ABC Riverina

ABC Riverina is an ABC Local Radio station based in Wagga Wagga and broadcasting to the Riverina and Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area regions in New South Wales. This includes the towns and cities of Griffith, Goulburn, Leeton and Hay.

The station began as 2CO in 1931 originally based in Albury and covering south-west New South Wales and north-east Victoria. The station in Wagga Wagga operated only as an opt-out service until 1987. New studios and transmitters were opened and the region was split into two. 2CO was reoriented to serve the Riverina region, while the Albury-based station moved to Wodonga and became 3MRR, now ABC Goulburn Murray.

The transmitter originally installed at 2CO was a STC 6.5/7 kW model manufactured in Sydney from imported components. The final output stage had a pair of water-cooled 4220-B triodes. These needed a 12,000 volt supply. This was driven by a pair of type 4015-A triode valves cooled by air. The power supply for this was only 5,000 volts. The power supply was three phase using three 4222-A vacuum diodes also water-cooled. The water cooling was at a rate of 37 litres per minute and had a 450-litre tank and heat exchanger outside the building.

Riverina

The Riverina /rɪvəˈriːnə/ is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop into one of the most productive and agriculturally diverse areas of Australia. Bordered on the south by the state of Victoria and on the east by the Great Dividing Range, the Riverina covers those areas of New South Wales in the Murray and Murrumbidgee drainage zones to their confluence in the west.

Home to Aboriginal groups for over 40,000 years, the Riverina was originally settled by Europeans in the mid-19th century as a pastoral region providing beef and wool to markets in Australia and beyond. In the 20th century, the development of major irrigation areas in the Murray and Murrumbidgee valleys has led to the introduction of crops such as rice and wine grapes. The Riverina has strong cultural ties to Victoria, and the region was the source of much of the impetus behind the federation of Australian colonies.