4 December 2025
Generations of the Roach family came together this week at Roach’s Reservoir in Yanco to pay tribute to their pioneering ancestors, the namesakes of the facility.
Family historian Jeanne Roach shared the remarkable journey that began in 1853 when Nicholas Roach sailed from Cornwall, England, aboard the Merlyn with his three sons.
“Three years later, his wife Sabina joined him, and the family settled in Ballarat,” Mrs Roach explained.
After the Eureka Stockade, Nicholas and Sabina moved, with their seven children, to a property between Narrandera and Yanco known as Bona-Fide Farm. There, the Roach family became trailblazers, introducing potato and wheat crops to the region.
For decades, the area was known as Roach’s Siding.
Murrumbidgee Irrigation (MI) CEO, Philip Holliday, said hosting the Roach family was a privilege.
“The Roach family were among the first farmers in this district, so it’s fitting that the reservoir now supports today’s irrigators,” Mr Holliday said.
“This reservoir provides critical surge capacity through our integrated channel network, enabling higher flow rates during peak demand. It’s a major boost for farm productivity, reducing ordering and shutdown times while maintaining service efficiency.”
Beyond productivity gains, Roach’s Reservoir strengthens water security for crops like citrus during winter and ensures reliable town water supply. It also allows MI to deliver ‘off the grid’ during high-demand periods, including targeted environmental flows along the Murrumbidgee River.
The Yanco site was chosen for its strategic location high in the system, ideal soil conditions, and natural gravity-feed advantages, making it the perfect home for this vital infrastructure.