Renmark
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Renmark South Australia |
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A view of Renmark from the Murray River
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 Renmark
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| Coordinates | 34°10′0″S 140°44′0″E / 34.16667°S 140.73333°ECoordinates: 34°10′0″S 140°44′0″E / 34.16667°S 140.73333°E | ||||||
| Population | 7,491 (2011 census) | ||||||
| Established | 1904 | ||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5341 | ||||||
| Elevation | 31 m (102 ft) | ||||||
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| LGA(s) | District Council of Renmark Paringa | ||||||
| State electorate(s) | Chaffey | ||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Barker | ||||||
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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. At the 2011 census, Renmark had a population of 7,491.
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.
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