The River Murray Exhibiton displayed at Modbury West Primary School Resource Centre from 13th to 17th August 2001

1. The River Murray Exhibiton displayed at Modbury West Primary School Resource Centre from 13th to 17th August 2001

2. The Murray Cod is a native fish which has been in the River Murray for thousands of years.

3. The River Murray begins as a trickling stream high up in the Australian Alps and is joined by the waters of many tributaries to become a large river.

4. The Aboriginals from many clans gathered in the area at the end of winter when food was scarce. They collected many Bogong moths which they ate during this Festival.

5. In the Australian Alps, the Snowy Mountains Scheme which took about 30 years to build diverted much water to pass through giant turbines to produce electricity. Many migrants came to Australia to work here.

6. The first white people to find the Murray River were the explorers Hamilton Hume & William Hovel. They reported how the land in the area would be good for farming.

7. Farmers began to move to the rich and watered grasslands to produce cattle, sheep and also to plant crops. They took little interest in the Aboriginals who had lived there for ages.

8. When the Aboriginals killed some of the cattle that the Overlanders had brought to the river area, the soldiers came and shot them in a bloody massacre.

9. When goods needed to be transported to and from the areas along the river, many Riverboats were built using the wood from the River Red Gums. Lots of wood was used as fuel in these boats.

10. Wheat wool and machinery were transported on the many paddlesteamers. At their peak about 250 of these boats paddled up & down the rivers.

11. The Chaffey brothers were brought out from America to start an irrigation scheme along the land either side of the Murray River. Dry desert land with river water pumped onto it became productive.

12. Orchards of orange trees & other citrus fruits grew well. Also vines produced grapes for drying as sultanas & currants and for making into juices & wines.

13. The river became a trickle during years of drought and expanded in all directions when much rain upstream produced a flood. It was hard to know where the river channel was during a flood.

14. Cuttings of Willow trees were brought from land near Napoleon Bonaparte�s grave. They were planted along the banks of the river where they quickly grew to guide the boats during floods.

15. The wharf was built so that boats could be loaded during high of low water levels. When railways were built the days of the riverboats as transport were numbered.

16. The fish, Carp were introduced to the waterways from Europe by the early settlers. They far outnumber the native fish and are now considered a pest & noxious fish.

17. It became necessary to keep the level of the Murray more constant, so that boats could always use it and so that irrigation was always possible. Weirs were built across the river to hold the water back.

18. Wetlands were permanently created. River Red Gums constantly standing in water die. However they are useful to some birds who use them to watch & warn of danger.

19. Today there are still many shacks along the banks of the river, standing on stilts to prevent water damage if there is another flood.

20. Many cities & towns depend on water being piped from the River Murray. The people of Adelaide rely on this water for more half of of their needs. Filters make sure it is safe & clean for us.

21. The amount of salt in the Murray has increased for many reasons. Overuse of water for irrigation is one cause. Enough salt is in the water passing Berri each day to make a mountain of salt on a footy oval!

22. The River gives many people pleasure in their leisure time. Water skiing, sail-boarding, boating, fishing and bird-watching are some of these activities.

23. An Aboriginal legend explains how some men pursued the Murray Cod a long distance across the land before spearing it. The channel it cut in the earth formed the river.

24. We should care for all the river , especially by taking away our rubbish from the area. Recycling rubbish is one way of keeping it beautiful for others in the future

25. We have followed the course of the Murray River from its source in the mountains to the Lakes and finally its mouth at Goolwa. Barrages here prevent the salt water from the sea mixing with the fresh river water.

26. The Carp is now a pest and to help eradicate it, when caught, it must not be thrown back into the river.