Riverland Photographic Exhibition: Ron views the exhibits at this Riverland region of South Australia exhibition

The Riverland is affectionately known as the 'fruit bowl' of South Australia. But a little more than a century ago the citrus and olive groves were part of Bookmark Station - sheep country on the dry River Murray floodplains.

At Olivewood, the home of Canadian Charles Chaffey, who's irrigation know-how helped transform the mallee into what we see today, the story of the Riverland is told in an amazing collection of early photographs.

The images and the array of cameras on display are the life's work of legendary Renmark photographer, Clem Reiners, who opened the first photographic studio in the Riverland.

"Clem Reiners was an Englishman who had recently married," explained Heather Everingham. "He came out here in 1895 and he did all sorts of jobs around the town until he started a photographic studio in 1898."

Clem travelled the countryside on his bike armed with his trusty camera and his box of glass plate negatives.

"He went all over the Riverland from Morgan to over the New South Wales border and along the way he would photograph the development of the settlements. We're talking unmade sandy roads; we're not talking about bitumen.

"As well as being a studio photographer, he was also documenting the growth of the towns. And that's why the pictures are so valuable. He's got people at work and at play - he's documented every aspect of life in a small township."

From fishermen with their amazing hauls of Murray Cod to the paddlesteamers that called into the river towns - Clem Reiners recorded it all.

"We're looking at a group of English settlers who were very interested in sending photos of the fruit and their blocks back to England. The whole process of fruit growing, particularly the drying stages was a novel thing to people back home."

Back then there wasn't a dripper or spray to be seen as open channels funnelled the water to fruit trees and vines miles and miles from the main river channel. Today we'd call these 'blocks' and those who settled here 'blockies' but in the early days when Clem was snapping away with his cameras, the locals had a grander description.

"Rather than call them blocks, they called them plantations or estates. They would give them names that had a relation to the old country - whether they came from Stirling or India. As a result we have places with names like Bangalore. Names that had some connection to their earlier life."

Clem Renier's amazing photographic insight into life in the Riverland is on show at Olivewood on the corner of the Sturt Highway and 21st Street at Renmark. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Olivewood Estate
Cnr Sturt Highway & 21st Street
Renmark
Open Thurs - Mon 10am to 4pm
Tues 2pm - 4pm

Published 13th August 2006