Murray Bridge, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Murray Bridge is the fourth most populous city in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

 after Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

, Mount Gambier
Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....

 and Whyalla
Whyalla, South Australia
-Demographics:According to the 2006 Census the population of the Whyalla census area was 21,122 people, making it the second largest urban area in the state outside of Adelaide...

. It is located 76 kilometres (47 mi) east-southeast of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

 and 77 kilometres (48 mi) north of Meningie
Meningie, South Australia
Meningie is a town on the southeast side of Lake Albert in South Australia. It is on the Princes Highway near The Coorong and was surveyed in 1866. At the 2006 census, Meningie had a population of 940....

.

The city was originally known as Mobilong, then Edwards Crossing before finally becoming Murray Bridge in 1924.

The city services a farming area including dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...

, pigs, chickens, cereal crops and vegetables (including "stay crisp lettuces"). It is where the Princes Highway
Princes Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....

 crosses the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...

 on the main road and rail routes from Adelaide to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

.

History

Murray Bridge is in the traditional lands of the Ngarrindjeri
Ngarrindjeri
The Ngarrindjeri are a nation of eighteen "tribes" consisting of numerous family clans who speak similar dialects of the Ngarrindjeri language and are the traditional Aboriginal people of the lower Murray River, western Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Coorong of southern, central...

 people, who referred to Murray Bridge as "Pomberuk". The first European explorer was Charles Sturt
Charles Sturt
Captain Charles Napier Sturt was an English explorer of Australia, and part of the European Exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from both Sydney and later from Adelaide. His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers,...

 who camped there on 8 February 1830.

The first road bridge across the lower Murray was completed at Murray Bridge in 1879. The bridge also became a shared road and rail bridge in 1886 until the separate rail bridge was completed in 1925. The bridge was designed for though in actuality, only trains ever used it.

In 1979 the Swanport Bridge
Swanport Bridge
Swanport Bridge is a road bridge on Highway 1 in South Australia, spanning the Murray River approximately 4 km southeast of Murray Bridge. Constructed in 1979, the bridge connects the communities of Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend.-Characteristics:...

, carrying the South Eastern Freeway
South Eastern Freeway
The South Eastern Freeway is a 66 kilometre four-lane divided carriageway road in South Australia linking the Adelaide-Crafers Highway to the Princes Highway at the Swanport Bridge, a one kilometre long bridge over the River Murray, near Murray Bridge...

 across the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...

 was completed 5 kilometres (3 mi) downstream , removing most through traffic from the historic Murray Bridge.

Demographics

At the 2006 census, Murray Bridge had a population of 14,048, up from 12,998 at the 2001 census. 10.4% were born overseas, and 4.5% were Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

.

The median weekly household income was A$639 per week, compared with $924 in Adelaide. 13.3% of the population identified themselves as Lutheran, while a higher 24.7% identified with no religion.

Sport and recreation

In 1924 the Murray Bridge rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

 team was chosen to represent Australia at the Paris Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...

. The Murray Cods as they were known won the Australian Eight Oared Championships (the King's Cup) and were invited to compete in a test race at Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide is a suburb of Adelaide lying about 14 kilometres northwest of the City of Adelaide. It lies within the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and is the main port for the city of Adelaide...

 between South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. Although accustomed to rowing over 3 miles, the Murray Cods were able to defeat the other crews on the 1 mile and 420 yards (2 km) course. The story of their fund-raising and exploits in Paris are detailed on the Australian Rowing History website http://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/olympic-games/1924-murray-cods.php.

Murray Bridge is home to the infamous Bunyip, a mechanical replica of the legendary monster is located on Sturt Reserve. Many South Australian children fondly remember their first visit to the Bunyip, putting a coin in the machine and watching the Bunyip emerge from its watery cage complete with shrieking sound effects.

Murray Bridge is also home to the River Murray Football League
River Murray Football League
The River Murray Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Murray Bridge region of South Australia, Australia. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League....

, which plays Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

. The league consists of the Murray Bridge based clubs of Ramblers and Imperials and the district teams of Mypolonga
Mypolonga, South Australia
Mypolonga is a settlement in South Australia. At the 2006 census, Mypolonga had a population of 303....

, Mannum
Mannum, South Australia
Mannum is an historic town on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia, east of Adelaide. At the 2006 census, Mannum had a population of 2,042. Mannum headquarters the Mid Murray Council, and is situated in both the State Electoral District of Schubert and the federal Division of...

, Tailem Bend
Tailem Bend, South Australia
Tailem Bend is a town on the Murray River in South Australia. The town was proclaimed in 1887, the year after the main railway came through. At the 2006 census, Tailem Bend had a population of 1,457....

, Jervois
Jervois, South Australia
Jervois is a town in South Australia. The town is located in the Rural City of Murray Bridge local government area, south of the state capital, Adelaide and on the opposite bank of the River Murray from nearby Tailem Bend. At the 2006 census, Jervois and the surrounding area had a population of 283....

 and Meningie
Meningie, South Australia
Meningie is a town on the southeast side of Lake Albert in South Australia. It is on the Princes Highway near The Coorong and was surveyed in 1866. At the 2006 census, Meningie had a population of 940....

.

In 2005 the city's golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...

, Murray Bridge Golf Club, held the State's premier regional junior team event, the Brett Ogle Cup (named after the Australian Professional golfer Brett Ogle
Brett Ogle
Brett Ogle is an Australian professional golfer.Ogle was born in Sydney, New South Wales, where he still resides. He turned professional in 1985, joining the PGA Tour of Australasia the following year...

). The home team, through the efforts of leading local juniors Constantine Papaevagelou and Craig McCulloch, went undefeated and qualified for the state final, losing narrowly. The team had not previously experienced such success; junior golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

 in the region has since obtained a higher profile.

Another sporting association in Murray Bridge is the Murray Bridge Amateur Swim Club (The Cods) which competes in meets with other clubs, as well as Country Championships (a large meet for all of the rural South Australian swim clubs) and state and national championships.

Murray Bridge is also the home of the Murray Bridge Racing Club,
Murray Bridge & District Table Tennis Association, and holds the 24 hour Australian International Pedal Prix
Pedal prix
The Australian HPV Super Series is an annual championship held in South Australia. The series exclusively features HPV's racing around enclosed circuits for 6 to 24 hours. It is the largest event of its kind in the world, attracting teams from around Australia and the World...

 race annually in September.

Murray Bridge Lutheran Tennis Club plays hard court tennis on their home courts based at Christian Reserve. Hard court tennis is hosted by various clubs throughout the community, including Jervois, Brinkley, Mannum, Mypolonga and Tailem Bend as well as clubs within the township. Hard court tennis is played on both Friday nights and Saturday mornings. There are both Junior and senior divisions. Friday night tennis offers a social alternative, often offering barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...

s and after-game drinks. Lawn tennis is played at Sturt Reserve on Saturday mornings and afternoons from October to February, and is organised by the Murray Bridge Lawn Tennis Association.

Murray Bridge also has a rich motor racing history. Established in 1958, Riverview Speedway is one of Australia's premier country dirt track ovals regularly hosting Australian title meetings in most racing categories including bikes and cars.

Murray Bridge is also known for its basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, having won numerous State Country Championships and many of its young players going on to represent South Australia in the National Championships.

Murray Bridge is also home to the Riverview Speedway
Riverview Speedway
Riverview Speedway, sometimes referred to as Murray Bridge Speedway is a Dirt track racing venue that is located in the town of Murray Bridge, South Australia, only 66 km from Adelaide. Racing at the speedway generally takes place between September and May meetings are held every second...

 which has been in operation since 1958. Located on the eastern side of the River, the speedway is a 360m long Dirt track racing
Dirt track racing
Dirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...

 venue that caters to both Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...

 and car racing, hosting numerous Australian and South Australian championships during its existence. On November 12, 2011 the speedway will host its first ever World Championship event when it will host the FIM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....

 2011 World Sidecar Speedway
Sidecar speedway
Sidecar Speedway is a motorcycle sport involving 4 crews of a rider and a passenger competing over 4 laps on an oval shale surface. Rules are governed by the national speedway federation and are not dissimilar to conventional speedway rules....

 Championship with Murray Bridge based Mick Headland hoping to defend his title at his home track.

Climate

Murray Bridge has a semi-arid
Semi-arid
A semi-arid climate or steppe climate describes climatic regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not extremely...

 climate with warm summers and cool winters, border-lining the Mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...

.

Retail

Most of Murray Bridge's retail and dining facilities are located on and within close proximity to Bridge Street. A shopping complex is currently under construction on Mary Street and will consist of a second Woolworths
Woolworths (supermarkets)
Woolworths is the largest supermarket chain in Australia, owned by Woolworths Limited.-History:Woolworths Limited was founded in 1924, with the first store opening up in Sydney's Imperial Arcade.-2008 rebranding:...

 supermarket for Murray Bridge and a Big W
Big W
Big W is one of the largest chain of discount department stores in Australia, with over 150 stores. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, the second largest retailer in Australia. Its main competitors are Kmart and Target, both owned by Wesfarmers....

 store when completed.

Politics


Murray Bridge is part of the state Electoral district of Hammond
Electoral district of Hammond
Hammond is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after Ruby Hammond, the first indigenous woman to stand for the South Australian parliament...

, which has been held since 2006 by Liberal MP Adrian Pederick
Adrian Pederick
Adrian Stephen Pederick is an Australian politician who won the safe Liberal seat of Hammond for the Liberal party, re-claiming it back from Liberal-turned-independent Peter Lewis who left to contest a seat in the Upper House....

. In federal politics, the city is part of the division of Barker
Division of Barker
The Division of Barker is an Australian Electoral Division in the south-east of South Australia.The division was created in 1903 and is named for Collet Barker, an early explorer of the region at the mouth of the Murray River...

, and has been represented by Liberal MP Patrick Secker
Patrick Secker
Patrick Damien Secker , Australian politician, has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since October 1998, representing the Division of Barker, South Australia....

 since 1998. At local level, Murray Bridge is part of the Rural City of Murray Bridge
Rural City of Murray Bridge
The Rural City of Murray Bridge is the local government area in South Australia that contains the city of Murray Bridge and suburbs: White Hill, Gifford Hill, Swanport, Long Flat, Riverglades, Avoca Dell, Willowbanks, SunnySide, Northern Heights, Rocky Gully, Mobilong and Monarto South.Surrounding...

 local government area
Local Government Areas of South Australia
This is a list of Local Government Areas in South Australia. The LGAs are grouped by region, as defined by the Local Government Association of South Australia.-LGAs sorted by region:-External links:* *...

.

Education

Local Schools include Unity College, Murray Bridge Primary & Junior Primary, Murray Bridge South Primary, Fraser Park Primary, St Joseph's Primary, Murray Bridge High and Murray Bridge Christian College.

Sister cities

Murray Bridge has two sister cities
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

, according to the Australian Sister Cities Association. Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...

, United States of America  Sanmenxia
Sanmenxia
-Administration:The prefecture-level city of Sanmenxia administers one district, two county-level cities and three counties.*Hubin District*Lingbao City*Yima City*Lushi County*Shan County*Mianchi County*Sanmenxia Development Zone...

, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...


External links



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