Riverina

Riverina New South Wales
The Murrumbidgee River at Wagga Wagga
Coordinates	35°S 146°E / 35°S 146°E / -35; 146
Population	161,595 – 282,501 (2019)[a]
LGA(s)	Various
State electorate(s)	Albury Cootamundra Murray Wagga Wagga
Federal division(s)	Farrer Riverina
Localities around Riverina: Far West Central West South West Slopes Far West Riverina South West Slopes Victorian Alps

The Riverina (/ˌrɪvəˈriːnə/)^[1] is an agricultural region of southwestern New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop into one of the most productive and agriculturally diverse areas of Australia. Bordered on the south by the state of Victoria and on the east by the Great Dividing Range, the Riverina covers those areas of New South Wales in the Murray and Murrumbidgee drainage zones to their confluence in the west.

Home to Aboriginal groups including the Wiradjuri people for over 40,000 years, the Riverina was colonised by Europeans in the mid-19th century as a pastoral region providing beef and wool to markets in Australia and beyond. In the 20th century, the development of major irrigation areas in the Murray and Murrumbidgee valleys has led to the introduction of crops such as rice and wine grapes. The Riverina has strong cultural ties to Victoria, and the region was the source of much of the impetus behind the federation of Australian colonies.

Major population and service centres in the Riverina include the cities of Wagga Wagga, Leeton, Griffith and Albury. Wagga Wagga is home to a campus of Charles Sturt University and two major Australian Defence Force establishments. La Trobe University has a campus in Albury–Wodonga, located just across the state border in Wodonga, Victoria.

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