The Cobdogla Irrigation and Steam Museum is about irrigation, engines, pumps, tractors, and the machinery that made the Riverland's orchards possible. That may sound niche, but it is exactly the kind of local museum that explains why this dry landscape looks the way it does.
Check before going, because access and opening arrangements have changed in recent years. If it is open, the Humphrey Pump and the old industrial machinery make a strong companion to Barmera's lake and Loveday's wartime history.