Morgan is a town in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, 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 o ...

on the right 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 ...

, just downstream of where it turns from flowing roughly westwards to roughly southwards. It is about north east of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, and about upstream of the Murray Mouth. At the 2006 census, Morgan had a population of 426.

History

Several Indigenous names are recorded: Korkoranna for Morgan itself, Koolpoola for the opposite flats, and Coerabko ('Katarapko'), meaning meeting place, for the bend locality. Morgan is in the traditional lands of the

Ngaiawang The Ngaiawang (Ngayawang) were an Aboriginal Australian people of the western Riverland area of South Australia, with a language considered part of the Lower Murray group. They are now considered extinct. They have sometimes been referred to as p ...

people.

Nganguruku The Nganguruku are an indigenous Australian people of the state of South Australia. Language The Nganguruku traditionally spoke a language similar to that of the Ngaiawang, but with significant dialect differences. The similarity has caused them ...

people moved to the Morgan area when they lost access to their traditional lands further south. The first Europeans to visit were the expedition of Charles Sturt, who passed by in a rowboat in 1830. The first Europeans to visit overland, by horseback, in March 1838, was the expedition of

Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

Oakden Oakden is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, located to the northeast of the Central Business District. It was established as a housing estate named ''Regent Gardens'' in 1992 and is located on former Department of Agriculture land. Geograph ...

, Willis, and Wood. They noted a large Indigenous population. The locality was originally known to Europeans as the North West Bend, or Nor'west Bend, or Great South Bend, due to an acute change in the trend and direction of the

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

. The westward flowing stream of the river turns here to flow southward. The nearby pioneering pastoral station, Northwest Bend Station, established in the 1840s, still bears that name. The town was proclaimed in 1878, the year the

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

from Adelaide via Kapunda was opened, and was named at that time after

Sir William Morgan Sir William Morgan, KB (8 March 1700 – 24 April 1731) was a Welsh Whig politician of the early 18th century. Morgan was the eldest son of Sir John Morgan, a Whig of great political influence in Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire. He inhe ...

, then Chief Secretary, later Premier of South Australia. A large

wharf A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( mooring locati ...

was built, and Morgan, being the railway terminus (hence the name of a local hotel), became one of the busiest

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

s on the Murray. It handled nearly all the goods that were being imported and exported (particularly wool) to and from a vast region upstream from Morgan along the Murray and Darling rivers. At its peak, Morgan was the second busiest port in South Australia (behind only

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

), with six

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

s a day carrying freight from the Murray to the sea at Port Adelaide. As

road transport Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations ...

improved through the early part of the 20th century, river transport declined. The railway to Morgan finally closed in 1969.

Heritage listings

Morgan has a number of heritage-listed buildings, including: * Railway Terrace: Morgan railway station and Station Master's House * 11 Railway Terrace: Post Office Row * 25 Railway Terrace: Landseer's Store * Morgan Wharf

Modern Morgan

Morgan today is well known for its number of

houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. Ho ...

moorings and services, and a houseboat

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or ...

is currently under

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...

. A free road transport ferry service operates 24 hours for river crossings. Just southward (downstream) from Morgan is a riverfront development named Brenda Park, which has flourished since

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, originally as rustic shacks, but now as prestige waterfront holiday homes. Despite these new developments, many historic buildings remain in the town. A number of these buildings have signs showing their former use and appearance. The two hotels, both historic, sit opposite each other, facing the riverfront. A caravan park is sited near the riverfront. Morgan is in the Mid Murray Council

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

, the state

electoral district of Stuart Stuart is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. At 323,131 km², it is a vast country district extending from the Spencer Gulf as far as the Northern Territory border in the north and the Queens ...

, and the federal Division of Barker. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the

Morgan-Whyalla pipeline The Morgan – Whyalla pipeline was an engineering project undertaken by the South Australian Government in 1940 to bring water from Morgan on the River Murray to the industrial city of Whyalla. A second pipeline, by a divergent route, was lai ...

was built from the Murray River at Morgan to supply fresh water to the city of

Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...

. The wasp ''Pseudofoenus morganensis'' Jennings & Austin 2002 (Hymenoptera: Gasteruptiidae) is named after the town of Morgan.Jennings, J. T. and A. D. Austin, 2002, Systematics and distribution of world hyptiogastrine wasps (Hymenoptera : Gasteruptiidae). ''Invertebrate Systematics'' 16(5) 735 – 811. https://doi.org/10.1071/IT01048 , access-date=14 August 2021

Gallery

File:MorganUnitingChurch.JPG, Uniting Church File:MorganPostOffice.JPG , Post Office File:MorganMuseum.JPG , Museum File:MorganMurrayRiver.JPG ,

File:MorganWarMemorial.JPG , War Memorial File:MorganLutheranChurch.JPG , Lutheran Church File:MorganInstitute.JPG , Morgan Institute File:MorganRSL.JPG, RSL File:MorganTerminusHotel.JPG, Terminus Hotel

References

External links

Morgan website