Overview

Council Areas in the
Riverina Region ..

Gundagai Griffith Hay Temora Leeton Narrandera Junee Wagga Wagga Lockhart Cootamundra Coolamon Carrathool Murrumbidgee

Major communities:

Gundagai
Griffith
Hay
Temora
Leeton
Narrandera
Junee
Wagga Wagga
Lockhart
Cootamundra
Coolamon
Carrathool
Darlington Point (Murrumbidgee Council Area)

Region overview:

over A$1 billion annual agricultural and horticultural production
Australia's largest producer of wine
about 50 per cent of region's wine production exported
major centre for defence

Major industry sectors:

agriculture
manufacturing and food processing
defence
softwood forestry/logging and wood/paper product processing
textiles
transport and logistics
viticulture and winemaking
services – tourism, education, research and development, government agencies.

Spanning around 63,500 square kilometres, the Riverina region is situated west of Canberra, Australia's capital, and forms a junction between three major State capital cities: Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.

Average maximum temperatures in the west of the region range from 14 to 33 degrees Celsius in areas such as Leeton, to 13 to 29 degrees in alpine towns such as Tumut.

Average annual rainfall is from 260mm in Hay (western Riverina) to 907 mm in Tumut (eastern Riverina).

MAJOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

availability of quality water and irrigation infrastructure – Blowering and Burrinjuck Dams have a combined storage capacity of 2,654,000 megalitres (more than five times Sydney Harbour)
largest capacity fibre optic trunk infrastructure (Sydney–Melbourne) runs through Wagga Wagga
reticulated natural gas and electricity widely available
highly developed telecommunications infrastructure
culturally diverse population
good transport infrastructure with most major highway and rail corridors crossing the region
international reputation for food and fibre manufacturing.

INDUSTRIES

Agriculture
Riverina agriculture is signified by an unmatched diversity in produce. This diversity is based upon dryland farming and the Murrumbidgee and Coleambally Irrigation Areas (182,000ha).

Alongside crops such as rice, maize and canola, the region boasts:

over 25 per cent of NSW fruit and vegetable production
90 per cent of NSW citrus products
80 per cent of NSW wine/grape production
livestock feedlots, sales and processing facilities
nearly 20 per cent of all NSW crop production and two thirds of its total value.

In a normal year total agricultural and horticultural production in the Riverina is worth more than A$1 billion.

Forestry
Softwood plantations located in the South West Slopes, near the town of Tumut, generate over a billion dollars worth of economic activity and create employment for over 450 people.

Food processing and manufacturing
Food processing accounts for 20 per cent of the gross regional product. This includes:

food research
production of vegetable, meat and fruit products
fibre processing
winemaking.

Defence
The Riverina is a major national centre for defence. Both the Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force maintain a strong presence in the region and play an integral role in the local economy.

The A$200 million Royal Australian Navy Defence Communications Station makes the Riverina home to some of the most cutting-edge communication technology in the world.

Major educational facilities

Charles Sturt University - Riverina Campus, Wagga Wagga
Riverina Institute of TAFE

Research and development

NSW Agriculture
– Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute
– Yanco Agricultural Research Centre
Inland Fisheries Centre
Charles Sturt University

Major defence facilities

The Royal Australian Navy Defence Communications Station – 20–25 km west of Boree Creek.
Australian Army Base Kapooka – 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Wagga Wagga
RAAF Base – Forest Hill

Most major highway and rail corridors cross the region. Two commercial airlines provide regular services to

Sydney

.