Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area had an estimated urban population of 51,903 Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. at June 2018, having grown marginally at an average annual rate of 0.88% year-on-year over the preceding five years. It is the largest settlement in the Sunraysia region. Mildura is a major horticultural centre notable for its grape production, supplying 80% of Victoria's grapes.Mildura
, ''Department of Planning and Community Development, Mildura Rural City Council'', Accessed 27 September 2007 Many wineries also source grapes from Mildura. It is very close to the New South Wales border. The city's central business district is located just a short distance from the banks of the Murray. Langtree Avenue is the main shopping and dining precinct in Mildura, with the middle section of the street a pedestrian mall. The other major retail precinct is along Fifteenth Street in the Mildura South area, where a mid-sized undercover shopping mall and several big box stores are located. The city's name was taken from the Mildura homestead, an early sheep station which covered most of the area. The urban area of Mildura is surrounded by irrigated horticulture, where the original grape and citrus blocks were located with water irrigated from the Murray River.

History

Mildura has a long history of orange and grape farming.

Toponymy

There are several theories as to the origin of the name Mildura. While it was the name of the sheep station, without precedent in the English language, most historians believe it to have originated from Aboriginal Australian words. However, the etymology of Mildura is not certain, as in several local dialects, the words ''mill'' and ''dura'' have different meanings. The word ''dura'' is generally thought to mean "earth", "sand" or "rock" in the local Ladji Ladji language. However, usage of the word ''mill'' varies by dialect and may mean "red" or "water", and thus, interpretations of the name can vary from "red earth" to "water rock".

Prehistory and European settlement

Many

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

people lived around the site of Mildura because of the abundant food. Local tribes included the Latjilatji and Jarijari. The first Europeans in the area arrived in 1857 and brought sheep to graze the rich pastures.

Irrigation settlement

A major drought in Victoria from 1877 to 1884 prompted

Alfred Deakin Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Australia. He was a leader of the movement for Federation, which occurred in 1901. During his three terms as prime ministe ...

, then a minister in the

State Government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

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, Canadian-American irrigator George Chaffey came to Australia and selected a derelict sheep station known as 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. The Post Office opened on 23 January 1888.

Growth

The nearby towns of Wentworth, Gol Gol, Curlwaa and Yelta sprang up in the mid-to-late 19th century. In the 1890s came the scourge of the

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

. 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 railcars. Post war Mildura experienced a large influx of migrants particularly from European and Mediterranean countries including Italy and Greece. Many of these migrants were attracted by the unskilled labour offered by the fruit picking industry. In 1934 Mildura was officially proclaimed a city. Langtree avenue mildura

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 Nowingi is a locality in Victoria, Australia, approximately south of Mildura. It is in the local government area of the Rural City of Mildura. History In May 2004, unreserved Crown land, roughly five kilometres south of Nowingi, was declar ...

, approximately 50 km south of Mildura. The site is a small enclave of state forest surrounded by

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

, and contains habitat important to a number of threatened species. 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 the toxic waste might affect 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 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.

Geography

Topography

Mildura is situated on flat land without hills or mountains on the southern bank of the Murray River and surrounded to the west, north and east by lakes and billabongs including Lake Hawthorn, Lake Ranfurly and Lake Gol Gol. Several towns surround Mildura on the flat plains including Merbein to the west as well as Irymple and Red Cliffs to the south which could be considered suburban areas or satellite towns separated by small stretches of open farmland. While the land along the river and irrigation channels is fertile, much of the land around Mildura is also dry, saline and semi-arid.

Urban structure

Mildura is a largely low-rise and low density urban area that is overwhelmingly dependent upon private automobiles for transportation. Residential dwellings consist almost solely of

single-family detached home A stand-alone house (also called a single-detached dwelling, detached residence or detached house) is a free-standing residential building. It is sometimes referred to as a single-family home, as opposed to a multi-family residential dwelling ...

s on relatively large allotments. The population has been growing rapidly for several decades and most of the residential growth has occurred in the south-western and southern parts of the urban area. The central business district is located at the northern end of the urban area, fronting onto the Murray River. The main shopping street of Mildura is Langtree Avenue, which features a pedestrian mall and shopping centre. However, this shopping precinct competes with the Mildura Central Shopping Centre, located at the opposite end of the urban area on the corner of Fifteenth Street and Deakin Avenue. Fifteenth Street is also the main strip of big box stores and other commercial enterprises. The tallest buildings are the two-storey 1934 Old Mildura Base Hospital, two-storey Marina Dockside apartments completed in 2010 and the three-storey tower/spire of the 1920s T&G building.

Climate

Mildura has a semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification: ''BSk'') with hot summers and cool winters. It is only about 50 metres above sea level despite being several hundred kilometres from the coast. Rainfall totals are about 280 mm a year and are spread evenly across the months and seasons with Winter and Spring having the most rainy days. Average maximum temperatures range from a hot in summer to a mild in winter. Minimum temperatures range from around in summer to in winter, when

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

is common and often destructive to irrigated crops. Mildura experiences some very hot days in summer with temperatures exceeding 40 °C (104 °F) on a number of days per year. Mildura got record daily rainfall on 5 February 2011 with .

Economy

Fruit and wine production

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. The local area produces more than 70% of Australia's dried vine fruits.

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 Queensland fruit fly from invading crops and plantations which could have a devastating effect on the economy. Disposal bins into which fruit can be disposed of are located along highways entering the zone.

Tourism

Tourism is a A$210 million industry in Mildura. However, a large percentage (30%) are domestic tourists visiting friends or relatives. The city's situation on the Murray River makes it a hub for watersports,

paddlesteamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were w ...

s and boat cruises. The still conditions make Mildura ideal for

hot air ballooning Hot air ballooning is the activity of flying hot air balloons. Attractive aspects of ballooning include the exceptional quiet (except when the propane burners are firing), the lack of a feeling of movement, and the bird's-eye view. Since the b ...

and the Mildura International Balloon Fiesta attracts many visitors. The Australian Inland Botanic Gardens, located nearby in Mourquong is another popular attraction which draws visitors to the city.

Mildura Central

Mildura Central's (formerly Centro Mildura) extensive redevelopment in 2005 has positioned the centre as the major shopping destination within the Sunraysia region. Mildura Central is also the only fully enclosed, air-conditioned shopping centre in this area and offers a retail mix including representation from a number of national fashion stores. Serving a primary trade area population of 60,000 residents, Mildura Central also receives consumers from beyond the trade area including the Riverland, Swan Hill, Robinvale and

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

. It includes a large Target, a Big W to the side of Mildura Central, a 19 aisle

Woolworths Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...

and a Coles supermarket across the road. Other retailers in Mildura Central include JB Hi-Fi, Kaisercraft, Jay Jays and EB Games.

Development proposals

Mildura's location in Victoria and consistently strong local lobbying have seen the

Government of Victoria The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive ...

take an interest in the city as a possible centre for population and industry

decentralisation Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group. Conce ...

programs. There have been numerous proposals involving the state government for large scale developments and investments, many ambitious and speculative that have been shelved indefinitely. Given the large amount of sunlight Mildura receives, it is the site for several proposals for large scale solar power in Australia including a massive solar updraft tower proposal in 2004 and 2010. In 2013,

Mildura Solar Concentrator Power Station The Mildura Solar Concentrator Power Station was a proposed concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar PV system to be built at Carwarp, near Mildura, Victoria, Australia. It was proposed by Solar Systems in 2006, which was acquired by Silex Syste ...

, a 1.5 MW demonstration plant, was commissioned by Silex Systems and it was expected to be expanded to 100 MW by 2017. However, in August 2014, the project was abandoned by Silex, due to lack of commitment to

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

by the Abbott government. The government's plans to scrap the praised Renewable Energy Target (RET) in Australia were cited as one of the main reasons for abandoning the project. International scientists criticised this decision extensively, claiming Australia risks being "left behind the rest of the world" if it cuts its plans for renewable energy. The decision to not build the plant may also cause electricity prices to rise significantly in the country. Another large development which has been controversial was the proposal for Mildura to be the site for Victoria's second casino.

Culture

Since early settlement Mildura has been home to artists, writers and creative people. Organisations such as the Red Cliffs Musical Society, Eisteddfod, Mildura Ballet Guild and

Mildura Country Music Festival The Mildura Country Music Festival was an annual Australian country music festival based in Mildura, Victoria. The 1994 event was held in October, which the Australian Country Music Ambassador, Kelly Tassone felt was "fast becoming a favourite ...

have helped grow a reputation for home grown talent and creative community. The hub of this community is the Mildura Arts Centre, which began as a gallery space at Rio Vista House in the 1950s and became fully established in 1956 with the building of a new regional art gallery and performing arts theatre. In 2012, after two years of construction, the new Mildura Arts Centre opened. Mildura is host to many annual festivals such as the

, the

International Balloon Fiesta Balloon Fiesta may refer to the following: * Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta * Bristol International Balloon Fiesta * Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta * Saga International Balloon Fiesta (in Japan) * Saxonia International Bal ...

, the Jazz Food & Wine Festival, Mildura Wentworth Arts Festival, Murray River International Music Festival, Mildura Writers Festival, Mildura Palimpsest, and the Mildura Show. There is also the annual Mildura masters coarse fishing competition held in November which attracts a number of international and local coarse anglers and the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show

Demographics

As of the , there were 33,444 people residing in 15,320 households. Indigenous Australians make up 4.6% of Mildura's population. 77.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 1.4%, Italy 1.1%, India 0.9%, New Zealand 0.9% and Afghanistan 0.8%. 80.0% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian 1.7%, Turkish 1.1%, Tongan 0.8%, Hazaragi 0.7% and Mandarin 0.7%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion, so described 33.1%, Catholic 21.8% and Anglican 11.3%.

Crime

In 2018 Mildura recorded the highest rural crime rate in Victoria and the fourth highest crime rate in the state overall.

Organised Crime

Mildura has long been associated with the

Calabrian Mafia The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate and criminal society based in the peninsular and mountainous region of Calabria and dating back to the late 18th century. It is considered one of the most powerf ...

, with claims made by police in 1966 that annual organised crime meetings were held in Mildura to co-ordinate nationwide criminal activities. In a 1960s National Anti-Mafia Directorate report by John T. Cusack (United States' Bureau of Narcotics) and Ugo Macera (assistant commissioner of police in Calabria) claims were made that the "ancient Calabrian Secret Criminal Society known as the L'Onorata Societa" and the "

'Ndrangheta The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate and secret society, criminal society based in the peninsular and mountainous region of Calabria and dating back to the late 18th century. It is considered one of ...

" were operating "throughout the State, with large segments in the fruit growing and farming areas of Mildura and Shepparton" adding that "There are reports the Society has existed in Victoria since 1930". They have reportedly been involved in revenge killings, cannabis production and weapons purchases. During the 1980s the Mildura Mafia emerged as a major crime group that dominated marijuana production in Australia and ran an Australia-wide money-laundering network. Several notable mafia murders have been linked to the region including the suspected mafia hit on 43-year-old Marco Medici in 1983, police believe the murder may be connected to the assassination of anti-drug crusader Donald MacKay at Griffith in 1977. The 1984 murders of Melbourne gangsters Rocco Medici and Giuseppe Furina are also connected to Mildura through the Medici family. In 1982, 42-year-old Mildura greengrocer Dominic Marafiote and his parents were murdered after Marafiote gave South Australian police the names of Calabrian mafia bosses in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. In 2016 Mildura residents Nicola Ciconte, Vincenzo Medici and Michael Calleja were convicted and sentenced in Italy for their role in a plot to smuggle up to 500 kilograms of cocaine into Australia.

Ice epidemic

Mildura has recorded significantly higher than average rates of

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...

use. Rural methamphetamine use overall is 2.5 times higher than in metropolitan areas. Prior to 2010 rates of use of illicit drugs in rural areas were significantly lower than those in the cities. In 2014, a Mildura-based Comancheros Motorcycle Club member and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) sniper, Joshua Faulkhead, was arrested after being caught transporting large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy between Sydney and Mildura. Faulkhead was sentenced to nine years and five months in jail. In 2015, 20 people were involved in a large drug trafficking operation in Mildura in north-west Victoria. Methamphetamine, marijuana and ecstasy were seized in raids. The drugs seized were reported to be worth more than $15,000. $20,000 in cash were seized and a number of weapons were also seized. Later that same year, Stephen Gillard and Geoffrey Hitchen from

South Penrith South Penrith is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. South Penrith is located 55 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith and is part of the Gr ...

, were arrested for possession of $300,000 worth of methamphetamines in scrubland off the Mallee Highway at Tutye, west of Ouyen. Local farmers uncovered plastic fruit juice bottles containing the drugs after noticing the men behaving strangely the previous day. In 2017, a joint Australian Federal Police (AFP) and United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation lead to the seizure of $2.4 million in cash at the Mildura Airport, after 255 kilograms crystal methamphetamine were found at a storage facility in Northern California in June. The bust was part of an investigation into an alleged conspiracy to use a light plane to export drugs from the US to Australia. The 72-year-old pilot, a 52-year-old man from Zetland, and a 58-year-old Melbourne man were charged with conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs and money laundering offences. The crystal methamphetamine was reported to be worth $255 million. Those arrests were connected to $2.4 million which was found in Mildura, in a prime mover that was driven from Adelaide in April.

Notable people

Notable people from Mildura include: * Leigh Adams, retired

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...

rider. Ten time Australian Solo Champion and the 1992 World Under-21 Champion. Including juniors, Adams won a total of 16 Australian championships and 4 World Championships. * Jason Akermanis, Australian rules footballer. Won the

2001 Brownlow Medal The 2001 Brownlow Medal was the 74th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home-and-away season. Jason Akermanis of the Brisbane Lions won the medal by pollin ...

. * Adam Bland, PGA tour golfer * Jason Crump, retired Motorcycle speedway rider. Australia's only triple Speedway World Champion (

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

and

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

). * Phil Crump, retired motorcycle speedway rider. The father of Jason Crump, he is a four time Australian Solo Champion and thirteen time Victorian champion. *

Matt Dea Matthew Dea (born 13 October 1991) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted in the third round of the 2009 AFL Draft with the 44th ov ...

, Australian rules footballer. Currently plays for the

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

. * Ken Duncan, OAM, Australian landscape photographer. * Patricia Edgar, founding director of the

Australian Children's Television Foundation The Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) is a national non-profit children's media production and policy hub. The ACTF helps develop children's television policy; distributes and pays for Australian children's television series; ...

. * Ted Hill (1915–88), barrister and communist activist. * Rick Kelly, V8 Supercar driver. 2001 Australian Drivers' Champion, 2006 V8 Supercar Champion, and

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

and

2004 Bathurst 1000 The 2004 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 was a motor race for V8 Supercars, staged on 10 October 2004 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. It was Round 10 of the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series. The e ...

winner. * Todd Kelly, V8 Supercar driver. Winner of the

2003 Bathurst 24 Hour The 2003 Bathurst 24 Hour was a motor race staged at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. The race started at 2:00pm on 22 November 2003 and finished at 2:00pm on 23 November. It was the second Bathu ...

and

2005 Bathurst 1000 The 2005 Super Cheap Auto 1000 was an endurance motor race for V8 Supercars. The race was held on 9 October 2005 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia and was Round 10 of the 2005 V8 Supercar Champi ...

. *

Sam Kerridge Sam Kerridge (born 26 April 1993) is a former professional Australian rules football player who played for the Adelaide and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited with pick 27 in the 2011 National Draft ...

, former Australian rules footballer. Played for the Carlton Football Club
Ben Knight
senior reporter at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * Matthew Knights, former Richmond Football Club captain and former

coach. * Mark Lee, 1980 pPremiership player and 1984 Jack Dyer Medalist,

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...

* Jason Lyons, retired motorcycle speedway rider.

1999 Speedway World Team Cup The 1999 Speedway World Team Cup was the 40th edition of the FIM Speedway World Team Cup to determine the team world champions. The final took place at Pardubice in the Czech Republic. The winners were the Australia team who claimed their second ...

and

2002 Speedway World Cup The 2002 Speedway World Cup (SWC) was the 2nd FIM Speedway World Cup season. The Final took place on 10 August 2002 in Peterborough, Great Britain. The tournament was won by Australia (64 points) and they beat Denmark (58 pts), Sweden (54 pts), Po ...

winner and a three time Victorian Champion. *

Kris McCarthy Kristopher James "Kris" McCarthy (born 15 October 1979 in Mildura) is a retired Australian middle-distance runner who specialised in the 800 metres. He represented his country at the 2000 Summer Olympics without reaching the semifinals. He won t ...

, Olympic middle-distance runner. * Ron McEwin, (1928-1979) former Essendon

VFL The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

player. *

Lochie O'Brien Lochie O'Brien (born 18 September 1999) is a former professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life and junior career Lochie grew up in rural Victoria and play ...

, Carlton AFL player * Ellen Sandell, politician and environmentalist, currently deputy leader of the Victorian Greens *

Ariel Steinberg Ariel Steinberg (born 26 August 1992 in Mildura, Victoria, Australia) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He made his senior debut against in r ...

, Australian rules footballer currently playing for the

Colin Sylvia Colin Martin Sylvia (8 November 1985 – 28 October 2018) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club and Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Football career At 15 years of age, Sy ...

, former

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

and Fremantle Football Club midfielder. * Chris Tarrant,

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club w ...

defender. * Cameron Waters, racing driver. * Josh Waters, Superbike rider, Suzuki works rider for 2014, winner of race 2 Brands Hatch BSB, 20 July 2014 *

Dale Weightman Dale Weightman (born 3 October 1959) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Affectionately known as 'The Flea', Weightman was recognized as one of the finest r ...

, Richmond Football Club 1978 - 1993 *

Julia Zaetta Julia Anita Zaetta (; born) is an Australian journalist and magazine editor. She is currently editor of ''Better Homes and Gardens (magazine), Better Homes and Gardens'' and ''Family Circle'' for Pacific Magazines, and, over the last 17 years, ...

, editor of Better Homes and Gardens. * Tania Zaetta, actress and television presenter. *

Dylan Stephens Dylan Stephens (born 8 January 2001) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Sydney Swans with the 5th draft pick in the 2019 AFL draft. Early football ...

, Sydney Swans AFL player

Media

Local newspapers include the Sunraysia Daily, Mildura Midweek and Mildura Weekly. Online news sources include the Mildura Independent Star and River 1467 AM News. Local radio stations include

ABC Local Radio ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its programm ...

(National), River 1467 AM (3ML) (Commercial), 97.9 Sun FM Sunraysia (Commercial), 99.5 Star FM (Commercial), and Hot FM (Community). Local TV stations include ABC TV, SBS TV, Seven, WIN Television (9), Mildura Digital Television (10), 7two, 7mate, 7flix, 9Go!, 9Gem, 9Life, ABC TV Plus, ABC Kids, ABC Me, ABC News, SBS HD, SBS Viceland, SBS World Movies, SBS Food, NITV, SBS WorldWatch,

10 Bold 10 Bold is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and events, but rebranded to One in April 2011 to ...

and

10 Peach 10 Peach is an Australian free-to-air television channel operated by Network 10. It was launched on 11 January 2011 as Eleven. It is owned by ElevenCo, which was established as a joint venture between Ten Network Holdings and CBS Studios Inter ...

. Of the three main commercial networks, Seven News produces short local news and weather updates throughout the day, broadcast from its

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

studios. WIN Mildura produced half-hour ''WIN News'' bulletins for the Sunraysia region until May 2015. The Sunraysia region, including the city of Mildura, was the first region in Australia to switch off analogue TV broadcast in the implementation of the country's DTV transition process.

Sport

Mildura has nine

Australian rules Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

football teams competing in the Sunraysia Football League; Imperials, Mildura, South Mildura, Irymple, Robinvale-Euston, Wentworth, Merbein, Red Cliffs and Ouyen United. Mildura also have a junior football League ranging from age groups of under 10s to under 16s. Roller Derby is a growing sport in the region, with Mildura having its own league, the Mildura Roller Derby League, which participates in competitions around Victoria and, at least annually, holds a tournament in Mildura. Mildura has six swimming clubs and local competitions are regularly held during summer. Clubs train all year round. Mildura has a history of producing many country, state and national champions. The

Sunraysia Rugby League Sunraysia is an illdefined district, sometimes incorrectly referred to as an economic region, located in northwestern Victoria and southwestern New South Wales in Australia. The region is renowned for its sunshine, intensive horticulture incl ...

is also based in Mildura and has six senior men's teams competing for the annual premiership. Rugby league matches are played from May to September. The Sunraysia Cricket Association operates its competition between October and March annually. The SCA (not to be confused with Southern Cross Austereo or

Supercheap Auto Supercheap Auto is an Australian automotive parts and accessories retailer. It was founded in 1972, operating as a mail-order business and opened its first store in Brisbane in 1974. It now has 300 stores across Australia and New Zealand. H ...

also abbreviated SCA and this SCA and the 2 other SCA’s are all from Australia) consists of eight teams; Coomealla-Wentworth, Merbein South, Irymple, Mildura East, Mildura Settlers, Mildura West, Nichols Point and Workers-Gol Gol. Mildura has a horse racing club, the Mildura Racing Club, which schedules around nine race meetings a year including the Mildura Cup meeting in May. The Mildura

Harness Racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

Club conducts regular meetings at its racetrack in the city. Golfers play at the course of the Mildura Golf Club on Twelfth Street. The Sunraysia Baseball League plays during autumn and winter and has four baseball clubs in the league; Hawks, Saints, Eagles and Wanderers. There are four junior grades (U/7s, U/10s, U/13s and U/16s), three senior grades (A, B and C Grade) and a women's competition. Basketball also has a large following in Mildura with hundreds of teams in all divisions entered in the Mildura Basketball Association's summer league. Association football (soccer) also has a large following in Mildura, with there being a popular junior and senior league played during the winter months. The league consists of six teams, those being Three Colours, Mildura City, Mildura United, Irymple Knights, Nichols Point and Northern Suns. Mildura is a town well-known for motor sports. It has several tracks in the region to cater for different types of motor sports, including the Mildura Kart Club (Go-Kart racing), Timmis Speedway (Automobile speedway), Olympic Park Speedway (

Motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...

), Sunset Strip (1/8-mile drag racing), and North West Victoria Motorcycle Club. (Off-road motorcycle racing). The

Mildura TT Circuit The Mildura TT Circuit was a motor racing venue in Victoria, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian conti ...

hosted the Australian TT in the 1950s. Mildura is home to four field hockey teams (Koowinda, Mildura Wanderers, Rivaside and Waratahs) which compete in the Sunraysia Hockey Association. The association has grades for males and females, ranging from Under 9s to A grade.

Transport

Mildura is on the intersection of the

Sturt Highway Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions situated adjacent to the r ...

from Adelaide to Sydney and the Calder Highway to Melbourne via

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

. Deakin Avenue, the main street of Mildura, is known as the longest straight avenue in Australia, at 12.1 km. CDC Mildura, BusBiz and Dysons operate V/Line bus services that connect Mildura to various parts of Victoria and southern New South Wales. Greyhound Australia run buses to Adelaide and Sydney via

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Its primary interc ...

run buses to Sydney. The

Henty Highway Bus Service Henty may refer to: Australian geography *Henty, New South Wales *Henty, Victoria *Henty (wine) an Australian geographical indicator and wine region in southwestern Victoria *Division of Henty, a former federal electorate in Victoria *Henty Highway ...

runs buses to

Horsham Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

. Mildura has a railway connection to Melbourne, which is used for freight transport that generally runs three times a week in each direction. In May 2006, it was announced that the Mildura line would receive a $73 million upgrade using gauge convertible sleepers.

Mildura Airport Mildura Airport is located southwest of Mildura, Victoria, Australia. It is the busiest regional airport in Victoria, the 32nd busiest Australian airport Refers to "Regular Public Transport (RPT) operations only" and has twice been named Aust ...

is the third busiest airport in Victoria, serviced by three

QantasLink QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is a major competitor to Regional Express Airlines and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines. As of September 2010 Qantas ...

flights daily to Melbourne (with four services on Thursday & Friday), three Regional Express Airlines flights to Melbourne, with Regional Express flights daily to Adelaide,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and

. Virgin Australia had one flight per day in each direction between Melbourne and Mildura until 2020.

Education

St Joseph's College

In 1905, a small group of Sisters of Mercy came from Wentworth to Mildura and established a convent in a weatherboard building on the corner of Pine Avenue and Tenth Street. Catholic secondary education commenced in Mildura in 1906 when the Sisters of Mercy began conducting classes in rooms attached to the original convent in Pine Avenue. The Certificate of Registration of a School, dated 31 December 1906, indicates that sub-primary, primary and secondary classes were being conducted from the convent at the time. In 1911 boarding school facilities were provided in Olive Avenue and in 1914 a new school was erected in Walnut Avenue. The first buildings of St Joseph's College at its present site were opened in 1929. The college has well equipped classrooms, science and computer laboratories, creative arts and design and technology complex, religious education centre, library, sports facilities, staff and student amenities.

Mildura Senior College

The college has been closely linked with the development of Mildura since the opening of the irrigation settlement by the Chaffeys in the 1880s. In 1890 the Governor of Victoria, Lord Hopetoun, laid the foundation stone of what was to become the Chaffey Agricultural College but, due to financial difficulties, the college was not built. In 1911, the Education Department of Victoria agreed to erect a high school on the Chaffey College site and Mildura High School was officially opened in September 1912. The diamond jubilee of the school was celebrated on 8 and 9 September 1972. It celebrated its 75th anniversary in August 1987 and in 2012 celebrated its centenary over the weekend of 14–16 September. As part of a strategic plan by the Ministry of Education in 1990, Mildura High School changed its name to Mildura Secondary College to reflect the changing nature of educational delivery in secondary schools. Again, as a result of restructuring in education provision since 1995, the college has been known as Mildura Senior College, catering exclusively for the final two years of secondary education. Mildura Senior College caters exclusively for Year 11 & 12 students. In 2013 there will be approximately 500 students in Year 11 and 400 in Year 12. Entrance to Year 11 is open to all students living in the Sunraysia District who have successfully completed Year 10. The decision regarding the satisfactory completion of Year 10 is the responsibility of the 7-10 College. Enrolment at the College is also dependent on factors such as age, behaviour record and other achievements. Please see the section on enrolment for further information.

Chaffey Secondary College

Chaffey Secondary College is a Victorian state government secondary school catering for students in Years 7 to 10 located in Deakin Avenue. In 2012 the college had 640 students enrolled. The college offers 120 to 140 different courses each term as part of its modular learning program. Students and families participate in a program of course counselling and student-led presentations each term to help students create the most appropriate course for their ability, pathway and interests. The college has a double-court gymnasium which it operates as a joint-use facility with the Mildura Rural City Council. The college operates a small theatre with seating for up to 220 people.

Sunraysia Institute of TAFE

Sunraysia Institute of TAFE's main campus is located in Benetook Avenue. In 2008, the institute had 6,592 students enrolled.

La Trobe University

La Trobe University operates a regional campus in Mildura, with 500 students enrolled as of 14 February 2018.

In popular culture

Two Australian Navy vessels have been named after Mildura, HMAS Mildura and

HMS Mildura HMS ''Mildura'' was a built for the Royal Navy in the late 1880s. Originally named HMS ''Pelorus'', she was renamed after an Australian town in April 1890.Bastock, p. 101 Per the Imperial Defense Act of 1887, she served primarily in Australia ...

. The songs "Mildura (Home of Mine)" and "Come to Mildura – the Land of Winter Sunshine" were written by

Reg. Stoneham Reginald Alberto Agrati Stoneham (1879 – 11 March 1942) was an Australian composer and publisher of mostly topical songs, and a musical comedy '' F.F.F.'' He was perhaps Australia's leading exponent of jazz and ragtime piano styles in the f ...

in the 1920s. G. H. Ball's "My Old Home Town (Mildura)" was recorded on the B-side of John Collinson's first recording of " Waltzing Matilda" in 1926.

Sister cities

* Upland, California, United States, which, like Mildura, was established as an irrigation community by George and William ChaffeyChaffey, William Benjamin (1856–1926)
by Peter Westcott, Australian Dictionary of Biography, accessed March 30, 2013 * Kumatori, Osaka,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

* Dali City, Yunnan,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

References

External links

Official Tourism Website – Mildura

Murray River info – Mildura

Mildura Bureau of Meteorology Field Office

Watch historical footage of Mildura and surrounds
dating from 1920-2001 from the

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

of Australia's collection.
Mildura - Visit NSW
{{Authority control Planned cities in Australia Wine regions of Victoria (Australia) Populated places on the Murray River 1887 establishments in Australia