Waikerie, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Waikerie is a rural town in the Riverland
region of South Australia
on the south bank of the Murray River
. At the 2006 census
, Waikerie had a population of 1,744. The Sturt Highway
passes to the south of the town at the top of the cliffs. There is a cable ferry
crossing
the river to provide vehicle access from the north side of the river.
The town of Waikerie derives its name from Weikari, which is claimed to literally mean 'the rising'. This refers to the emergence of many ghost moths (Hepialidae) from the ground among the river red gums after heavy rain.
Waikerie is well-known for citrus growing and gliding
, as the flat dry terrain provides good thermal
s.
Waikerie is in the District Council of Loxton Waikerie
, the South Australian House of Assembly
electoral district of Chaffey
and the Australian House of Representatives
Division of Barker
. Prior to the boundary adjustment for the 2004 election, Waikerie was in the Division of Wakefield
.
Former Adelaide Crows
captain Mark Ricciuto
is from Waikerie.
Riverland
The Riverland, is a region of South Australia. It covers the area near the Murray River from where it flows into South Australia downstream to Blanchetown.The major town centres are Renmark, Berri, Loxton, Waikerie and Barmera...
region of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
on the south bank of the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Waikerie had a population of 1,744. The Sturt Highway
Sturt Highway
The Sturt Highway is an Australian highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is part of the Auslink National network and is part of the main highway route between Sydney and Adelaide.-Route:...
passes to the south of the town at the top of the cliffs. There is a cable ferry
Cable ferry
A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....
crossing
Murray River crossings
The Murray River in south-eastern Australia has been a significant barrier to land-based travel and trade. This article lists and briefly describes all of the recognised crossing points. Many of these had also developed as river ports for transport of goods along the Murray...
the river to provide vehicle access from the north side of the river.
The town of Waikerie derives its name from Weikari, which is claimed to literally mean 'the rising'. This refers to the emergence of many ghost moths (Hepialidae) from the ground among the river red gums after heavy rain.
Waikerie is well-known for citrus growing and gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
, as the flat dry terrain provides good thermal
Thermal
A thermal column is a column of rising air in the lower altitudes of the Earth's atmosphere. Thermals are created by the uneven heating of the Earth's surface from solar radiation, and are an example of convection. The sun warms the ground, which in turn warms the air directly above it...
s.
Waikerie is in the District Council of Loxton Waikerie
District Council of Loxton Waikerie
The District Council of Loxton Waikerie is a local government area covering parts of the Riverland and Murray Mallee regions of South Australia....
, the South Australian House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
electoral district of Chaffey
Electoral district of Chaffey
Chaffey, created in 1936, is an electorate for the South Australian House of Assembly. It covers the Riverland region of South Australia and is named after brothers George and William Chaffey who established the irrigation area along the Murray River from 1886...
and the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
Division of Barker
Division of Barker
The Division of Barker is an Australian Electoral Division in the south-east of South Australia.The division was created in 1903 and is named for Collet Barker, an early explorer of the region at the mouth of the Murray River...
. Prior to the boundary adjustment for the 2004 election, Waikerie was in the Division of Wakefield
Division of Wakefield
The Division of Wakefield is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of South Australia. It is located north of Adelaide, incorporating the outer northern suburbs of Salisbury and Elizabeth, and extending north as far as Clare. It covers the east coast of the Gulf St Vincent north of...
.
Former Adelaide Crows
Adelaide Crows
The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, playing in the Australian Football League ....
captain Mark Ricciuto
Mark Ricciuto
Mark Anthony Ricciuto is a former Australian rules football player, who played for the Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football League...
is from Waikerie.