top: The Chaffey Pump.  This is the original pump installed by the Chaffeys when irrigation was first brought to the Sunraysia district.  The pump is now preserved near the art gallery (Mildura).
From vintage postcards:  In 1887, George and William Chaffey selected land in this barren area of red soil and stunted growth. They were Californians.  However, with the ample waters of the Murray River at hand, abundant sunshine and a dry climate the area, at the corner where the states of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales meet, was to turn from land valued at 2/6 an acre into a fabulous district of patterned greenery with values up to five hundred pounds an acre.
Geogre Chaffey, an engineer, knew the miracles worked by irrigation and saw the possibilities in this area. Nowadays, the Sunraysia district consists of a hundred square miles of properties planted to vines, mixed fruits and vegetable growing.

In 2011, the story unfolds with current debate about suvival of the Murray-Darling rivers, water usage and long-term management.
From Nucolorvue Post Cards.