Diamantina-Warburton River System

The Channel Country derived its name from the multi-channelled nature of the rivers, that in their entirety spread across parts of two states and one territory: Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory. The Channel Country rivers are ranked as the most highly variable in the world, flowing toward (but only periodically reaching) Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, the terminal point in this inwardly draining system.

The South Australian reaches of the Georgina–Diamantina catchment are characterised by iconic rivers, creeks and wetlands, such as Goyder Lagoon, Diamantina and Warburton Rivers, Eyre Creek and Kallakoopah Creek. The catchment has an unregulated flow regime with low water extraction and is a significant example, at a global scale, of a low gradient, intermittent, dryland river characterised by the ‘boom and bust’ dynamics that are characteristic of Australian arid and semi-arid environments. The boom-bust sequence is driven by the inter- annual variability in flow, with the Diamantina River having one of the most variable flow regimes in the world.

Birdsville NORTHERN TERRITORY QUEENSLAND

SOUTH AUSTRALIA SOUTH AUSTRALIA Pandie Pandie Diamantina Homestead River Permanent waterholes are Birdsville dryland river refuges sustained by a naturally functioning The combined waters of the Diamantina and Track hydrological regime.

the Georgina rivers fill Goyder Lagoon which Alton Downs Homestead Andrewilla Yammakira drains to Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre via the Waterhole Waterhole Warburton River and Kallakoopah Creek. Koonchera GOYDER Waterhole LAGOON

Clifton Hills SIMPSON Homestead DESERT Creek STURT’S STONY DESERT River Coongie Lake

Kallakoopah

Macumba

Warburton Walkers Crossing Nappa Merrie

Kalamurina Cowarie River Wildlife Homestead River Innamincka Sanctuary Track Warburton

Mungerannie Homestead Mungerannie Cooper Creek Hotel Moomba

TIRARI Birdsville DESERT Lake Appadare

Creek

Mulka Lake Hope Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Track Homestead

Lake Strzelecki Killalpaninna Lake Kopperamanna Killalpaninna Mission Ruin Cooper Creek Crossing The Lake Eyre Basin contains some of the few Etadunna Strzelecki Homestead remaining naturally functioning, unregulated dryland river systems on earth. The biodiversity values of the Diamantina River critically depend on maintaining Dulkaninna this natural hydrological regime.​ Homestead

Clayton Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Homestead (South)

Lake Harry

Marree NEW SOUTH WALES

Photos courtesy of DEWNR.