The 1956 Murray River flood was the then largest flood ever recorded in South Australia.

Heavy rains in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria eventually caused exceptional flooding along the length of the Murray River in South Australia. Riverside towns and farms were inundated and in some places, floodwaters were many kilometres wide. Approximately 800 homes and holiday house were flooded and orchards and crops were destroyed, in some cases taking the agricultural industry years to recover. While the flood peak was reached in late August, some places remained underwater for six months.