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An image showing the outline of the Mallee and Sunraysia region which is predominantly contained within the Rural City of Mildura

Sunraysia is an area of northwestern Victoria and southwestern New South Wales in Australia, known for its sunshine, grapes and oranges. Its main centre is Mildura.

Sunraysia was a name derived from a contest that entrepreneur Jack De Garis had held as part of a promotion in 1919 on behalf of the Australian Dried Fruits Association. The public were invited to submit a name which described the dried fruits grown in the Mildura district. The winning name was Sun-Raysed, and this was extended to describe the district as Sunraysia. De Garis's 1920 established newspaper Sunraysia Daily borrowed the name accordingly.¹

The area of Victoria to the west of Sunraysia is known as the Millewa, the main distinction being that Sunraysia is the irrigated area and Millewa is the dryland cropping area.

Education facilities

The Sunraysia Institute of TAFE and the Sunraysia campus of the La Trobe University, are located on Benetook Ave between 11th and 14th Streets.

Newspapers

The main newspaper that services the region is the Sunraysia Daily, and is published every day except for Sundays. Sunraysia is also serviced by two free papers; the Mildura Midweek published on Wednesdays, the Mildura Weekly published on Fridays. The Mildura Independent was another free weekly, published from 1982 to 2007.

My Mildura is a free monthly magazine. There are also a number of paid weeklies covering smaller areas within Sunraysia.

Jack De Garis promoting "Sun-Raysed", a coined word which later became "Sunraysia"

Fruit disposal bins and warning signs along the Calder Highway, approaching Mildura. The Sunraysia region is located in the Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone.

Storage silo at Merrinee, Victoria.

References