By Discover the Riverland · · 4 min read
Oranges, almonds and stone fruit by the truckload - the story of the produce that built the Riverland, from blossom to bag.
Drive through the Riverland in winter and the roadsides glow orange. This is one of Australia’s great fruit bowls, where the Murray’s water, turned onto the mallee plains by a century of irrigation, grows citrus, almonds, stone fruit and grapes in staggering quantity.
From mallee to orchard
None of it would exist without engineering. The grand irrigation schemes of the early 1900s began it all, their pumps lifting river water onto the parched mallee for the first time. From those schemes grew the orchards that turned Berri, Renmark and Waikerie into thriving towns - a heritage celebrated, gloriously, by the 15-metre Big Orange on the edge of Berri (an exterior landmark and photo stop; closed to entry since 2004).
Tasting the harvest
Citrus is the signature, but almonds are the boom story. The Riverland is now a major almond producer. On a weekday, the Almond Hut on the Sturt Highway just outside Renmark sells local almonds and produce (open Monday to Friday; closed weekends and public holidays - see https://www.almondco.com.au/almond-hut). Roadside stalls sell oranges, mandarins and stone fruit straight from the block, often on an honesty box.
A working landscape
What makes the Riverland’s produce country special is how alive it is. These aren’t museum orchards; they’re working farms feeding the nation and shipping overseas, their rhythms set by blossom, harvest and the ever-present river. Slow down, pull over at a fruit stall, and taste the place. The Riverland’s sweetness is no accident - it’s a century of water, work and sun in every bite.
