The First Irrigation Colony in Australia

The First Irrigation Colony in Australia was established in Renmark by the Canadian born Chaffey Brothers in 1887.

George, an Engineer and William, a horticulturalist & businessman, were invited to Australia by the Victorian Government following their successful development of irrigation systems in California, USA

Due to political wrangling within the Government, the Victorian project was delayed and the focus moved to Renmark. An agreement was signed between the South Australian Government of the time and the Chaffey Brothers on the 14th February 1887 for the establishment of an irrigation colony at Renmark - the first of its kind in Australia. The Victorian project eventuated three months later, with Mildura developed as another irrigation colony

Charles Chaffey, a younger brother immigrated in 1888 and took charge of the Renmark project

The Government granted an acre of land to the Chaffeys for every $8 spent on the project, which in turn was sold off to prospective settlers

Six years after the project commenced, the pumps being operated by steam engines and the channels taking the water to the newly established fruit blocks, disaster occurred.....

First in irrigation

Inexperienced growers with a multitude of problems, a bank crash coupled with the worst depression in Australia's history saw the new settlement flounder. Many settlers walked off their properties, bankrupt, but those who stayed formed an Irrigation Trust. They manned the pumps themselves and cut the wood for the boilers, which enabled the water to be supplied so that growers could carry on.

The Renmark Irrigation Trust became the area's first local government authority after it was formed in 1893, and comprised of a board of elected growers. The Trust governed the town until local government in 1904 and administrated the settlement areas until 1960. Throughout the time, they have become one of the towns most highly respected and responsible bodies.

Just as water delivery to the individual growers has improved, so have the methods of irrigating their properties. The open channels, remnants from the Chaffey era were replaced by the closed pipeline system in the late 1960's and officially opened in 1972. The progression from furrow irrigation to overhead sprinklers, ground level sprinklers and most recently drippers, fed through their own automated pumping plants and assisted by soil monitoring systems have contributed to plentiful water savings.

Our Proud History