Renmark is a friendly Riverland town that is home to Australia's largest rose garden and hosts a glorious Rose Festival every year.
It's a great spot for some Murray River cruising. The houseboat-style Big River Rambler makes regular cruises from the wharf, while the historic paddle steamer Industry fires up on the first Sunday of every month. It’s one of the few remaining paddle steamers from the busy river trade days. The riverfront is also the base for several houseboat fleets, including the Liba Liba fleet. Original proprietor Ian Showell conceived the idea of a floating house while in Egypt. The boats he saw along the Nile became the inspiration for what is now a multi-million dollar Murray River industry.
Riverland Leisure Canoe Tours can also meet you in Renmark and help you discover the fascinating backwaters of the Murray River. Or, you can hire a canoe or kayak and take off to explore for yourself.
Stroll along the Renmark riverfront interpretive walk. This easy five-kilometre walk (also suitable for bikes) interprets historical information about the town and river. An extension of the walk takes you to the nearby town of Paringa.
Visit Olivewood Estate. The watershed in the town’s history was the development of the irrigation schemes in the late 1880s that turned this countryside into Australia’s food bowl. The Canadian-born Chaffey brothers are often called the founders of Renmark. Their original home, Olivewood, is now a National Trust museum and gives an important insight into the history of the town.
And three kilometres outside Renmark is the McCormick Centre, which includes an interpretive model that shows the enormity and importance - and workings - of the Murray-Darling Basin.
Ideal for horticulture, Renmark’s climate is also perfect for roses and from September to July the main street is flush with blooms. Ruston’s Rose Garden is the largest rose garden in Australia and hosts a glorious mix of modern and heritage roses of all kinds and colours. The newly opened Rustons Rose Garden Visitor Centre offers a coffee and gift shop with a display of classic vehicles; you can also view floral arranging on site. All things ‘rose’ are celebrated in October in the town’s nine-day Rose Festival.
Visit nearby Chowilla Station and Reserve, just 40 kilometres from Renmark. Go with a group and stay in the Shearers’ Quarters overlooking the Murray River, hire a canoe and explore this pristine natural bushland or discover this peaceful location on a houseboat. Camping and tours are available.
Accommodation in Renmark includes riverfront caravan parks, hotels and motels, bed and breakfasts and self-contained cabins. An extensive range of houseboats is available for hire.
It takes its name from the Aboriginal word meaning ‘red mud’. The town was founded in 1887 following a joint agreement between the state government and Canadian engineers George and Ben Chaffey. The brothers were instrumental in helping to establish the system of irrigation still in use on the Murray today. Renmark is Australia’s oldest irrigation settlement.
