WITHOUT a doubt, a large part of a Riverland town’s identity is intrinsically linked to its riverfront area.
Renmark typifies this sentiment. Take a stroll along Murray Avenue on any given day and you’ll see large numbers of locals and tourists enjoying a meal, drink and chat at Hotel Renmark, or the Renmark Club. Hoards of eager viewers gather on the Renmark riverfront every year for the Dash 4 Cash, and nearly every resident of the town has a memory of feeding the possums at night time.
The town had therefore been missing a little of its identity during the period the riverfront was closed for this year, in order for a major reconstruction to be undertaken following the impacts of the 2022/23 flood event.
For most outside observers damage to the wharf was difficult to see, and the project’s price tag and duration raised some eyebrows, however, Renmark Paringa Council will hope the finished product – unveiled to the public last week at a very well-attended ceremony – speaks for itself.
Similarly to the impacts from the flood, the key structural improvements made to the wharf are difficult to see at the surface, and probably best explained by engineers, but at all steps along the process the main message council has put forward was the goal was to ‘build back, better’.
The superficial differences appeared to garner approval from the large majority that walked the length of the new wharf last Wednesday, and few guests were better placed than Minister for Tourism Zoe
Bettison to point out the growing importance of the houseboat community for the Riverland’s economy.
An increased mindfulness for the safety of houseboat travellers also speaks to that long-term vision. We rarely see ambulances having to travel to our riverfront areas, but providing the necessary space for a stretcher to be used right alongside a moored houseboat will undoubtedly be beneficial.
If, as discussed above, the riverfront is so important to the identity of a Riverland town, then the competition and opening of the new Renmark wharf surely marks the beginning of a new chapter in the community’s history.
Renmark is now one step further toward complete recovery from the 2022/23 flood. The competition of the rebuilt Twentyfirst Street bridge is probably the final hurdle left to be overcome in this regard.
Throughout the long recovery process, which has thrown challenges at so many sections of the community, ensuring Renmark has the capacity to continue expanding has seemed to be high on council’s goals.
How this shapes the town’s and community’s future will be interesting to see.