ABC Riverland

26/08/2026

One of the presiding members of South Australia's Indigenous Voice to Parliament and representative of the Riverland and South East regions, Danni Smith, had been charged with aggravated assault, but the charges have been dropped.

Ms Smith pleaded guilty to a single charge of disturbing the peace.

Assault charges against Danni Smith, a presiding member on SA's Indigenous Voice to Parliament, have been dropped.

26/08/2026

Happy National Meals on Wheels Day! 🍽🚚

Renmark volunteers gathered to celebrate the day, shining a light on the nationwide movement of nutrition and care that has supported communities for more than 70 years.

Mark Trowse has been volunteering with the Renmark branch for 12 years and said the experience has been fulfilling. ❤️

"It's not just feeding people, it's also about welfare," he said.

"If you look around, we are all not 50 anymore and who knows, we might need [the service] one day too."

24/08/2026

Hundreds of people turned out on Sunday morning for the unveiling of a bronze statue honouring Grant Telfer at Monash Adventure Park.

The Lone Gum and Monash Community Association raised $40,000 for the statue commemorating the late engineer and free spirit as he was best remembered — barefoot on his bike.

His daughter Alison Halupka said while it had taken seven years to realise the project, it was wonderful to have such a great turnout for the celebration.

"I've heard so many stories today from people about him and that's been really special," she said.

22/08/2026

The term "bike gang" is usually associated with Harley-Davidson motorcycles, tattoos and rule-breakers, but a group of young Riverland boys are offering a different take. 🚴

It comes as experts say young people benefit from being able to take mediated risks and explore their environment. 🌳

Some boys in regional South Australia are changing what it means to be in a bike gang, one pedal at a time.

21/08/2026

Welcome to the Riverland, Shaq! 👋

Malaysian Indigenous artist and activist Shaq Koyok is visiting the region after partnering with local First Nations artist Kat Bell as part of an intercultural exchange.

The pair has been conducting workshops with locals at the Renmark Institute this week in collaboration with Ramble Arts.

Shaq has been creating puppets of Murray Crayfish for a parade on the Berri Riverfront next month. 🦞

"They look like prehistoric creatures, I've never seen anything like that," he said.

"It's quite inspiring how kids here are really into art and working together. To see it, and be involved together with them, I find it so joyful."

The work will also form part of an exhibition at the Museum of Discovery (MOD) in Adelaide next year.

There is a final workshop happening on Sunday at Ramble Arts called Postcards and Puppets.

Listen back to the full interview on Riverland Breakfast on the ABC Listen app: https://ab.co/ABCListenApp

21/08/2026

South Australia has recorded its first case of Japanese encephalitis virus since 2022. 🦟

SA Health says its free Japanese encephalitis virus vaccine program will come to a conclusion at the end of October.

The most recent case of Japanese encephalitis was detected and notified after a traveller presented with symptoms upon returning from South East Asia.

SA Health's executive director of communicable diseases Noel Lally said he encourages anyone who hasn't yet been vaccinated to do so. 💉

"Presence of these diseases changes week to week across the world, so we strongly encourage anybody going overseas to seek advice from a specialised travel medicine provider," he said.

21/08/2026

Riverland growers came together this week to discuss how to future-proof their farming. 🌱

The Riverland Protected Cropping Expo was hosted in Berri yesterday by CCW Cooperative and the Northern Adelaide Plains Food Cluster.

The event was an opportunity for growers to learn about intensive cropping systems that allow produce to be grown in a controlled environment year round.

It's being considered by some as a way to diversify their business, and protect it from climate change.

Loveday wine grape grower Ravinder Singh said he was glad he attended but is waiting to find out grape prices for next year to consider whether it's financial viable to invest in the technology.

"We are nearly four years without income," Mr Singh told ABC Rural reporter Eliza Berlage.

"We need to have at least one good season ... maybe we do something [different] next year."

20/08/2026

Have you noticed a delayed blossom bloom this year? 🌸

Australian Almond Board chief executive Tim Jackson said while the cold weather has delayed budburst, they are now ready to go and the bees are keen! 🐝

He said the observations aren't specific to the Riverland, with many regions experiencing similar conditions.

"You'd like a nice overlap between varieties and prolonged over a four-week period, but the experts are telling me that this [year] has the potential to be a far quicker bloom in a shorter space than what we'd prefer," he said.

Show us your almond tree snaps below! 📸

19/08/2026

This weekend students from Loxton High School will be taking the stage for two performances of cabaret! 🎶

The program will run Friday and Sunday with a whopping 17 acts from 36 students.

Performing arts teacher Owen Selby told Breakfast presenter Stephanie Nitschke that the kids lead the show. 🎤

"They get to rehearse their own music and perform what they want to perform," he said.

"That leads to a real variety [and] means the students get to showcase what they really want to do."

Year 12 music captain and drummer Callum is leading the stage band this year, and said he loves the opportunity to perform.

"Just being able to do something I really enjoy in front of people and showing off my skills and talents makes me feel pretty good when I go to bed," he said.

"We're smashing it - we sound really good." ❤️

Listen back to ABC Riverland Breakfast: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/riverland-breakfast

18/08/2026

Have you noticed the river is flowing faster? 🏊

A wet winter across the southern Murray Darling Basin has increased flows at South Australia's border to approximately 22.5 gigalitres a day.

It's significantly more than SA has received in the previous two years and the Department for Environment and Water expects flows will increase again in September.

Wet winter conditions across southern Australia have brought increased flows into South Australia's River Murray.