "Search results for 'Renmark, LOCB' with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and localities', 'Counties', 'Hundreds', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Renmark (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  3. "GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ACT 1991, Notice to Assign Boundaries and Names to Places (to areas within the District Council of Renmark Paringa)" (PDF), The South Australian Government Gazette: 1433, 16 March 2000, retrieved 11 February 2019
  4. "Electoral district of Chaffey". Electoral Commission SA. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  5. "Electoral division of Barker" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  6. http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1343
  7. "River Navigation Improvement". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 28 October 1885. p. 5. Retrieved 3 July 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. Rails into Renmark Shields, Brian Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, February, 1999 pp43-51
  9. "History in the Renmark Paringa District". Renmark Paringa Council. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  10. Crystal Ja; AAP reporters (13 September 2009). "Eclectic mix honoured on Australia Day". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  11. "Renmark Hotel". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  12. "Renmark Irrigation Trust Office". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  13. "Renmark Post Office (Place ID 106138)". Australian Heritage Database. Department of the Environment. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  14. "Renmark Distillery Bridge (The first pre-stressed concrete bridge constructed in South Australia) [Concrete Girder]". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  15. "Olivewood Site, including dwelling ('Olivewood'), Chaffey packing shed, palm trees lining driveway, olive grove and garden". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  16. "Paringa Bridge over the River Murray [Metal Vertical Lift]". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  17. "Renmark Aero". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.