$12.7 million for South Australia’s River Murray communities
Friday 16 October 2026 Regions
Round 1 of South Australia’s Sustainable Communities Program has delivered $12.7 million for a suite of projects that will drive economic diversification, innovation and growth, enhance liveability, and support sustainable communities along South Australia’s River Murray communities into the future.
Funding is supporting feasibility studies and investment-ready projects across South Australia’s River Murray communities, including initiatives to increase processing capacity and diversification for primary producers, strengthen regional health services, increase retirement living, support housing and infrastructure development, and expand tourism and accommodation.
Round 1 has delivered more than $3.5 million for projects that will benefit River Murray primary producers, $3 million towards local health and retirement living projects in the region, $1.5 million to support housing growth and $4.6 million to support tourism and accommodation along South Australia’s River Murray. All projects from this round have now been announced.
Round 1 investment ready projects (2026)
| Organisation | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Berri Barmera Council | Increase capacity of community wastewater management system pump stations to supply up to 750 residential allotments in the Berri West Growth Precinct | $910,019 |
| Bridge Watersport Park | Create SA’s first cable wakeboard park, a new recreation attraction for Murray Bridge | $1,750,000 |
| Culgoa Vineyards | Food grade olive oil processing and bottling facility for Riverland growers | $974,691 |
| District Council of Loxton Waikerie | Build 22 new 2-bedroom units in Loxton Retirement Village | $2,200,000 |
| Nippy's Waikerie Producers | Expansion and modernisation of fruit grading equipment to double local fruit processing capacity | $640,889 |
| Nor West Bend Station | Improvements to a heritage-listed destination including riverfront landscaping and wheelchair access, and entry road upgrades to cater for motorbikes, vintage cars and caravans | $100,609 |
| Pike River Constant Caire | Riverland Clearwater flagship tourism experience for the Renmark Paringa region | $775,000 |
| Renmark Hotel | Build 20 new riverfront rooms for tourists and workers | $1,950,000 |
| Renmark Medical Clinic | Renovation, expansion and doctor recruitment | $828,936 |
| Venus Citrus | Water-saving, environmental and cold sterilisation storage infrastructure upgrades to minimise fruit loss, support export and help strengthen the state’s response to fruit fly market access requirements supporting more than 60 local growers | $1,718,264 |
Round 1 investment feasibility projects (2026)
| Organisation | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Berri Barmera Council | Develop a costed infrastructure plan for the Berri West Growth Precinct, unlocking up to 750 residential allotments | $128,048 |
| Coorong District Council | Investigate critical infrastructure needs to support sustainable future residential growth of the Wellington East community | $185,570 |
| Langhorne Creek Grape and Wine Inc. | Land and water use feasibility study to support Langhorne Creek’s transition to a more diverse and sustainable irrigated horticulture region | $50,000 |
| Regional Development Australia Murraylands and Riverland Inc. | Riverland Advanced Food Transformation Hub to evaluate the feasibility of a multi-stream value add processing centre for the Riverland | $67,200 |
| Renmark Paringa Council | Master planning and infrastructure design to unlock 12.5 hectares of serviced industrial land at Calperum Industrial Estate and reduce reliance on water from the River Murray | $250,000 |
| Riverland Winegrape Growers Association | CCA post remediation pilot and commercial feasibility study to address a major waste challenge for the wine industry and investigate a potential new circular economy industry for the region | $70,000 |
| The Trustee for 174 Causeway Road Unit Trust | Develop a comprehensive business case for nature-based tourism development Riverside Paringa Eco Tourist Park | $52,250 |
| Waikerie Hotel Motel | Feasibility study to assess the viability of developing high-end tourism accommodation to attract higher-yield visitors to the region | $50,000 |
The South Australian Sustainable Communities Program is a Commonwealth-funded program supporting community-led and industry-led projects aimed at minimising the potential socio-economic impacts of water recovery under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Each project has been assessed and approved for funding by the Malinauskas Government through the state’s Department of Primary Industries and Regions.
For more information about South Australia's Sustainable Communities Program visit the Sustainable Communities Program.
Photo: Grant Schwartzkopff