By Discover the Riverland · · 4 min read
From paddle-steamer history to clifftop sunsets and craft beer on the water, here’s how to spend 48 hours in Renmark.
Renmark wears its history lightly. Founded in 1887 as Australia’s first irrigation settlement, it’s now the relaxed riverside capital of the Riverland - and a perfect base for a weekend.
Saturday
Start on the riverfront, where date palms line the bank and the historic paddle steamer PS Industry sits berthed at the rotunda. Grab a coffee, watch the pelicans, then head to 23rd Street Distillery for a mid-morning tasting flight of their award-winning gins. For lunch, drive upstream to Woolshed Brewery at Wilkadene Station, where craft beer is poured on a deck right on the water. There is no kitchen, so build a grazing platter, use the BBQ or catch a weekend food truck - arrive by boat if you can.
In the afternoon, cross to Paringa and climb to the Headings Cliffs lookout, where the river spreads out far below. Stay for sunset; the ochre cliffs glow gold and the floodplain forest darkens beneath you.
Sunday
Begin at Angove Family Winemakers in Renmark, five generations deep in wine and St Agnes brandy, for a relaxed tasting at the family's home cellar door (check opening hours at https://angove.com.au/visit-renmark/ before you go).
Spend the rest of the day on the water. Hire a kayak or a day boat, drift the quiet bends, and fish or swim as the mood takes you. Round it off with a long riverside dinner as houseboats glide past in the dusk.
Where to stay
For the full Riverland experience, sleep on the river itself aboard a hire houseboat - or settle into a riverside cabin and let the birdsong wake you.
