A service town for a large irrigated area that was the centre of the largest war service settlement scheme in South Australia.

Where is it?: Murray Riverlands. 255 km north east of Adelaide; 14 metres above sea level.

Murray River National Park - Katarapko: offers an opportunity to explore the district's mallee and floodplain. Visitors can enjoy camping, fishing, canoeing, birdwatching, picnicking and bushwalking along such trails as the Kai Kai Nature Trail and the Cragg's Hut Walk (both 30-minute easy strolls) and the one-hour Ngak Indau Walking Trail. The 6 km Mallee Drive offers glimpses of multi-stemmed trees, sand goannas, parrots and kangaroos. Ph. (08) 8595 2111.

The Tree of Knowledge in the river side picnic grounds, displays the year and level of all the Murray floods - the marker for 1956 (out of the photo) shows that was the big one.

The Award winning Loxton Historical Village is a step back in time experience with 38 fully furnished buildings and sites exhibiting farm equipment, machinery and household items used by the early settlers .

Natural features: Murray River; Kia Kia Nature Trail; Katarapko Game Reserve; Habels Bend; Moore's Forest (8 km north); Kapunda Island Conservation Park; Media Island Conservation Park; Rilli Island Conservation Park

Built features: wineries; Loxton Soldiers Memorial; Katarapko Game Reserve and Conservation Park; River Lock No. 4.

Heritage features: The School of Arts; historic Peppercorn Tree planted in 1878 by William Charles Loxton.

Origin of name: recalls William Charles Loxton, a boundary rider on Bookpurnong Station, who lived beside the river here in a pine and pug hut from 1878 to 1881. The town was named in 1907.

Brief history: Prior to the arrival of white settlers, it is believed that the Yuyu Aborigines occupied the district. The first Europeans were predominantly of German origin, and began arriving in the 1890s. After World War II the town was the centre of an extensive soldier resettlement scheme which offered small irrigated holdings to returned servicemen on which to grow grapes, citrus and stone fruits.