Murray Bridge, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Murray Bridge South Australia
The main street of Murray Bridge
Murray Bridge Location in South Australia
Established	1924
Postcode(s)	5253
Area	97.5 km2 (37.6 sq mi)(2011 urban)
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location	78 km (48 mi) ESE of Adelaide
LGA(s)	Rural City of Murray Bridge
State electorate(s)	Hammond
Federal Division(s)	Barker
Localities around Murray Bridge: Pallamana Rocky Gully Murray Bridge North Northern Heights Mobilong Riverglades Murray Bridge East White Hill Rocky Gully Murray Bridge Long Flat Gifford Hill Swanport Murray Bridge South Monteith

Murray Bridge is a city in the Australian state of South Australia. It's located about 78 kilometers (48 miles) east-southeast of Adelaide, the state's capital city.

The city is known as Pomberuk by the Ngarrindjeri people, who are the traditional owners of this land. It was once called Mobilong and then Edwards Crossing. In 1924, it was renamed Murray Bridge because of the important bridge that crosses the Murray River there. This bridge carries both road and rail traffic. Murray Bridge is on the Princes Highway, which is a main road connecting Adelaide and Melbourne.

The area around Murray Bridge is a farming region. They grow cereal crops and vegetables, and raise animals like dairy cows, pigs, and chickens.

History of Murray Bridge

Flour mill at Murray Bridge East, 1920

Murray Bridge is on the traditional lands of the Ngarrindjeri people, who call the area Pomberuk. The first European explorer to visit was Charles Sturt in 1830.

The first road bridge to cross the lower Murray River was finished in 1879 at Edwards's Crossing. It was simply called The Murray Bridge. To tell it apart from other bridges over the Murray River, it's now known as the Murray River road bridge, Murray Bridge. This bridge was used for both road and rail traffic starting in 1886. A separate rail bridge was built in 1925, so the original bridge then became just for roads.

Local government started in 1884 with the District Council of Mobilong. The town was then known as Mobilong. In 1924, the town separated from the Mobilong council and became the Corporate Town of Murray Bridge. This effectively changed the town's name to Murray Bridge.

Later, in 1977, the two local councils joined together again to form the District Council of Murray Bridge.

In 1979, the Swanport Bridge was completed about 5 kilometers (3 miles) downstream. This new bridge carries the South Eastern Freeway across the Murray River, which helped reduce traffic on the older, historic bridge.

In 1993, the local council reached a certain population size, allowing it to be called a city. This is why it's now known as the Rural City of Murray Bridge.

Murray Bridge has several important heritage-listed sites, including the Murray Bridge Transport Precinct.

Geography of Murray Bridge

Where is Murray Bridge?

Murray Bridge is located 76 kilometers (47 miles) southeast of Adelaide. It's the main population center for the Murraylands region. The city itself covers an area of about 97.5 square kilometers (37.6 square miles).

The Murray River

The city is built along the Murray River, which is very important for the city and the areas around it. The river flows into nearby Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert. Adelaide gets about 55% of its water from the Murray River on average. During a drought in 1982-83, 90% of Adelaide's water came from the Murray.

Neighborhoods and Suburbs

Some of the suburbs within Murray Bridge include Northern Heights, Murray Bridge North, Murray Bridge East, Murray Bridge South, Riverglades, Gifford Hill, and Avoca Dell.

There are also some unofficial neighborhoods like Westside, Southside, Birdsville (where streets are named after birds), Pathways, and Narooma Waters. A newer area is called Newbridge.

Climate and Weather

Murray Bridge has a warm, dry climate. Summers are very hot and dry, while winters are mild and slightly wetter. The average high temperature is around 29.4°C (84.9°F) in January and February, and about 16.3°C (61.3°F) in July. The average low temperature is around 14.8°C (58.6°F) in January and 5.4°C (41.7°F) in July.

The city gets about 348.4 millimeters (13.7 inches) of rain each year. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 47.5°C (117.5°F) in January 2019, and the coldest was -5.0°C (23.0°F) in July 1982.

People of Murray Bridge

Population Details

In the 2016 Census, Murray Bridge had a population of 20,858 people. The average age was 41 years old. About 21.7% of the people living there were born outside Australia.

The urban area of Murray Bridge had a population of 16,708 in 2011. This was up from 14,048 in 2006 and 12,998 in 2001.

Economy and Shopping

Local Industries

The main industries in Murray Bridge are farming and manufacturing, especially making food products.

Shopping and Retail

Most of the shops and restaurants in Murray Bridge are located near Bridge Street. There are two main shopping centers: Murray Bridge Green and Murray Bridge Marketplace.

Murray Bridge Green first opened in 1976. It has grown over the years and now includes a Coles supermarket and a Drakes Supermarket.

Murray Bridge Marketplace opened in 2011. It has a Woolworths supermarket, a Big W department store, and many other specialty shops. It also has a food court and the public library.

You can also find a discount supermarket called Aldi in Murray Bridge.

Arts and Culture

Entertainment Venues

The Murray Bridge Town Hall, built in 1911, is a theater that can seat up to 300 people. It hosts many events throughout the year, including musicals and traveling shows.

The Cameo Cinema is a single-screen movie theater in the city center. It shows new movie releases and is the only cinema in the area.

Local Events

Murray Bridge hosts several popular community events. These include the Murray Bridge Fringe Festival, the Christmas Pageant and Fireworks Spectacular, and the Splash Festival. There are also many street stalls and farmers markets.

Museums and Galleries

The city has the Round House and Captain's Cottage Museum. You can visit these places to learn about the history of the area.

The Murray Bridge Regional Gallery shows art from local and regional artists. It also has a shop where you can buy art.

Public Library

The Murray Bridge Library is located inside the Murray Bridge Marketplace shopping center. It opened in 2011 and has a large collection of books, computers, and other facilities. It also has great views of the Murray River.

Parks, Recreation, and Sport

Parks and Green Spaces

Murray Bridge has about 65 parks, reserves, and open spaces for everyone to enjoy. These range from small green areas to large family-friendly parks.

Sturt Reserve

Sturt Reserve is a popular area along the river. It has a big playground, barbecue areas, and places to moor boats.

Murray Bridge is also home to "The Bunyip." This is a mechanical creature that looks like the legendary water monster. You can put a coin in the machine and watch the Bunyip come out of its watery home with spooky sounds!

Murray Bridge Linear Park

The Murray Bridge Linear Park is a path for walking and cycling along Adelaide Road. It has public toilets, shelters, and BBQ areas. It's a safe path that leads towards the city center.

Sports in Murray Bridge

In 1924, the Murray Bridge rowing team was chosen to represent Australia at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. This team, known as the Murray Cods, won a big Australian championship. They were very successful!

Murray Bridge is also home to the River Murray Football League, which plays Australian rules football. There are two local clubs, Ramblers and Imperials, and other teams from nearby towns.

The city's golf course, Murray Bridge Golf Club, has hosted important junior golf events.

The Murray Bridge Amateur Swim Club (also called The Cods) competes in swimming meets. Many of their swimmers go on to compete at state and national championships.

Murray Bridge also hosts the 24-hour Australian International Pedal Prix race every September. This is a fun event where teams race human-powered vehicles.

The Murray Bridge Speedway has been operating since 1958. It's a dirt track where you can watch exciting motorcycle speedway and car races. It has hosted many Australian and South Australian championships.

Education in Murray Bridge

Schools

Local schools in Murray Bridge include Unity College, Murray Bridge North School, Murray Bridge South Primary School, Fraser Park Primary School, St Joseph's School, Murray Bridge High School, and Tyndale Christian College.

Further Education

Murray Bridge has a small TAFE SA campus, which offers some college-level courses. Flinders University also opened a rural medical campus here in 2012, giving students a chance to study medicine in a country setting.

Media and News

Newspapers

Murray Bridge has its own newspaper called The Murray Valley Standard. It was first printed in 1934 and is now published online.

Radio

Several radio stations are based in Murray Bridge, including 5MU (1125 AM), Power FM (98.7 FM), and River City FM (87.6 FM). You can also clearly hear most radio stations from Adelaide and the Riverland area.

Television

You can watch channels from major Australian television networks in Murray Bridge, including ABC Television, SBS Television, Seven Network, Nine Network, and Network 10.

Online News

A local journalist started Murray Bridge News, which is an online platform. It publishes articles from the city's only full-time journalist.

Infrastructure and Transport

The Rail Bridge over the Murray River at sunset, 1975

Trains

Murray Bridge railway station is on the train line that connects Adelaide to Wolseley. The passenger train service called The Overland stops here twice a week, traveling between Adelaide and Melbourne.

The Overland is the only passenger train service left in Murray Bridge. There have been talks about bringing back local train services between Adelaide and Murray Bridge, but no firm plans yet.

The Murray Bridge Transport Precinct is a historic area. It includes the railway station, the wharf, and the original bridge built in 1879. This bridge was used for both roads and trains until a separate rail bridge opened in 1925 for heavier trains.

Roads

Two bridges cross the Murray River between Murray Bridge and Murray Bridge East. The original road bridge was part of the Princes Highway for many years. Now, Murray Bridge is connected to Adelaide by the South Eastern Freeway, which crosses the river on the newer Swanport Bridge (built in 1979). Other roads connect Murray Bridge to nearby towns and regions.

Buses

Various bus services operate in Murray Bridge. LinkSA provides services to Adelaide and a local 'Dial-A-Ride' service. Other bus companies also stop in Murray Bridge on their routes to places like Mt Gambier and Melbourne.

Airport

Murray Bridge Airport is about nine kilometers (5.6 miles) north of the town. However, it does not have any regular flights.

Walking Trails

The Lavender Federation Trail is a long walking trail, about 350 kilometers (217 miles) long. It starts in Murray Bridge and goes along the eastern Mount Lofty Ranges to Clare.

Sister Cities

Murray Bridge has two sister cities:

• Laredo, Texas, United States of America
• Sanmenxia, China

Notable People from Murray Bridge

• Danielle Catanzariti
• Bryn Coudraye
• Jacqui Delaney
• Paul Berryman
• Ben Dougall
• Donald Dunstan (governor)
• Stephen Edward Foster
• David Gulpilil
• Jo Hill
• James McRae
• Simon Overland
• Clement Semmler
• James Smith
• Ben Wilden
• Chad Wingard
• Peter O'Brien (actor)
• Alby Mangels
• Alex Bolt
• Deadly Nannas (Ngarrindjeri singers)

Images for kids

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  Workers on the first bridge, 1883

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  Steamboats at Murray Bridge, 1894

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  Construction of the Savings Bank, 1915

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  A World War One recruitment drive, Murray Bridge, 1916

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  Murray Bridge from the air, 1935

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  A steam train at Murray Bridge, 1951

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  Murray Bridge in 1912.

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  The Murray Bridge road (left, 1879) and rail (right, 1924) bridges over the Murray River.

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  The 1879 road bridge.

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  Grandstand at the Murray Bridge Racetrack.

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  Rail bridge over flats