The town is known for farming and is part what is informally called the "fruit bowl" or "food bowl", the growing region roughly made of the Coomealla and Sunraysia irrigation districts fed by the Darling and Murray rivers. Produce farmed in Merbein include grapes, citrus, mushrooms, green beans, asparagus and pistachios.
Merbein Hotel
Merbein is also home of Mildara Wines, a winery W B Chaffey had built in 1913 for the first intake of grapes in 1914. The winery, originally known as the Mildura Distillery and Winery, stands on a 30-metre sandstone cliff near Pump Hill.
The settlement was originally known as White Cliffs because of its river white cliffs. It was intended to be renamed "Merebin", reputedly an Aboriginal name of a local sandhill, but it was mistakenly registered as "Merbein" instead.
The post office opened on 16 August 1909.[3] In 1912 the irrigation settlement's name was officially changed to Merbein.
E.J. Kenny was the first Officer in Charge of the State Rivers & Water Supply Commission of Victoria Irrigation Area established in 1909. The hot climate and the distance from markets saw the settlement quickly change from dairying to the growing of the less perishable crops of citrus and grapes for drying and spirit making.
Soldier settlement blocks were established in Birdwoodton and Merbein West during and after WW1 and many streets were named after local soldiers who died in WW1. The district's horticulture and viticultural industries also attracted many European immigrants to the area.
Kenny, known as the 'Father of Merbein'[by whom?], died suddenly in 1925 and his contribution to the success of the settlement was acknowledged with the naming of Kenny Park. Today, Merbein continues to be an irrigation district, diversifying from the growing of dried grapes and citrus to a wide variety of wine and table grapes, asparagus, almonds, mushrooms and vegetables. As well as a wine bottling and packaging industry and a vegetable juicing facility, Merbein has also developed as a regional transport hub for the export of district products.
Sporting clubs include the Merbein Football and Netball Club (Magpies) based at Kenny Park, the Merbein South Cricket Club and Saints Baseball Club both based at Chaffey Park, Mildura City Soccer Club, as well as the Merbein Cobras Basketball club. Merbein also has recreational and sporting facilities such as football, cricket and soccer grounds, a swimming pool, lawn bowling and croquet greens, tennis and netball courts, a golf club and formed walking tracks at the Merbein Common.
Other sporting groups are located in the area including tennis, swimming, Tae Kwon Do, and soccer.
Golfers play at the Merbein Golf Club course on McEdward Street.[5]
The Merbein Cobras is the town club in the MBA (Mildura Basketball Association) that trains at Merbein P-10 College.
Education
Students from Prep through to year 10 attend Merbein P-10 College. The school underwent improvements after it was converted in 2013 from a High school (years 7 to year 10), into a Prep to year 10. Prior to the redevelopment there were three small primary school campuses, located at Merbein, Merbein West, Merbein South. These sites have since been abandoned, and all students are located at the previous Merbein Secondary College Campus.
