Loxton - Culture and History

Above the river there is the Sturt Memorial which celebrates the fact that Charles Sturt passed through the area on the 30 January 1830. He rowed downstream past Loxton and thus was the first European into the area. Prior to the arrival of Sturt it is thought the Yuyu Aborigines lived in the district.

The town was named after William Charles Loxton, a boundary rider on Bookpurnong Station, who lived beside the river in Loxton's hut from 1878-1881. By 1895 the district had been settled by predominantly German settlers who used the land for sheep and wheat. The town itself is relatively recent. It was named as recently as 1907. After World War II the War Service Land Settlement Scheme opened up the land (an irrigation scheme ensured the blocks of land had access to good supplies of water) to small holdings and large numbers of ex-servicemen moved into the area to grow grapes, citrus and stone fruits. This caused the town to grow quite rapidly so that it is now one of the most modern and substantial towns on the Murray River.