Riverina

The Riverina is a prosperous agricultural region of south-western New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It comprises the agricultural and pastoral areas west of the Great Dividing Range, south of the Murrumbidgee River and north of the Murray River (where it forms the border between NSW and Victoria).

The main towns of the Riverina include Wagga Wagga, Albury, Griffith, Leeton, Deniliquin, Cootamundra, Narrandera and Hay. The total population of the Riverina region is approximately 200,000.

Economy

The Riverina's two main economic centres are Wagga Wagga and Albury. Wagga Wagga is the largest inland city in New South Wales and serves as an important employment, educational, cultural, social and entertainment centre for surrounding towns throughout the Riverina. Wagga Wagga's facilities are of metropolitan standards with great shopping, cafes, recreational facilities and nightlife present within the city. Albury offers similar facilities to Wagga Wagga but the city specialises in providing facilities to the far south of New South Wales and northern Victoria. The three largest centres in population after Wagga Wagga and Albury are Griffith, Leeton and Deniliquin and they provide advanced services to the outlying farming regions. The Riverina experiences very strong growth with the towns of Griffith and Leeton being two of the only regional towns in New South Wales with a positive growth rate. Wagga Wagga's population is declining but still remains strong in providing facilities and enticing new residents. Albury's population has remained strong due to its close relationship with Wodonga, its cosmopolitan atmosphere and its proximity to Victoria.

The Member of the House of Representatives for Riverina is Kay Hull and her offices are located in Wagga Wagga.

Farming

The Riverina region is one of the most productive farming regions in Australia with rice, wheat, citrus and wine grapes being grown in the area.

Rice is an important crop grown in the Riverina, more specifically in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA). The headquarters of Ricegrowers Co-operative Limited, who trade under the SunRice name, are located in Leeton, Australia's rice capital. There are major rice mills located in both Leeton and Deniliquin which is where most of the rice is grown. The MIA grows a very large percentage of Australian rice and this is exported to many countries throughout the world, particularly South-East Asia.

The Riverina region is one of the most prosperous grape growing regions in Australia along with the Barossa Valley in South Australia. There are numerous wineries in the Riverina especially in Griffith. Notable Griffith wineries include Casella Wines, De Bortoli Wines and Miranda Wines.

External link

• History of SunRice.