From paddle-steamer history to clifftop sunsets and woodfired pizza on the water, here’s how to spend 48 hours in Renmark.
Renmark wears its history lightly. Founded in 1887 as Australia’s first irrigation settlement, it’s now the relaxed riverside capital of the Riverland — and a perfect base for a weekend.
Saturday
Start on the riverfront, where date palms line the bank and the historic paddle steamer PS Industry sits berthed at the rotunda. Grab a coffee, watch the pelicans, then head to 23rd Street Distillery for a mid-morning tasting flight of their award-winning gins. For lunch, drive upstream to the Wilkadene Woolshed Brewing Co, where craft beer and woodfired pizza are served on a deck right on the water — arrive by boat if you can.
In the afternoon, cross to Paringa and climb to the Headings Cliffs lookout, where the river spreads out far below. Stay for sunset; the ochre cliffs glow gold and the floodplain forest darkens beneath you.
Sunday
Begin among the flowers at Ruston’s Roses, one of the largest rose gardens in the world and spectacular from October to December. Then call into the Almondco centre to taste your way through the region’s almond harvest and stock up on edible souvenirs.
Spend the rest of the day on the water. Hire a kayak or a day boat, drift the quiet bends, and fish or swim as the mood takes you. Round it off with a long riverside dinner as houseboats glide past in the dusk.
Where to stay
For the full Riverland experience, sleep on the river itself aboard a hire houseboat — or settle into a riverside cabin and let the birdsong wake you.
