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Mildura, Victoria
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Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia, part of the Rural City of Mildura. Mildura is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The city's population was 30,016 at the 2006 census.
Mildura is also known as the centre of Victoria's Food Bowl and is a major producer of citrus fruits (especially oranges), and wine. It is also notable for its grape production, supplying 80% of Victoria's grapes .
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Encyclopedia
Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia, part of the Rural City of Mildura. Mildura is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The city's population was 30,016 at the 2006 census.
Mildura is also known as the centre of Victoria's Food Bowl and is a major producer of citrus fruits (especially oranges), and wine. It is also notable for its grape production, supplying 80% of Victoria's grapes . Many wineries also source grapes from Mildura.
History
Many Aboriginal people lived around the site of Mildura because of the abundant food. Local tribes included the Latje Latje and Yerre Yerre. Europeans noticed this abundance and decided to harness it, so they brought sheep to graze the natural pastures.
Irrigation settlement
A major drought in Victoria from 1877 to 1884 prompted Alfred Deakin, then a minister in the State Government and chairman of a Royal Commission on water supply to visit the irrigation areas of California. There he met George and William Chaffey.
In 1886 George Chaffey came to Australia and selected a derelict sheep station at Mildura as the site for his first irrigation settlement signing an agreement with the Victorian government to spend at least £300,000 on permanent improvements at Mildura in the next twenty years.
After much political wrangling, the settlement of Mildura was established in 1887. It was named after the Mildura sheep station that provided most of the land. The name is of Aboriginal origin, and means either "red sand" or "sore eyes" . The Post Office opened on January 23, 1888.
Growth
The nearby towns of Wentworth, Gol Gol, Curlwaa and Yelta sprang up in the mid to late 1800s. In the 1890s came the scourge of the rabbit. This devastated the sheep farmers, especially south of the Murray. There was also a financial recession at this time. Combined, these factors restricted growth of the new settlement.
After this period, the new settlement grew and grew. It was soon the main town of the district. Suburbs and new satellite towns sprang up. From the 1920s, a number of 'suburban' train services were established to Merbein and Red Cliffs. These were operated by Rail Motors. In 1934 it officially became a city . Today, Mildura is a bright, thriving regional centre, and the surrounding Sunraysia district has a population of over 50,000.
Climate
Mildura enjoys a mostly warm climate. It is only about 50 metres above sea level despite being several hundred kilometres from the coast , and is surrounded by dry grassland.
Rainfall is about 290 mm a year and is spread evenly across the months and seasons. Winter and Spring enjoy the most rainy days, but the heaviest falls occur from rare penetrations on the monsoon, as in February 2000.
Average maximum temperatures range from a hot in summer to in winter. Minimum temperatures range from around in summer to in winter, when frost is common and often destructive to irrigated crops.
Culture
Mildura is host to many annual festivals such as the Mildura Country Music Festival, the International Balloon Fiesta, the Jazz & Wine Festival, Mildura Wentworth Arts Festival and the Mildura Show .
Demographics
As of the 2006 Census, there were 30,016 people residing in 13,053 households. 82.8 % of Mildura residents are Australian born. Of those born overseas: England (1.5%), Italy (1.4%), Turkey (1.4%), New Zealand (1.1%), Greece (0.5%). English is the only language spoken at home at 86.2% of households.
Media
Local newspapers include the Sunraysia Daily, Mildura Midweek, Mildura Weekly and the Mildura Independent Star which ceased publication in 2007. Local radio stations include ABC Local Radio, Easymix 1467AM, 97.9 3MA FM, 99.5 Star FM, and Hot FM.
Transport
Mildura is on the intersection of the Sturt Highway from Adelaide to Sydney, and the Calder Highway to Melbourne via Bendigo.
Mildura has a railway connection to Melbourne, which is used for freight transport. In May 2006, it was announced that the Mildura line would receive a $73 million upgrade using gauge convertible sleepers.
Sunraysia Bus Lines, Swan Hill Bus Lines and Dysons Bus Services operate V/Line bus/train services that connect Mildura to various parts of Victoria and southern NSW. Greyhound Australia run buses to Adelaide and Sydney via Canberra. Countrylink run buses to Sydney. The Henty Highway Bus Service runs buses to Horsham.
Mildura Airport is the third busiest airport in Victoria, serviced by five QantasLink flights daily to Melbourne, three Regional Express flights to Melbourne, and two Sharp Airlines flights daily to Adelaide. Regional Express also operates flights to Sydney several days a week. Virgin Blue has one flight per day in each direction between Melbourne and Mildura.
Deakin Avenue, the main street of Mildura, is known as the longest straight avenue in Australia, at 12.1km .
Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone
Mildura is part of the 'Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone', in which fruits or vegetables may not be taken into the area (they can, however, be taken out). This is to stop the fruit fly from invading crops and plantations. Disposal bins into which fruit can be disposed of are located along highways entering the zone.
Visitor attractions
- Murray River
- Mildura International Balloon Fiesta
- Woodsie's Gemshop
Education
La Trobe University
La Trobe University operates a regional campus in Mildura, with 322 students enrolled as of 28 May 2008.
Nowingi toxic waste proposal
In 2004 there was a controversial proposal by the Victorian Government to build a state-level Long Term Containment Facility (LTCF) for Industrial Waste in Nowingi, approximately 50 km south of Mildura. The site is a small enclave of state forest surrounded by national park, and contains habitat important to a number of threatened species.
Its hydrological composition is disputed, the Environmental Effects Statement (EES) investigations and subsequent evidence predicted that contaminated moisture would take greater than 1000 years to move though the LTCF barrier system. Transport modelling of groundwater contaminants predicted that if contaminants did enter the groundwater, they would move slowly through the Blanchetown Clay and then in a westerly to north-westerly direction towards the Raak Plains, taking thousands of years to finally discharge within the Raak Boinkas in the Murray-Sunset National Park, while local opponents claimed it would flow east through Hattah-Kulkyne National Park into the Murray River.
The site is around 500 km away from Melbourne, where most of the waste is generated. Local opponents to the LTCF argued that transporting the waste will incur higher costs and create more opportunity for accident than a LTCF closer to Melbourne.
Local opponents, a group called "Save the Food Bowl Alliance" and local media branded the LTCF the "Mallee Toxic Waste Dump". The chairman of the "Save the Food Bowl Alliance", Peter Crisp, was elected to Victorian Parliament in 2006, campaigning on this issue.
In January 2007, the Victorian Government announced that it was abandoning its proposal to build the Long Term Containment Facility at Nowingi.
It could be argued that its reasoning was that enabling legislation would have had trouble passing both houses of Parliament, with the Bracks Labor Government losing control of the reformed Legislative Council in the 2006 State Election. The parties holding the balance of power in the Legislative Council - the Nationals, the Australian Greens and Liberals all stating during the election campaign their opposition to the LTCF.
The Panel Inquiry report found the proposal to be environmentally feasible but recommended against granting approval on strategic planning grounds. Specifically because it:
• Could fill too soon to provide a sustainable solution for Victoria’s Category B wastes;
• Cannot be reasonably or readily expanded because of its surrounds;
• Would be between two National Parks;
• Would be located in high conservation value remnant vegetation which is habitat of threatened species;
• Would be too distant from waste producers; and
• Would be as a lesser but relevant consideration, constrained by the need to suspend construction during the breeding period of Mallee Emu-wren and Malleefowl.
The abandoning of the LTCF proposal was received with jubilation by opponents of the LTCF not only in the Mildura area and elsewhere in Victoria, but also across the border in South Australia where there were fears that in reputation, if not in substance, the toxic waste could effect the water supply via the Murray River and thereby the fruit-growing industries of the Riverland and Murraylands.
The Mildura Rural City Council and residents spent almost $2 million fighting the Government's proposal for the LTCF at Nowingi. On 10 January 2007 the Victorian Government did not rule out some form of reimbursement for the Rural City of Mildura council's legal and other costs in opposing the LTCF. "The general rule is that people bear their own costs, that is most likely to apply in this case ... but I've indicated and I am prepared to talk to the council and mayor about the whole issue of how Mildura moves forward and I'll do that," John Thwaites said.
See also
External links
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