Heritage & History
River trade, irrigation and pioneer stories
The best heritage & history in Riverland
Paddle-steamer wharves, irrigation museums, historic hotels and a re-created pioneer village tell the story of how the river built these towns.
The Riverland's history is the history of the river itself. Before roads and rail, the Murray was the highway of the interior, and paddle steamers carried wool and wheat downstream to ports that boomed and faded. That story is written across the region in wharves, locks, grand old pubs and pioneer settlements.
Walk the restored wharf at Morgan, once the colony's second-busiest inland port, and visit the Morgan Museum in the old railway buildings. Watch a working steamer fire up — the 1911 PS Industry at Renmark, or the venerable PS Mayflower at Morgan. Trace the river engineering at Lock 1 Blanchetown, the first of the Murray's locks, completed in 1922.
The open-air Loxton Historical Village recreates pioneer life in vivid detail. Pair these with the region's riverfronts and reserves to understand how completely the Murray once ran the life of the interior.
Browse heritage & history by area
40 places
Morgan Wharf
A grand relic of the river-trade boom
The towering timber wharf at Morgan, a monument to the days when this was one of South Australia’s busiest inland ports.
Morgan's Historic Town Walk
FreeWalk the boomtown that rivalled Port Adelaide
A self-guided heritage walk around Morgan's port precinct — the towering 1877 wharf, the railway station turned museum, customs house and courthouse from the days when Morgan was SA's second-busiest port.
Murray River Queen
A grand old riverboat moored at Waikerie, a reminder of the Murray's paddle-steamer heyday.
Olivewood Historic Homestead & Museum
$The Chaffey homestead where irrigated Australia began
The 1889 log homestead of Charles Chaffey, whose family founded Australia's first irrigation colony at Renmark. Now a National Trust museum set in an olive grove.
Overland Corner Hotel
$$An 1859 river-trade pub
A National Trust–listed 1859 hotel built from local limestone, once a stop for overland drovers and river traders.
Overland Corner Wetlands
Floodplain wetlands and historic stock-route country around the old Overland Corner Hotel.
Paringa Bridge
A 1927 lift-span river crossing
A rare lift-span road and rail bridge over the Murray at Paringa, opened in 1927 and still in use.
Plush's Premier
Riverfront dining in a restored Renmark landmark
PS Mayflower
One of the oldest wooden-hulled paddle steamers still afloat, moored at historic Morgan.
Qualco Citrus Country
Orchard country on the Waikerie river flats
Renmark Paddle Steamer PS Industry
$$A working 1911 steam-driven paddle steamer that cruises the Renmark riverfront on select days.
Renmark Riverfront
Palms, paddle steamers and pelicans
Renmark’s palm-lined riverfront, home to the historic PS Industry paddle steamer, houseboat moorings and riverside walks.
The Black Stump
FreeA 600-year-old river red gum, rescued from the Murray
The huge root system of a 500-600 year old river red gum — over eight metres across and the largest of its kind in Australia — salvaged from the river and displayed at Paringa.
Waikerie Ferry
A free cable ferry across the Murray at Waikerie
Walker Flat Ferry & Cliffs
FreeA free 24-hour cable ferry beneath some of the most photographed limestone cliffs on the Murray.
Wilabalangaloo Reserve
Heritage homestead and bushland above the Berri cliffs