History and heritage
For thousands of years, many Aboriginal peoples have relied on the river's abundance. In South Australia, the Ngarrindjeri and Nganguraku people have their traditional homelands along the Murray and the Coorong, and maintain an intimate and detailed knowledge of the land, the wildlife, seasons and climate. This vast body of knowledge continues to be passed from generation to generation.
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In the Ngarrindjeri Dreaming, Ngurunderi travelled down a stream in a bark canoe, in search of his two wives who had run away from him. A giant cod-fish (Pondi) swam ahead of Ngurunderi, widening the stream with sweeps of its tail. Ngurunderi chased the fish, trying to spear it from his canoe. The sweeps and loops of the chase created the features of the Murray River. The stories of the Ngarrindjeri - including the Dreaming of the creation of the river - are told at Pomberuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Murray Bridge.
The Indigenous peoples hunted and traded along the river in canoes cut and crafted from the red river gums that line the river's edge. Rock art and scarred canoe trees remain along the length of the Murray River, fascinating reminders of a culture in perfect harmony with the land and its creatures.
Members of the Nganguraku people share their stories and culture at Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal site, near Nildottie. Visit the birthplace of the Black Duck Dreaming, join guided tours through the Ngaut Ngaut historical sites and climb the boardwalk as it meanders up the majestic cliffs of a seabed laid down generations ago. Follow the path where bare feet trod in ancient times and marvel as the story of rock art and culture older than antiquity unfolds before you. This experience will challenge your perceptions of Aboriginal culture and leave you in awe of the resourcefulness of Australia's Aboriginal people.
The site can only be visited by taking a guided tour. Contact the Mannum Visitor Information Centre for more details.
In the 19th century the river opened the region to settlers, trade and communication, and provided irrigation for the agricultural industries that soon flourished.
One of the most memorable symbols of the European history of the Murray is the paddle-steamer. Australia's first paddle steamer - the Mary Ann - was built at Mannum and launched in 1853. Today, the PS Marion, more than a century old, is docked at Mannum and open to the public. It stands alongside the Mannum Dock Museum and Randell Dry Dock - one of the oldest dry docks in the southern hemisphere.
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It wasn't only on the river that Mannum made a name for itself. Blacksmith brothers John and David Shearer encouraged the settlement of the town by establishing a farm machinery business that developed a string of inventions, including one of the first cars in Australia.
Another historic town is Wellington, named by John Morphett in 1836 and settled in 1838. It was the site of the first ferry on the South Australian section of the Murray and was a popular stop-over point for people travelling to the Victorian goldfields. In 1879 Wellington was touted as the site for the first bridge across the river; however, poor foundations saw the honour go to Murray Bridge - a town originally called Edwards' Crossing because of an early settler's hospitality to passing drovers.
The tales of the early pioneers who settled in the Mallee area are equally as fascinating. Though the vast pastoral stations established in the mid-nineteenth century were all but abandoned by the 1890s, the construction of a railway line and sinking of Government bores in the early 19th century saw farming towns like Lameroo, Pinnaroo and Karoonda flourish. 2006 marks the centenary of the Southern Mallee district; The Mallee Tourist and Heritage Centre in Pinnaroo tells the story of these towns and the resilient individuals who helped to shape them.
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Aboriginal language groups do not have defined borders - their country blends into neutral zones referred to by various Aboriginal peoples as shared country.
The map identifies shared country and neutral corridors between neighbouring language groups by the overlapping of colours.
The Nganguraku language groups of the Murraylands share their western boundary with the Peramangk language groups of the Adelaide Hills regions and the southern boundaries are shared with the Ngarrindjeri language groups of the Coorong and Lakes region.
Other language groups such as the Ngarkat and Potauwudj occupy the northern and southern hinterland of the Murraylands region, sharing their country with the Ngarrindjeri language group.
Take a trip back in time at any of these historic hot spots:
- Mannum Dock Museum, Mannum - home to the PS Marion and Randell Dry Dock
- Olde Days and Olde Ways Museum, Mannum, featuring three sheds of historical memorabilia
- Captain's Cottage Museum, Murray Bridge for an extensive collection of photos and historical memorabilia
- Old Tailem Town, Tailem Bend - replica colonial village with 90 buildings
- Sedan Heritage Trail - look out for the heritage listed dry-stone walls
- Swan Reach Museum, Swan Reach - tells the story of the great floods of 1917, 1931 and 1956
- Mallee Tourist and Heritage Centre, Pinnaroo - includes the Wurfel Grain Collection, the Letterpress Printing Museum, a Heritage Museum, Mallee Women's Exhibition and the Gum Family Collection
- Pioneer Park, Karoonda - old railway, farming and pioneer memorabilia
- Heritage walks - find them in most Murraylands towns, ask the local visitor information centre for details