Cowirra is a locality in the

Murraylands The Murraylands is a geographical region of the Australian state of South Australia (SA); its name reflects that of the river running through it. Lying due east of South Australia's capital city, Adelaide, it extends from the eastern slopes of ...

region of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It is on the left (east) bank of the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

, opposite

Mannum Mannum is a historic town on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia, east of Adelaide. At the 2016 census, the urban area of Mannum had a population of 2,398. Mannum is the seat of the Mid Murray Council, and is situated in the ...

Geography

Much of the river frontage is low-lying flats, laid out as long, narrow, irrigated paddocks between the river and the rising ground (or low cliffs) to the east. Cowirra includes the eastern landing points of the Mannum ferries, and the area known as Mannum East. The higher ground is used for a variety of farming activities, including sheep, grain, beef cattle and potatoes. Downstream of the ferry landing is a separate locality named Bolto, consisting mainly of shacks near the river bank.

History

The township of Cowirra was laid out and named in 1901. Ten quarter-acre blocks sold for an average of 5 shillings above the reserve price of £2 10/ in April 1907. The boundaries of the locality were formalised in 2003. The Cowirra Swamp was drained in 1919 to allow for controlled irrigation. Work commenced in 1916, but the flood of 1917 damaged the unfinished embankments, leading to fresh inundation. The reclaimed swamps were made available for

soldier settlement Soldier settlement was the settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under soldier settlement schemes administered by state governments after World War I and World War II. The post-World War II settlemen ...

following World War I.

References

Towns in South Australia {{SouthAustralia-geo-stub