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Discovering the Murray River

Explorer Captain Charles Sturt arrived in the area in the 1830s in the search for an inland sea. He entered the headwaters of a wide river, which he named the Darling. On a subsequent expedition he entered a mighty river, which he named the Murray. In 1830, while navigating the Murray, he came across a river junction, which he was convinced was the confluence with the Darling. Settlers and drovers began arriving in the area, bringing cattle and sheep to graze the natural pastures.

Transforming the landscape

A major drought in Victoria from 1877 to 1884 prompted Alfred Deakin, a minister in the State Government and chairman of a Royal Commission on water supply, to visit the irrigation areas of California, where he met George and William Chaffey. In 1886 George Chaffey came to Australia and selected a derelict sheep station at Mildura as the site for his first irrigation settlement signing an agreement with the Victorian Government to spend at least £300,000 on permanent improvements in the next twenty years. After much political wrangling, the settlement of Mildura was established in 1887.

Establishing a settlement

A number of squatters moved onto the land along the Darling and Murray rivers, expanding their holdings west from the Murrumbidgee area and north-east from South Australia. With the arrival of paddleboats in 1853, the small settlement port of Wentworth found itself ideally situated as an administrative and commercial centre for the untapped wealth of the vast outback. For many years Sydney was the only port in New South Wales to handle more cargo than Wentworth. 

Post-war settlement

The region's diverse cultural and economic identity was firmly established following the arrival of the soldier settlers and the post-war migrants from Italy, Ireland, Greece, England and the former Yugoslavia, who brought with them traditional cultivation skills that helped to make Mildura the Australian food bowl it is today. Mildura was soon the main town of the district and in 1937 it officially became a city. Today, Mildura is a bright, thriving regional centre, and the surrounding Sunraysia district has a population of over 50,000.
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The River

The Darling and the Murray are Australia’s two longest rivers. The Murray weaves its magic through three states, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

In New South Wales, the Darling River flows through Menindee Lakes and Kinchega National Park, all the way south to the township of Pooncarie to join the Murray at Wentworth where the confluence creates a spectacular display of swirling waters. The confluence can be seen at Junction Park in Wentworth where the best vantage point is the viewing tower.

Take time to view one of the several weirs and locks along the river which are part of the Murray irrigation scheme. Originally constructed in the 1920s and 1930s, the system of weirs and locks was designed to provide stable levels for irrigation diversions and year-round navigation for commercial cargo and paddle steamers. Today the locks serve an increasing number of houseboats, tourist cruise boats and other recreational craft as well as providing a stable water level all year round.
Wentworth
To the north-west of Mildura, just a 30 minute drive is the township of Wentworth, home...

30 Minutes
Indication from Mildura CBD
Dareton & Coomealla
Another short drive from Mildura are Dareton and Coomealla. These tight knit...

20 minutes
Indication from Mildura CBD
Buronga & Mourquong
Cross the Murray River to New South Wales, only 5 minutes away is Mourquong, home of...

11 minutes
Indication from Mildura CBD
Gol Gol
Also, in New South Wales, only a 10-minute drive from Mildura is the gorgeous township...

12 minutes
Indication from Mildura CBD
Trentham Cliffs
Just 15 minutes from Mildura, Trentham Cliffs is home to Trentham Estate, a family...

16 minutes
Indication from Mildura CBD
Red Cliffs
Just 15 kilometres south of Mildura is relaxed Red Cliffs which has lost none of its...

18 minutes
Indication from Mildura CBD
Merbein
Just a 10-minute drive from Mildura is Merbein. Well worth a visit, this charming...

15 minutes
Indication from Mildura CBD
Ouyen
Located 100 kms south of Mildura, Ouyen is a dry-land farming town in the heart of the...

1 hour, 10 minutes
Indication from Mildura CBD
Murrayville
Located on the Mallee Highway, 220 kilometres south-west of Mildura is Murrayville a...

2 hours, 18 minutes
Indication from Mildura CBD
The Millewa
Cullulleraine is part of the Millewa region, which is a large agricultural area that...

Indication from Mildura CBD
Walpeup
Walpeup is situated on the Mallee Highway between Ouyen and Underbool, 129km south-west...

129km
Indication from Mildura CBD
Underbool
Underbool is a delightful rural community on the Mallee Highway between Ouyen and...

150km
Indication from Mildura CBD