A brief history of Merbein.
Compiled by Bernadette Wells (2008)......
Merbein, in the north west of Victoria, Australia, was developed in 1909 as an irrigation settlement downstream from Mildura on the southern bank of the Murray River. It was one of the first State owned pumped irrigation settlements in Victoria and was managed by the State Rivers & Water Supply Commission (SRWSC).
The area was originally known as White Cliffs because of the 60 metre, sandstone white river cliffs, which were a conspicuous landmark for all travellers.
River explorer, Captain Charles Sturt, passed the Merbein cliffs on January 22nd 1830, on his way to the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers.
William Blandowski, zoologist and first curator of the National Museum of Victoria, camped at the Merbein river cliffs in 1857 for several months. Aided by the local aborigines (Nyeri Nyeri), his party collected for the museum, 17,400 specimens of terrestrial and aquatic animals.
The hot climate and the distance from markets saw the settlement, originaly planned for dairying, quickly change to the growing of the less perishable crops of citrus and grapes for drying and spirit making. The SRWSC officially identified the area as 'White Cliffs Irrigation Settlement Parish of Merbein', yet the Lands Department called it Merbein, reputedly an aboriginal name of a local sandhill. 'Merebin', the preferred spelling by many settlers, was claimed to be the original spelling on the surveyor's notes, but incorrectly transferred to maps. On an '1863 Map of the Grazing Leases in Mildura', Merbein is spelt as it is today. The local aborigines identified the Merbein cliffs area as 'Mondellemin'. Confusion with the NSW township of White Cliffs, had E.J. Kenny, the first 'Officer in Charge of the Merbein irrigation Area', change the settlement's name officially from White Cliffs to Merbein.
With E.J. Kenny supervising the forming of the irrigation channels and the installation of steam powered irrigation pumps, adjacent to the white cliffs, Merbein soon developed into one of the most prosperous and finest examples of closer settlement under irrigation conditions in the State. Soldier settlement blocks were established in Birdwoodton (1917), Merbein West (1918), Birdwoodton 2nd Allocation (1919), Birdwoodton 3rd allocation (1920/21) and the Birdwoodton extension. In 1914 W.B. Chaffey's cliff top winery and distillery, later known as 'Mildara', crushed its first grapes and the Mildura co-operative Fruit Co Ltd. and the Irymple Packing Company P/L, quickly established packing sheds to handle the settlement's first citrus and dried fruits.
E.J. Kenny, acknowledged as the 'Father of Merbein', died suddenly on the 18th July, 1925 and Kenny Park was named in his honour.
Merbein continues to be a successful irrigation district, diversifying from the growing of dried grapes and citrus to a wide variety of wine and table grapes, asparagus, mushrooms and vegetables. As well as a wine bottling and packaging industry and a vegetable juicing facility, Merbein has also developed as a regional transport hub for the export of district products.
