Renmark | |||||||||||||
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 The heritage-listed Renmark Hotel, located on Murray Avenue | |||||||||||||
  Renmark | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates:34°10′27″S140°44′30″E / 34.174073°S 140.741763°E /-34.174073; 140.741763[1] | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | South Australia | ||||||||||||
| Region | Murray and Mallee[1] | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||
| Established | 1904 (town)[citation needed] 16 March 2000 (locality)[2] | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Elevation | 31 m (102 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 4,703 (UCL2021)[6] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 5341 | ||||||||||||
| County | Hamley[1] | ||||||||||||
| Mean max temp | 24.8 °C (76.6 °F) | ||||||||||||
| Mean min temp | 9.6 °C (49.3 °F) | ||||||||||||
| Annual rainfall | 243.7 mm (9.59 in) | ||||||||||||
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| Adjoining localities[1] | |||||||||||||
Renmark is a town inSouth Australia's ruralRiverland area, and is located 254 km (157.83 mi) northeast ofAdelaide, on the banks of theRiver Murray. TheSturt Highway between Adelaide andSydney 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) abovesea level.
It has been suggested that the name Renmark refers to a localAboriginal word meaning "red mud" (the original inhabitants of the area were theErawirung people[7][8]). However, the mud at Renmark is not red. Alternatively, it could be derived from the name Bookmark, laterCalperum, the station founded by theChambers brothers, and developed by theRobertson brothers, from which 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) was excised by the Chaffeys for the town and irrigation project. Another possibility is the name of an early settler in the district, William Renny.[9] Wool was shipped from "Renmark" in 1878,[10] The first unambiguous use of the name (as "Renmark Flat") in newspapers was in November 1883.[11]
Captain Charles Sturt was the first European to pass through the area in January 1830, as he navigated the length of theMurray River from theGreat Dividing Range, eventually reachingLake Alexandrina.[12]
A settlement began to grow in 1887,[13] when the Renmark Irrigation Settlement was established byGeorge andWilliam Chaffey, who created a system of open drains using water from the Murray River, (called Renmark Irrigation Trust) to alloworchards to be planted in the area. By pumping water onto the hot red sand, they transformed it into a fruit growing area similar toCalifornia. The Chaffey brothers' business collapsed in 1893, and the Renmark Irrigation Trust was created to manage the irrigation scheme.[9]
Renmark was proclaimed a town in 1904 and a municipality in 1935.[9]
The Renmark Hotel was the first community-owned hotel in theBritish Empire and became the town's major landmark.[14]
Renmark was connected to Adelaide by rail on 31 January 1927,[15] when the railway line across the bridge toParinga was opened. It was later extended west as far asBarmera and known as theBarmera railway line but then closed in 1983 then the last scheduled train to cross the bridge was on 31 December 1990.[16]
In 2021, Renmark had a population of 4,703. The median age was 44 and 4.6% of residents were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.[17]
76.1% of residents are born in Australia, higher than the national average of 66.9%. The most common other countries of birth were India (4.4%), England (2.5%), and Greece (1.6%). The most common reported ancestries in Renmark are English (36.4%), Australian (35.5%) and German (11.1%). 61.4% of residents reported both parents being born in Australia, notably higher than the national average of 45.9%.[17]
The top religious groups in Renmark were Catholic (11.3%), Anglican (8%) and Lutheran (6.3%). 41.4% stated no religion and 7.1% did not answer the question.
Renmark has a number ofheritage-listed sites, including:
Renmark is located within the federaldivision of Barker, the state electoral district ofChaffey and the local government area of theRenmark Paringa Council.[4][1][3]
Renmark is a multicultural centre for the Riverland area. The river itself offers excellent spots forfishing,waterskiing andboating. The area is known for the cultivation ofgrapes,citrus fruits,tomatoes,vegetables,wheat andwool.Orange trees stretch for hectares as do vineyards andstone fruit orchards. Other industries includealmond growing andpistachio nut cultivation.[citation needed]
Renmark is also home to the region's only restoredpaddle steamer, the P.S. Industry, wine companies and the rose industry. Renmark hosts the Renmark Rose Festival every October.
The town has their own shopping centre, Renmark Square, including shops such asSubway,The Reject Shop,Jeanswest, a number of community-owned businesses, andBig W andWoolworths serving as the anchors.[24]
Many camping grounds are along the river, they are popular destinations for tourists in Renmark.
TheMurray River National Park includes two locations near Renmark:[25][26]
Paringa Paddock (which includes Goat Island) contains areas of riverine woodlands,wetlands and river flats. Thefloodplain is lined by hugeriver red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) andriver 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 theRenmark Paringa Council and the local community. Bulyong is home to many wildlife species, such aswestern grey kangaroos,emus,pelicans,kingfishers and parrots.[25]
TheMurray Pioneer, a newspaper founded in 1892 as theRenmark Pioneer,[27] is printed in Renmark.[28]
Channels from the following television networks are available in Renmark:
TheAustralian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) broadcasts a localradio station,ABC Riverland (1062 AM), along with national stationsABC Radio National (1305 AM);ABC News Radio (93.9 FM);ABC Classic (105.1 FM) andTriple J (101.9 FM).
In addition, there are commercial radio stations, including5RM (801 AM);KIX Country (1557 AM); Magic 93.1 (93.1 FM);Radio TAB (95.5 FM) and Riverland Life FM (100.7 FM).[29]
Sporting teams
There is a speedway venue known as the Riverland Speedway, off the Sturt Highway to the southwest of the town (34°13′20″S140°40′36″E / 34.22222°S 140.67667°E /-34.22222; 140.67667).[30] It holds stock car racing, sedans, sprint and speed cars. The 380 metresdirt oval speedway track has hosted numerous Australian Speedway Championships for both motorbikes and cars including theAustralian Solo Championship,Australian Street Stock Championship and theAustralian Sidecar Speedway Championship. It hosted theAustralian Under-21 Individual Speedway Championship in 2009.[31]
The town also is home to 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.[32]
Renmark experiences acold desert climate (BWk), bordering on acold semi-arid climate (BSk) with hot, dry summers (though which are subject tocold fronts on account of the western longitude); warm to mild springs and autumns; and cool, sometimes cloudy winters. Renmark is surrounded bymallee scrub, and situated north ofGoyder's Line.
Due to its geographical location, summers are several degrees hotter than those ofAdelaide; 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 andNorthwest cloudbands in winter, and a combination of the three in spring and autumn.
Extreme temperatures have ranged from 49.6 °C (121.3 °F) on 27 January 2026[36] 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 (1995–2026); 32 m AMSL; 34.20° S, 140.68° E | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 49.6 (121.3) | 48.2 (118.8) | 43.7 (110.7) | 39.7 (103.5) | 29.9 (85.8) | 25.8 (78.4) | 27.6 (81.7) | 32.2 (90.0) | 37.6 (99.7) | 41.7 (107.1) | 45.3 (113.5) | 48.6 (119.5) | 49.6 (121.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 33.9 (93.0) | 32.6 (90.7) | 29.1 (84.4) | 24.6 (76.3) | 20.0 (68.0) | 16.8 (62.2) | 16.5 (61.7) | 18.5 (65.3) | 22.0 (71.6) | 25.4 (77.7) | 28.8 (83.8) | 31.3 (88.3) | 25.0 (76.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.5 (61.7) | 16.0 (60.8) | 13.1 (55.6) | 9.3 (48.7) | 6.6 (43.9) | 4.5 (40.1) | 3.8 (38.8) | 4.5 (40.1) | 6.7 (44.1) | 9.1 (48.4) | 12.4 (54.3) | 14.4 (57.9) | 9.7 (49.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.3 (43.3) | 6.8 (44.2) | 4.2 (39.6) | −1.6 (29.1) | −5.1 (22.8) | −6.1 (21.0) | −5.4 (22.3) | −5.6 (21.9) | −3.7 (25.3) | 0.1 (32.2) | 2.3 (36.1) | 4.2 (39.6) | −6.1 (21.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 18.1 (0.71) | 17.8 (0.70) | 11.4 (0.45) | 17.8 (0.70) | 16.9 (0.67) | 19.1 (0.75) | 17.9 (0.70) | 21.3 (0.84) | 26.2 (1.03) | 28.8 (1.13) | 23.4 (0.92) | 20.5 (0.81) | 239.1 (9.41) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 6.7 | 9.5 | 10.1 | 9.1 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 4.9 | 74.2 |
| Average afternoonrelative humidity (%) | 22 | 25 | 29 | 34 | 44 | 52 | 51 | 42 | 37 | 29 | 26 | 24 | 35 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | 5.3 (41.5) | 6.6 (43.9) | 6.0 (42.8) | 5.2 (41.4) | 5.8 (42.4) | 5.6 (42.1) | 4.6 (40.3) | 3.1 (37.6) | 3.5 (38.3) | 2.3 (36.1) | 3.4 (38.1) | 4.2 (39.6) | 4.6 (40.3) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 341.0 | 288.4 | 297.6 | 255.0 | 204.6 | 168.0 | 182.9 | 222.0 | 254.2 | 291.4 | 297.0 | 331.7 | 3,133.8 |
| Source 1:Australian Bureau of Meteorology Renmark Aero[37] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Australian Bureau of Meteorology Mildura Airport (sunshine hours)[38] | |||||||||||||
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