The Murray–Darling Basin

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r N Kilometres a Legend W Chesterton Range N.P. Charleville State border Produced by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority Mitchell Kingaroy Roma Maroochydore Quilpie Morven Highway (MDBA), Canberra (2017). Cheepie Miles Data acquired from the following sources: River/creek ine River Chinchilla B ndam r Co is b River/creek outside MDB State borders, roads, towns, national parks: a k n e e r e M Condamine r r Geoscience Australia e e R City Town/city outside MDB a v v C i i i v r R l Dalby e R a e (pop. ≥30,000) a n r n n Major water storage Rivers/creeks/streams/reservoirs/lakes/locks: o h o o l o c a Surat l l a e B u City/town Geoscience Australia e R Wetland or natural lake B B Wyandra i v Tara (pop. 10,000–29,999) e Ramsar wetland Weirs, salt interception schemes: MDBA r Gatton Brisbane Town Reserve/park/forest Basin boundaries: Dept Environment QUEENSLAND (pop. 1,000–9,999) Irrigation areas (indicative)* Toowoomba Geographical coordinates, DATUM: GDA 1994 Thrushton iver Township National nie R Snowy Mountains area ek Park oo Cooper Cre k M r Moonie (pop. ≤999) Ramsar sites: Dept Environment e Beardmore Reservoir ve Millmerran Thargomindah e Ri Lock and/or weir r St George r C Bollon i e r W Allora Snowy Mountains area: CSIRO e e n Tweed Heads- Salt interception scheme i iv b Jack Taylor Weir R e Cunnamulla k e Coolangatta N n e n e o * Combines data provided by the states to give a picture of irrigation districts in Australia. The dataset does r l Warwick C a B Inglewood a not show actual on-ground irrigation but rather administrative boundaries for irrigation. The definitions of l a l l Goondiwindi a Coolmunda Reservoir irrigation districts for each state differ and as a result boundaries are larger or grouped in some states. g k n e u r Stanthorpe e Currawinya N.P. ive r Currawinya Lakes M R ) C a D o cintyre River QL i r lg Dirranbandi Ma D ( k e u u er c iv C ma iv Lismore le Hungerford R Culgoa N.P. re Texas R e o sq rn iz ro e t a R v S P iv e LENGTH OF MAJOR RIVERS IN THE MURRAY–DARLING BASIN (Not to map scale) Mungindi er S Goodooga Tenterfield

Torrington State MURRAY 2,508 km er iv Gwydir R Recreation Area R iver Pindari Reservoir C DARLING 1,545 km ie ver la rr Ri Lightning Ridge Se r r i n Moree vern e ve B r ra Riv nc MURRUMBIDGEE 1,485 km i Enngonia e ar er (N e R iv N SW) River go R Warialda e ra LACHLAN 1,339 km rr a Me a kh hi River W Bo M CONDAMINE-CULGOA 1,195 km ac Wanaaring Narran Lake int Glen Innes Grafton er yre Nocoleche Narran Lakes iv Inverell Ri MACQUARIE 1,076 km R ver Nature on Reserve arw Copeton Reservoir WARREGO 830 km Bourke Weir B Walgett r e iv R BARWON 700 km Bourke Brewarrina Wee Waa Mann Na Bundarra Coffs Harbour NAMOI 700 km moi River Mt. Kaputar N.P. PAROO 640 km Narrabri Armidale BOGAN 600 km Gundabooka N.P. Louth Byrock Pilliga West Uralla GOULBURN 560 km State Forest Split Rock k Manilla Reservoir Paroo–Darling e GWYDIR 560 km National Park e Macquarie Marshes r Pilliga C White Cliffs er Nature Keepit Reservoir Maclea CASTLEREAGH 550 km iv s y R g R M Coonamble Reserve x ive n o rli a r a c C LODDON 390 km D q Paroo–Darling u a Tamworth State Conservation Area r i Gunnedah WIMMERA 290 km e Coonabarabran Chaffey Reservoir

R i v Warrambungle e Gulargambone N.P. Port Macquarie r C a Cobar s Werris Creek Wilcannia t Nyngan le re Warren ag h R iver Coolah er iv Coolbaggie Goonoo er R M gar Riv r annin Nature State lbra te g Riv Broken Hill Ta n er Reserve Forest u Dubbo H Menindee Main Weir Tottenham B og Dunedoo an G Muswellbrook R Narromine oulburn River iv Menindee er Lakes Menindee Burrendong NEW SOUTH WALES Tullamore Reservoir Port Augusta Weir 32 Wellington Mudgee Kinchega N.P. IE H unt Windamere er R Goobang N.P. iv Yathong Reservoir er ch ran State Forest Round Hill ab Nature Reserve Rylstone Newcastle Peterborough An Ivanhoe g r in ive Condobolin SOUTH rl n R a Willandra la D Creek ch Port Pirie t La a e Lake Cargelligo Parkes Danggali r Portland G Conservation Pooncarie Lake Cargelligo Forbes Orange bury R kes iver AUSTRALIA Park aw H Lake Brewster Lithgow er Bathurst iv Hillston R ng Willandra Lakes region Lake Cowal Carcoar Reservoir Burra rli Da Mungo N.P. Grenfell Cowra Oberon Sydney Goolgowi Clare Booligal B Morgan Lock 6 la Riverland West Wyalong n Wyangala Reservoir R Lake Victoria d ive y Lock 5 Wentworth C r Murra Lock 9 Cocoparra N.P. r e r Lock 3 Lock 7 Great Cumbung e e Mildura k iv Wollongong Lock 2 Lock 8 Lock 10 Mallee Cliffs N.P. Swamp Griffith R ly Banrock Station il Renmark Lock 11 d M n Barmera Lock 4 urrum Crookwell o bidge ll Blanchetown e Riv o Murray River N.P. er Hanwood Young Lock 1 Robinvale W Gawler Fivebough– Loxton Balranald Tuckerbil Temora Boorowa Swan Reach Lock 15 Hay Goulburn Australia’s three longest rivers Hattah– Leeton Kulkyne Cootamundra Murray Sunset N.P. Lakes River Nowra run through the Basin. However, Billiat Conservation Mu Adelaide Mannum Hattah Hattah Lakes rra Oolambeyan N.P. Narrandera Park y Yanga N.P. Hattah-Kulkyne N.P. Yass in the driest inhabited continent on k Wagga Wagga Murray Bridge Moulamein ree N Bi C Lake earth, less than 6% of rainfall makes iem llab nco Gundagai er Karoonda Ouyen ur ong Ya Burrinjuck George iv Tooleybuc Riv Cre Lockhart R Lake er Werai Forest ek Reservoir n Pinnaroo E ve it into these slow flowing rivers. The Alexandrina dw Tumut Brindabella N.P. a ar lh d R Canberra a W iv T o Murray–Darling system carries one of Swan Hill e u h Clayton Tailem Bend Murrayville a r S Lower Lakes and k Bi m Blowering ool Jerilderie llabo Coorong Ri n u Goolwa Sea Lake ver Deniliquin g Reservoir Ginini the world’s smallest flow volumes for its C Henty t ACT Lake Albert re Flats Barrages ek R T Finley i Tinderry Murray Mouth Big Desert Wyperfeld N.P. Kerang upp v Batemans Bay Barham al e Nature Meningie Wilderness Hopetoun Wetlands Koondrook–Perricoota Cree size — many creeks and wetlands receiving k r Namadgi N.P. Reserve The Coorong Park Forest Millewa Forest Tumbarumba Gunbower Talbingo Lake Albacutya Torrumbarry Weir Kerang Forest R Tocumwal Reservoir water only in times of above-average rainfall. ive r M Lake Mulwala River Murray ur Barmah Forest Cabramurra For comparison, the average yearly flow of the Keith ray Albury Maragle State Forest Lake Hindmarsh Kow Swamp Yarrawonga Weir Corowa Hume Reservoir Adaminaby River Murray is less than the daily flow of Brazil’s L Echuca Gou Broken Cr Khancoban o lb Lake Buloke urn eek Wodonga Nhill d Riv Amazon river. d er M Kosciuszko Cooma o Wangaratta O i N.P. Donald r n v tt e Shepparton e a Bordertown A R ns M iv v r R K itt Blue Lake o i e i a R c v iv e R n a e iv B er iv Little Desert N.P. r ro w er The Basin has significant social, economic and o R R ke s i n Winton Wetlands a Horsham Avo v Bega d n R er e R R Dartmouth r iv p iv a e Benalla i r Bendigo s Waranga Basin e v h r Reservoir environmental value. More than two million a e c i p Mt. Buffalo N.P. r Alpine N.P. R m Snow Cairn a y Kingston SE Wimme Lake Nillahcootie Bright Rive people live there, including people from many C r ra R Curran ive Eppalock r Reservoir Reservoir Seymour Aboriginal Nations whose spiritual connection to the Maryborough Goulbur Mansfield Alpine N.P. Omeo Eden n Ri Halls Gap Tullaroop ver Eildon Reservoir environment dates back tens of thousands of years. Reservoir iver Grampians N.P. nelg R The Basin is Australia’s most important agricultural Gle Kinglake N.P. Lake Eildon N.P. Mi tch Ararat el region and produces around one-third of our food l R Sunbury i r ve e r iv Ballarat and billions of dollars for the national economy. R s Mount n Bairnsdale i Agriculture and associated industries helped to k ve Hamilton p rra Ri r Gambier o Ya H VICTORIA Melbourne create, and continue to support, the Basin’s towns and L Lakes Entrance a T rob diverse communities. e Ri Sale Cranbourne ver Portland Warrnambool Geelong Traralgon A challenge in managing the Basin’s resources is delivering sufficient water for people, crops and livestock while maintaining a healthy environment. Sixteen of scan this QR code with its more than 30,000 wetlands are Ramsar listed as internationally-important a phone or tablet to habitats. Many plant and animal species are declining (including the much- check out our website: loved river red gum) and at least 95 species are threatened. Factors involved mdba gov.au www. . include taking too much water for human use (especially when combined with drought) and controls on the way water moves around (eg dams and weirs).

Significant floods and droughts Rainfall variability Murray–Darling Basin 30,000 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 rainfall anomaly (mm) 1895 1917 1952 1956 1974 1993 1997 2007–16 Start of the Flooding along Flooding in the Highest Basin inflows Widespread flooding Flooding across Beginning of longest drought 25,000 ‘Federation Drought’ the River Murray River Murray in recorded history across the Basin, QLD, NSW in Australia’s recorded history Above 500 which lasts for 7 years cause widespread known as the ‘big wet’ and Victoria 1950 400 to 499 1914 1921 Record rainfall flooding 2000 causes widespread Murray Mouth Severe drought Flooding across 300 to 399 20,000 leads to the end flooding in Condamine closes and the entire Basin 1981 requires of commercial and Warrego rivers Drought forces 2010-11 dredging 200 to 299 navigation on the Adelaide to take Widespread flooding Murray and 1931 90% of its water throughout the Basin 100 to 199 Darling rivers Flooding along 1944 1968 from the Murray. Severe drought Due to severe 15,000 1909 the River Murray The Murray Mouth 50 to 99 Flood in the throughout NSW, drought, Hume Dam 2013-15 closes for the first Extreme dry Murray and Vic and SA. falls to 1% of capacity time in recorded conditions in (WET) AVERAGE ABOVE 0 to 49 Wimmera rivers Murray ceases to history 2006 Northern 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 flow in some areas Lowest Basin -49 to 0 Flow (GL per year) Flow 10,000 inflows on record -99 to -50 -199 to -100 5,000 -299 to -200 -399 to -300 Jan 0 2017 -499 to -400 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Below -500 BELOW AVERAGE (DRY) AVERAGE BELOW

Water inflows in the Murray–Darling Basin can be highly Looking closer at the graph you will notice that above–average Rainfall throughout Australia can be variable. The The rainfall maps show that there was significant highly variable. Regulation structures managed by variability in rainfall anomalies from year to year in variable from year to year and differ between the north and flows in the northern and southern Basin do not necessarily Northern basin annual flows Murray–Darling Basin is no exception to this. The the MDBA in cooperation with Basin states such as south. coincide. What might be a very wet year with higher flows in Flow measured on Darling River at Bourke annual rainfall anomaly graphic (above) illustrates this the Murray–Darling Basin. For example, in 2008 a dams and weirs assist in maintaining appropriate the southern Basin does not always turn out to be a wet year Southern basin annual flows variability throughout the Basin. significant proportion of the northern Basin was wetter water supply through drought periods. Flows of the Darling River at Bourke (shaded light blue) are Flow measured on River Murray at Euston with higher flows in the northern Basin and vice versa. In than average, while the southern Basin experienced generally representative of flows in the northern Basin rivers. An annual rainfall anomaly is a measurement of the (Data source: Bureau of Meteorology) 1909, for example, the Murray experienced flow levels almost drier than normal conditions throughout. Across the Flows of the River Murray at Euston (shaded dark blue), are difference between actual rainfall received in any year twice its average and it flooded. Average annual flow levels entire Basin, 2010 stands out as an extremely wet year, generally representative of flows in the southern Basin rivers. compared to the long-term average rainfall. If a given while 2007 was very dry throughout the Basin. © Murray–Darling Basin The Darling at Bourke experienced flows of about half its location experiences a year where it receives above The River Murray peaks of 1917, 1931, 1952, 1956, 1974, Authority for and on behalf of the average. There are years such as 1950 where the flows for the average precipitation, the rainfall anomaly will have One of the challenges faced by the Murray–Darling Commonwealth of Australia, 2017. 1993 and 2010 are particularly prominent. The Darling had Darling were almost 10 times its average, and the Murray only Basin Authority in managing the water resources of the With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, the MDBA two peaks in the early and mid 1950s and three peaks in the a positive number (shades of blue). If a location has a slightly above average. Basin is delivering sufficient water for both human and logo, all photographs, graphics and trade marks, this publication is 1970s. The three periods 1895–1902, 1940–48 and 1998–2010 drier than average year, the rainfall anomaly will be a provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. negative number (shades of red). environmental needs on an ongoing basis, as rainfall is were dry in both the northern and southern Basin. (Data source: MDBA/Bureau of Meteorology) MDBA publication number: 07/17 MDBA696