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 a few kilometres west of the SA–Victoria and SA–NSW borders. It is 31 m (101.71 ft) above sea level.
History
William ChaffeyGeorge Chaffey
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 Erawirung people[6][7]). However, the mud at Renmark is not red. Alternatively, it could be derived from the name Bookmark, later Calperum, the station founded by the Chambers brothers, from which 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) was excised for the town and irrigation project. Another possibility is the name of an early settler in the district, William Renny.[8] Wool was shipped from "Renmark" in 1878,[9] The first unambiguous use of the name (as "Renmark Flat") in newspapers was in November 1883.[10]
A settlement began to grow in 1887,[11] 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. The Chaffey brothers' business collapsed in 1893, and the Renmark Irrigation Trust was created to manage the irrigation scheme.[8]
Renmark was proclaimed a town in 1904 and a municipality in 1935.[8]
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.[12]
Renmark was connected to Adelaide by rail on 31 January 1927,[13] when the railway line across the bridge to Paringa was opened. It was later extended west as far as Barmera, and known as the Barmera railway line, but then closed in 1983 then the last scheduled train to cross the bridge was on 31 December 1990.[14]
Renmark is also home to the region's only restored paddle steamer(PS Industry), wine companies and the rose industry. Renmark hosts the Renmark Rose Festival every October.
There is a shopping centre known as Renmark Square, featuring many popular stores, community-owned businesses, and Big W and Woolworths serving as the anchors.[21]
Many camping grounds are along the river, they are popular destinations for tourists in Renmark.
Paringa Paddock (1,161 ha (2,870 acres)), including Goat Island, between Renmark and Paringa; and
Bulyong, or Bulyong Island, on the west side of the river upstream from Renmark, accessible only by boat.
Paringa Paddock (which includes Goat Island) contains areas of riverine woodlands, wetlands and river flats. The floodplain is lined by huge river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) and river box (Eucalyptus largiflorens). The wetland complex provides habitat for koalas, birds and reptiles, and the park provides recreation for people of all ages and abilities. There are walking and biking trails developed by the Renmark Paringa Council and the local community. Bulyong is home to many wildlife species, such as western grey kangaroos, emus, pelicans, kingfishers and parrots.[22]
Media
The Murray Pioneer, a newspaper founded in 1892 as the Renmark Pioneer,[24] is printed in Renmark.[25]
Channels from the following television networks are available in Renmark:
In addition, there are commercial radio stations, including 5RM (801 AM); KIX Country (1557 AM); Magic 93.1 (93.1 FM); TAB Racing Network (95.5 FM) and Riverland Life (100.7 FM). [citation needed]
The town also has the Renmark Oval, a football ground featuring a seating capacity of about 5,000 people, it includes space for venues, and it is the home of the Renmark Rovers.
Notable people
Thomas Angove, a winemaker from Renmark, invented the process for packaging cask (box) wine,[8] patented by his company on 20 April 1965.[28]
Renmark experiences a cold desert climate (BWk), bordering on a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) with hot, dry summers (though which are subject to cold fronts on account of the western longitude); warm to mild springs and autumns; and cool, sometimes cloudy winters. Renmark is surrounded by mallee scrub, and is situated in a grassland location, north of Goyder's Line.
Due to its geographical location, summers are a few degrees hotter than those of Adelaide; although it has many more touches of frost in the winter, and it also lacks Adelaide's sizeable winter precipitation. The average rainfall of Renmark is 239.1 millimetres (9.4 in), peaking somewhat in spring; falling as thunderstorms and/or cold fronts in summer; cold fronts and Northwest cloudbands in winter, and a combination of the three in spring and autumn.
Extreme temperatures have ranged from 48.6 °C (119.5 °F) on 20 December 2019 to −6.1 °C (21.0 °F) on 18 June 1998 at the Aero site. Furthermore on 5 January 2020, Renmark registered a new record low maximum of just 15.6 °C (60.1 °F) for any summer month; this extraordinarily low maximum was nearly four degrees lower than its previous January low maximum set back in 1983 at the old town site.
Climate data for Renmark Aero (1995−2022); 32 m AMSL; 34.20° S, 140.68° E
