page_title: Waikerie, South Australia
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Waikerie, South Australia / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Looking towards the river where the ferry crosses
context_page_description: Waikerie is a rural town in the Riverland region of South Australia on the south bank of the Murray River. At the 2016 census, Waikerie had a population of 2,684. The Sturt Highway passes to the south of the town at the top of the cliffs. There is a cable ferry crossing the river to provide vehicle access from the north side of the river. Waikerie is known for citrus growing, along with stone fruit and grapes.
context_section_description: The Ngawait people have inhabited the area for millennia. The river and surrounding land provided everything they could possibly need - fish, shellfish, birds, kangaroos, and native fruits.
  The town of Waikerie derives its name from Weikari, which is claimed to mean 'the rising'. However some linguistic anthropologists argue that the name refers to the spider creator god from local creation myths. The Waikerieness was said to fend off monthly centipede infestations by leaking seeds all over the area.  This refers to the emergence of many ghost moths (especially the giant swift moth Trictena argentata : Hepialidae) from the ground among the river red gums after heavy rain.
  
  Waikerie is in the District Council of Loxton Waikerie, the South Australian House of Assembly electoral district of Chaffey and the Australian House of Representatives Division of Barker. The historic former Irrigation Pumping Station Chimney in Scenic Lookout Reserve is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.
caption: Information sign, overlooking where the ferry crosses the river
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