If you've never seen one of Sunraysia's most important pieces of history actually working, this weekend gives you the chance.
The historic Psyche Bend Steam Pumping Station near Mildura is set to come alive again during the September school holidays, giving locals and visitors the chance to see the massive old steam-driven machinery in operation rather than simply sitting quietly inside the pump house.
Located at Psyche Bend near Kings Billabong, the pumps played a major role in establishing Mildura as an irrigation district and helped transform what was once dry Mallee country into the productive horticultural region we know today.
It's also one of those local attractions that can easily be overlooked. Plenty of us have driven past the turn-off countless times without ever heading down to see exactly what's sitting beside the Murray.
📅 Sunday 27 September 2026
📍 Psyche Bend Pumping Station, Psyche Bend Road, Nichols Point
🌿 Located beside the Murray River at Kings Billabong
A machine that helped build Mildura
The story of Psyche Bend goes right back to the beginnings of Mildura's irrigation settlement.
The pumping station was developed as part of the ambitious irrigation system established by Canadian brothers George and William Benjamin Chaffey in the late 1800s. Water was lifted from the Murray River into Kings Billabong before being distributed through a network of channels to farms across the developing Mildura irrigation settlement.
The huge triple-expansion steam engine was coupled to centrifugal pumps and represented remarkable engineering for its time. The pumping system became an important part of the infrastructure that allowed irrigated agriculture to spread across the district.
The historic steam equipment eventually gave way to modern electric pumping, but rather than disappearing altogether, the old machinery was preserved.
More than 130 years later, it still runs
What makes Psyche Pumps particularly interesting isn't simply its age. The original pump house survives and the restored machinery can still be fired up and demonstrated.
The historic engine and pumps were restored through years of work by local volunteers, allowing new generations to experience a piece of machinery that helped shape the development of Mildura and Sunraysia.
I visited Psyche Pumps previously for Out & About Sunraysia and filmed the old machinery running. You can watch that video here to get an idea of the size of the equipment — although standing inside the building while it's operating is a completely different experience.
There's steam, noise and plenty of movement, and when you look at the size of the machinery it's pretty remarkable to think that this technology was being used beside the Murray more than 130 years ago.
Worth a look during the Mildura school holidays
For families looking for something different to do around Mildura during the September school holidays, Psyche Pumps offers the chance to see a piece of local history doing what it was built to do.
It's also a reminder of just how closely Sunraysia's story is tied to the Murray River. Long before today's electric irrigation pumps, pipelines and automated systems, machinery like this was doing the hard work of lifting river water into the irrigation network.
Even if old machinery normally isn't your thing, there's something impressive about seeing equipment of this size and age moving under steam.
And with Psyche Bend sitting alongside Kings Billabong Wildlife Reserve, it's easy to combine a visit to the pumping station with a look around one of Mildura's best-known river and wetland areas.
Where is Psyche Bend Pumping Station?
Psyche Bend Pumping Station is east of Mildura at Kings Billabong, near Nichols Point. The easiest access is via Psyche Bend Road.
If you've lived in Sunraysia for years but have never actually seen the Psyche Pumps running, this weekend might be a good excuse to finally make the trip out.
