The Riverlanderer

One of Berri’s most iconic landmarks, The Big Orange, has been viciously destroyed in the early hours of Sunday morning, after several Berri police officers raised their weapons towards it, shooting it to pieces.

Police spokesperson Ian Flate is calling it ‘an error in judgement’, but insists the officers had good intentions.

“A judgement call had to be made, and the officers did what they believed to be in the best interest of the town’s safety,” Spokesperson Ian claimed.

“Several other western nations have detected Chinese spy balloons in their airspace scouting out strategic zones, and due to this our own police force has been on high alert. As many of you are aware, Berri is home to several valuable military assets, including some which are undisclosed and classified, so it’s not unreasonable to believe that a Chinese spy balloon could be gathering intel in our area,” he continued.

While The Big Orange has not been open to the public since 2021, it has still remained a distinctive feature of the town. SA Police are yet to comment regarding the repair plan for The Big Orange.

The Riverlanderer will update as this story develops.

The flooding of 2022 has devastated the Riverland region, and alongside the flood waters are a host of other issues. More water means more breeding grounds for insects, particularly mosquitoes, and the riverside town of Renmark has experienced this worse than anywhere else.

“We’re seeing a record number of mosquitoes currently, it’s a nightmare,“

“We have to implement drastic measures to deal with them,” claims Renmark mayor Moss Kiedis.

“Earlier this month we sent a request to the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, to ask for a live import of cane toads, and because it’s a native species and somewhat endangered it did take a while for the process to happen. But after almost a month of waiting we’ve finally received our 5000 native cane toads, hungry and ready to dig in to some bugs. Our hope is that they will have a devastating effect on the new mosquito population,” the mayor continued.

The Renmark mayor has stated that this shipment is the only the first batch, and more cane toads will be arriving if they are found to be effective.

The Riverlanderer will update as this story develops.

The Murray River is reaching levels not seen since the 1970’s, and local councils are getting concerned. Numerous meetings have been held between the town’s councils, along with SA Water, in order to find a solution to deal with the increased water coming into the Murray.

“It’s really quite simple,” claims SA Water spokesman Mark Rivera.

“We need to be using more water than what is currently flowing into the Murray. With 73,000 people in the Riverland, each resident only needs to use around 2.7 million litres of water per day to offset the expected 200 gigaliters of daily flow. With a few extra glasses of water per day and some extra-long showers, I think this is a pretty reasonable step we can take to protect our towns from the flooding,” he continued.

However some residents have taken issue with this strategy, claiming they can’t afford to be using 2.7 million litres of water per day.

“With the current water prices, that’s not something I can afford,” says Berri resident Bill Reed.

“To use 2.7 million litres would cost me well over $8000 per day, it’s just not realistic to spend that much on water, even for a good cause. SA Water is absolutely clueless if they think anyone here can afford that,” he continued.

SA Water has taken these criticisms into consideration, and are proposing a temporary 20% reduction in water usage charges.

The Riverlanderer will update as this story develops.

With La Niña in full swing, the Riverland region has been hit hard by the increased rain, and Murray River levels are expected to reach a level not seen since the 1970’s. The rising waters have caused a lot of residents to prepare for the worst, but local wildlife experts are claiming the flooding is ‘a blessing in disguise’.

“This extra volume in our local waters is incredibly beneficial for the native water creatures.”

Local wildlife expert Anna Mall explains.

“We’re seeing several native species, including some that were on the brink of extinction, coming back in larger numbers and thriving. The most successful of these ones being the native Australian carp, whose numbers were at a dangerously low level prior to the flooding.” She continued.

This increase in the carp population brings a huge morale boost to the town of Cobdogla, after their Cobdogla Carp RFL team suffered a devastating loss earlier this year.

The Riverlanderer will update as this story develops.

The Renmark council has once again come under fire from the town’s ratepayers, after a recent town meeting ended in controversy. The council revealed its allocations of the 2022 financial year budget, much to the townspeople’s disamusement. With a majority of the budget going towards upgrades to boost the town’s tourism industry, residents were claiming they were ‘fed up’ with injecting money into what they believe is a lost cause.

“We’re sick and tired of this happening year after year,” claims a local resident who wishes to remain anonymous.

“The council is so dead set on pumping money into nothing but tourism, and we the people of the town get nothing. The ratepayers who fund the council should have more say, and receive more of a benefit from the money we put into the town,” she continued.

The townspeople of Renmark have stated that their needs aren’t being met, and the council is not interested in providing the facilities that they’re asking for.

“What we really want in Renmark is a really big hole in the ground. For years this is all we’ve been asking for and yet the council still ignores us. The money being wasted on frivolous luxuries to attract tourists, such as the new town clock, the waterfront park, and the new bridge, could instead be used to fund the equipment and the workers to dig a really big hole in the ground for the town to admire,” said passionate Renmark resident Wayne Spade.

The Riverlanderer will update as this story continues.

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II has been a shock to the world. Australia is particularly close to the royal family, and many organisations today will be flying their flags at half-mast as a sign of respect. The Reserve Bank of Australia however, has taken quite a different approach.

“It was the right thing to do,” claimed a RBA board member.

“Out of respect for the Queen, we will be raising interest rates by half a percent, rather than the planned full percent. We know times are tough, and we’d really like to keep increasing the rate by at least 1%, but it’s customary during these times of mourning to raise it by only half a percent,” he continued.

The RBA has stated that this small increase is only a temporary measure, and that next interest rate rise will be significantly higher.

The Riverlanderer will update as this story develops.

If you’ve never heard of secret underground club nights, it’s hardly surprising. Being secret and underground, only a select group of people normally spread the word amongst themselves about such events through whispers in dark alleys, or via coded messages attached to the legs of specially trained carrier pigeons. This, however, is not much good for the organisers of secret events, as secrecy doesn’t bring in the big bucks. A beloved local Riverland DJ & event organiser believes he has found the solution though. ‘Skrillez’ spoke exclusively to The Riverlanderer about his innovative new method of spreading the word about secret underground events.

“Extensive public advertising,” he revealed.

“It’s so simple really, yet nobody before me has thought of it. I’m quite proud of that fact.”

Skrillez, along with his usual group of local DJ friends, has a secret underground party planned for this very weekend. When asked about how it can be regarded as secret or underground when the venue, date, time and pretty much all the details are being vigorously promoted for weeks leading up to the event like literally every other DJ night, Skrillez had this to say:

“Well the thing is, nobody knows about it apart from people who use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter or Google. Or people who listen to the radio… or people who look at posters and flyers. It’s very hush-hush… very low-key. You just have to be in the know.”

Skrillez is an innovator who smashes through the boundaries of tradition. Up until now, secret underground parties have been held in places like private warehouses or remote properties. This weekend’s event however, is being held in a popular town’s public function centre, right opposite the Riverland’s busiest fast food hub. (Note: The Riverlanderer is not revealing the name of the town in the interest of maintaining the element of secrecy).

“Nobody saw this coming,” said Skrillez.

“After years of planning, my DJs and I will be creating a ‘counter culture’ to the mainstream.”

Although the night will be using the same DJs as non-secret events, playing the same music as non-secret events, and the same group of party-goers are expected to attend who also attend all the non-secret events, Skrillez believes the name of the event alone is enough to generate an atmosphere of mystery and exclusivity. Is everyone really going to buy it though?

“People will believe what I tell them to believe,” said Skrillez with a grin.

For more information, Google ‘Renmark secret underground party’.

It’s been 25 years since the iconic Berri Bridge finished construction, connecting the land between Berri and Loxton. While residents have praised the functionality of the bridge, many have also celebrated its beauty, and after receiving many suggestions, the council has finally approved a business to start offering bridge climbs. ‘Berri Bridge Xtreme Climbing Adventures’ will be launching at the start of September, offering different climbing experiences for both locals and tourists.

“We believe we can offer an experience to rival the Sydney Harbour Bridge,” claims head of Berri Bridge Xtreme Climbing Adventures, Bridget West.

“The Sydney Harbour Bridge brings in over 100,000 climbers each year, we think we can match that. This really is a unique opportunity to put Berri on the map. At $115 per climb for the basic package, this will bring in a huge amount of revenue for the town, and locals are welcome too! We’re even offering a 2% discount for any Berri residents who purchase a climbing experience during the opening week,” Bridget continued.

The Berri Council claims this will be a worthwhile investment, and that the initial rates increase for Berri residents will pay off over time as more and more tourists visit the region.

“With a humble rates increase of 30% we can fund what could be the state’s largest tourist attraction,” a Berri Council spokesperson claims.

The Riverlanderer will update as this story develops.