 Large scale irrigation commenced with the establishment of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area ( MIA ) in 1912 which diverted water from the Murrumbidgee River near Narrandera . The River Murray Waters Agreement of 1915 allowed 26 weirs to be constructed with locks to provide permanent riverboat access to Echuca . When riverboat transport was no longer significant , the weirs supported irrigation . Irrigation in the region continued to develop with the construction of the Hume Dam between 1919 and 1931 , the Burrinjuck Dam built in 1928 and <unk> Dam built in 1968 . 
