Renmark is a town in South Australia's rural Riverland area, and is located 254 km 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 above sea level. It is the oldest European settlement on the River Murray. At the 2011 census, Renmark had a population of 7,491.
History
It has been suggested that the name Renmark refers to an 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. The first unambiguous use of the name (as "Renmark Flat") in newspapers was in October 1888.
Captain Charles Sturt was the first European to pass though the area in January 1830, as he navigated the length of the Murray 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, 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.
The Renmark Hotel was the first community-owned hotel in the British Empire and became the town's major landmark.
Renmark is famous among Australian youth for being the closest town to the vineyard on which the concept of box wine or goon was invented in 1965.
Renmark was connected by rail on 31 January 1927.
Climate and geography
Renmark exists in a semi-arid location, above Goyder's Line, with hot humid summers and cool winters. Renmark is surrounded by mallee scrub. Renmark has a dry Mediterranean climate with seasonal temperatures a few degrees above Adelaide's temperatures, although it has many more frosts in winter. The average winter maximum temperature is 16.2 °C
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 new, modern shopping complex, camping grounds, and a 380 metres (420 yd) dirt oval speedway known as the Riverland Speedway.
Governance
Renmark prints a range of newspapers, such as The Murray Pioneer (founded in 1892 as the Renmark Pioneer).