European Settlement : River Murray Towns

The River Murray in South Australia sustains many towns with distinctive characters and fascinating histories.  From Paringa near the Victorian border to Goolwa at the Murray Mouth, the river is the lifeblood that nourishes them all. Some towns have their origins in the South Australian government's village settlement scheme of the 1890s, others in soldier settlement schemes after the First and Second World Wars. The ports of Goolwa and Morgan and the railway hubs of Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend were established to facilitate transport on the river. Other towns, particularly in the Riverland in the state's east, grew around the fertile farming land made possible by irrigation schemes. Today, all the River Murray towns have diverse qualities, but a constant is the influence of the majestic river.

• Paringa
• Renmark
• Berri
• Loxton
• Barmera
• Kingston-on-Murray
• Waikerie
• Morgan
• Blanchetown
• Swan Reach
• Mannum
• Murray Bridge
• Tailem Bend
• Wellington
• Goolwa
• River Murray towns slideshow