Riverina


Riverina

(rĭv'ərē`nə), region, 26,560 sq mi (68,790 sq km), New South Wales, SE Australia. Located S of the Lachlan River in the south central part of the state, Riverina is a rich agricultural area with associated processing industries. The Murrumbidgee River runs through the region, and much of the farming depends on irrigation. It has been inhabited by an aboriginal population since early times. Chief towns are Albury, Wagga Wagga, Leeton, and Griffith.

Riverina

 

a low-lying plain in southeastern Australia, in the interfluve of the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers, constituting an ancient delta of the rivers. The elevation of the plain is approximately 100 m. It is composed of clays and sands. The climate is subtropical and continental. Precipitation totals 250–500 mm annually. There is widespread flooding of the rivers in the Australian Alps in spring from the melting snows and in summer from the rains. There are dry sclerophyll eucalyptus forests and sparse forests on cinnamon-colored soils and thickets of low-growing eucalypts (mallees) on alkaline soils. Eucalyptus forests grow along the Murray River. Irrigation is used on the Riverina to grow wheat and rice crops and cultivate vineyards and fruit gardens.