The Riverland area covers approximately 24,000 square kilometres along the River Murray and through to the Victorian border. It is predominantly flat agricultural country incorporating both irrigated and dry land farming. The main road from Adelaide to Sydney and Melbourne pass through the region.
The area is served by the Riverland Division of General Practice Inc. The towns are classified as ASGC-RA 2-4 (inner regional to remote).
In the Riverland there are 7 medical clinics and 5 hospitals.
The major towns serviced by the Division are Waikerie, Barmera, Berri, Loxton and Renmark. A significant Aboriginal population is located in the township of Gerard.
The major industries in the region are: viticulture, citrus, stone fruits, dry land farming and tourism. All irrigation activities are severely affected by the drought and low commodity prices. Irrigators only have access to 55% of their water allocation for 2010.
The population of 41,000 people grows seasonally as a large transient group of people are drawn to the region for seasonal employment and tourism.
Since 2001 there have been an increasing number of migrants and refugees settling in the region, through both skilled migration and refugee resettlement programs.
The region includes people from at least 63 different nationalities and 11% of the region’s population are of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
The Division has membership comprising from the region’s General Practitioners and a significant number of associate members including interns, registrars, trainees, medical students, practice managers, health professionals and other staff working in general practice.
Unique identifiers for the Riverland region include an ageing population, drought affected farmers, high incidences of asthma, type 2 diabetes, chronic heart disease, mental health, obesity and an increase in suicide.