Mildura postcode history: Chaffey brothers, world’s longest bar, Davis Cup, Siesta Fiesta
From the world’s longest bar, to a Mediterranean-style “siesta”, to a bizarre moment in Aussie sporting history, Mildura finds ways to stand out. Here’s a look at postcode 3500.
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After years of drought in Victoria, then-state Minister and future Prime Minister Alfred Deakin took an interest in the government setting up an irrigation colony.
A trip to California began the process of recruiting Canadian engineer brothers George and William Chaffey to do just that.
The brothers selected Mildura, at the time a sheep station, for their project and in 1887 the settlement was established.
“Settlers” began arriving, seeking out a new life using water irrigated from the Murray, and it was during those tough initial years that the Mildura of today began to take shape.
Having arrived from the United States, the Chaffey brothers brought with them the concept of numbered streets, meaning people today might live or work on Eighth St, Eleventh St or Fifteenth St.
Get far enough out of town and you’ll make it to Twenty Fourth St.
Roads in the opposite direction are typically named avenues, with the most prominent of these being Deakin Ave.
The Murray River and sunny weather, with more than 3000 sunshine hours per year, help power both the tourism and agriculture industries.
Sunraysia became the name given to the broader region after a competition to describe its dried fruits came up with “Sun-Raysed”.
Irrigated horticulture today includes a mix of table grapes, wine grapes, dried grapes, citrus, vegetables and nuts.
Over the years, Mildura has accumulated several claims to fame.
The Mildura Working Man’s Club on Deakin Ave once had the world’s longest bar, running about 91m, although this was replaced by what the club describes as “a more serviceable bar” in 1995.
Mildura’s sporting exports include famous footballers and motorsport icons, but to some sports trivia buffs, tennis will come to mind.
It April 1998, Australia’s Davis Cup team headed to the grass courts of the Mildura Lawn Tennis Club to host its first-round tie against Zimbabwe, who were making their first appearance in the World Group.
In a shock result, Zimbabwe upset the Aussies, semi-finalists the previous year.
Mildura’s climate also puts it in the headlines.
Dust storms are not uncommon, especially during dry years, when nearby topsoil becomes vulnerable to gusty conditions.
In summer, temperatures frequently make it into the 40s and sometimes mid-40s.
The hottest day at the town’s current weather station, active since 1946, was when the mercury hit 46.9 degrees in January 1990.
During the summer of 1991-92, the city introduced a Mediterranean-style “siesta” in the middle of the day, mostly as a marketing idea, but at least partly as an escape from the searing heat.
As of the 2016 Census, the 3500 postcode was home to 32,738 sun-lovers.
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Contact reporter Michael DiFabrizio
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