The Murray Princess

Renmark (including Lyrup)
The oldest settlement on the Murray River
Located 256 km north east of Adelaide, 145 km from Mildura and 20 metres above sea level, Renmark is a large and prosperous town in the heart of an area of an orchard area where limes, olives, apricots, grapes, plums, garlic and a wide range of fruit are all grown.

Like so many of the towns in the area Renmark is characterised by extraordinarily wide streets with virtual parks in the middle of the roads.

Prior to European settlement the area was inhabited by the Naralte Aborigines who were described by one early settler as 'very friendly and quickly picked up a smattering of English. They were willing to work ... and attempted to instruct the newcomers in their methods of hunting.' The river provided abundant food and they lived well off a diet of kangaroos, emus, wombats, goannas, lizards, ducks, turtles, fish, snakes and bird eggs. It is said that the word 'renmark' is derived from the local Aboriginal words meaning 'red mud'.

The first European into the area was Captain Charles Sturt who, being assigned to solve the great mystery of why so many rivers flowed westward from the Great Dividing Range (often known as the question of whether Australia had an 'inland sea') rowed a whale boat down the Murrumbidgee in late 1829 and reached the junction with the Murray River on 14 January 1830. He continued down Australia's largest river passing the present site of Renmark in late January and reached Lake Alexandrina, at the mouth of the river, on 9 February, 1830.

From this point onwards there was always the thought that the Murray River could be used for transportation and access to the western areas of New South Wales and Queensland. However it wasn't until the formal establishment of Goolwa as the port at the mouth of the Murray that this became a reality.

Renmark did not acquire any importance until 1887 when George and William Chaffey signed an agreement with the South Australian government which led to the creation of an irrigation scheme which was to turn the entire area into one of the most productive in the country. The scheme to water the entire area was greeted enthusiastically with the Assistant Director of Kew Gardens in London declaring 'from these sunny lands where our sons and daughters have made their homes, we shall draw our future supply of fruit'. By 1892 the Chaffey experiment had collapsed. The following year the Renmark Irrigation Trust came into existence.

The Chaffeys created open drainage systems which watered the land. By 1959 the Renmark Irrigation Trust had decided to move these drainage systems underground so that today there are more than 130 km of underground pipes bringing water from the Murray to the orchards in the area.

In the 1890s 'Breaker' Morant worked in the local area on the Paringa Station. When Paringa Station when broke Morant and two of the boys from the station joined the Bushveld Carbineers and served in the Boer War. He was subsequently executed by the British.

The town was proclaimed in 1904 and became a municipality in 1935. Today it is one of the major service centres on the Murray River. The Renmark Rose Festival is held in October.

The Murray Princess

Things to see:  

Renmark Community Hotel
Perhaps the greatest tourist attraction in the town is the Murray Princess which has been modelled along the style of an old Mississippi riverboat and stands opposite the Renmark Hotel which is notable for the fact that it was the first community hotel in the British Empire. It was established in 1897 and achieved fame by putting some 13 illegal sly grog shops out of business.

Harding's Folklore Gallery
Located in Murtho Street this is an unusual attraction. It is built around a huge 74 square metre mural which took 3000 hours to paint and depicts Australian colonial life. For details of opening times contact (08) 8586 6972.

Olivewood
Located in 21st Street and very clearly signposted off the Sturt Highway this unusual building which looks like a Canadian log cabin with typically Australian verandahs was originally built by George Chaffey who was famous for pioneering irrigation in the Renmark area. It is National Heritage listed and there is a museum at the back of the building. For details of opening times contact (08) 8586 6175.

PS Industry
The PS Industry is located on Murray Ave and is well worth visiting. It was built at Goolwa in 1911 and spent most of its working life searching for and removing snags from the river. It is still operational and does regular short trips along the river on the first Sunday of the month. For details of opening times and journeys contact (08) 8586 6704.

Rustons Rose Garden
Located on Moorna Street and open September to July this remarkable rose garden contains more than 50,000 bushes in a pleasant landscaped setting. For more information contact (08) 8586 6191.

Bredl's Wonder World of Wildlife
An interesting wildlife park which claims to have one of the largest collection of reptiles in the country. It apparently has over 200 different species of reptile including alligators, crocodiles and snakes (taipans, tiger snakes, death adders, rattlesnakes, pythons, boa constrictors). It is located on the corner of the Sturt Highway and 28th St and is open 10.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. Saturday to Thursday. For details contact (08) 8595 1431.

Angove's
Angove's Winery is located in Bookmark Ave. It is open Monday to Saturday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and closed on public holidays, tel: (08) 8580 3100.

Renmano Wines
Located in Industry Road, Renmano is open Monday to Friday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. On public holidays from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m., tel: (08) 8586 6771.

Lyrup
A history of this tiny village records that 'It has been a village settlement since 1894. Lyrup has a romantic history. Lyrup was established by a contingent of 243 persons - 89 males, 40 married women, 114 youths and children. They left Adelaide by rail for Morgan on 20 February 1894 where they boarded the SS Ellen at 2 p.m. and travelled by river to Lyrup where they landed on 22 February 1894. The area was totally virgin and nothing had been prepared for their arrival. Everything they needed was brought on the boat. Stores included an engine and pump, 5 tons of flour, 1 ton of corned beef, tents, tarpaulins (condemned by the railways because they were full of fleas), 40 yards of calico, 5 pounds of pins, 6 dozen pairs of moleskins and one dozen men¹s felt hats among many other things. On arrival tents were erected for the women and children and the men were housed in bough shelters. Land was cleared, the pumping plant installed, the land cleared for planting. The settlement was established as a commune with food and clothing issued with ration coupons. If anyone caught a rabbit or a fish, it was put into the community supplies. The early days were tough with poor living conditions and dissatisfaction with the communal methods. The system changed to private ownership in 1903 and to this day the Lyrup village continues to prosper.

'Lyrup is believed to be named after Lyrup Hut - a boundary rider's hut on Book Purnong Station in the 1800s. It¹s possibly named after a village near Hamburg in Germany. It stands today as a unique solution to a unique experiment. This settlement is the only one remaining of the ten started by the South Australian government on the communistic system in 1894.'

Today Lyrup is just a tiny little village. There is nothing particularly distinctive about it. It is much more a case of history rather than contemporary reality. It is just a quiet little village.

	Tourist Information
	Renmark Paringa Visitor Information Centre 84 Murray Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6704 Facsimile: (08) 8586 5444 Email: tourist@renmarkparinga.sa.gov.au
	Motels
	Renmark Golf & Country Club Motel Sturt Hwy P.O. Box 548 Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8585 1401 Rating: ****
	Renmark Motor Inn Renmark Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6899 Rating: ***
	Ventura Motel 234 Renmark Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6841 Rating: ****
	Citrus Valley Motel 210 Renmark Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6717 Rating: ****
	Hotels
	Renmark Hotel/Motel Murray Ave P.O. Box 4 Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6755 or 018 137 681 Rating: ****
	Cottages & Cabins
	Settlers Retreat Purnong St Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6507
	Willows and Waterbirds Cottage 41 Murray Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6566
	Caravan Parks
	Pyap Caravan Park 27 Pyap St Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 4604 Rating: **
	Riverbend Caravan Park Sturt Hwy P.O. Box 91 Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8585 5131 Rating: **
	Renmark Riverfront Caravan Park P.O. Box 33 Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6315 Rating: ***
	Houseboats
	Coctails and Dreams Houseboats Riverfront Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8523 2182, 0427 899 102 Facsimile: (08) 8523 2182
	Liba Liba Houseboats Jane Eliza Landing P.O. Box 805 Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6734
	Riverfun Houseboat Hire Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8595 7357
	Restaurants
	Cafe Sorelle's Restaurant 176 Murray Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 4888
	Citrus Valley Motel 210 Renmark Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6717
	Nanya Bistro - Renmark Hotel Motel Murray Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6755
	Renmark Club Murray Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6611
	Renmark Golf & Country Club Sturt Hwy Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8585 1401
	Riverland Golden Palace Chinese Restaurant 114 Renmark Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6065
	The Tower Tavern Landings Way Jane Eliza Estate Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 4477
	Cafés
	Cafe Sorelle's 176 Murray Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 4888
	Renmark Patisserie Renmark Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6156
	Rio Vista Cafe Renmark Ave Renmark SA 5341 Telephone: (08) 8586 6371