The Murray–Darling Basin

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Carnarvon N.P. Bundaberg

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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 Basin border Canberra (2014). Cheepie Miles Data acquired from the following sources: Highway ine River Chinchilla B ndam r Co is b River/creek State borders, roads, towns, national parks: a k n e e r e M Condamine r r Geoscience Australia e e R River/creek outside M–DB a v v C i i i v r R l Dalby e R a e a n r n n City Town/city outside M–DB Rivers/creeks/streams/reservoirs/lakes/locks: o h o o l o c a Surat l l a (pop. ≥30,000) e B u Geoscience Australia e R Major water storage B B Wyandra i v Tara e City/Town Wetland or natural lake Weirs, salt interception schemes: MDBA r (pop. 10,000–29,999) Gatton Brisbane Ramsar wetland Basin boundaries: SEWPaC, 2008 QUEENSLAND Town Reserve/park/forest Toowoomba Geographical coordinates, DATUM: GDA 1994 Thrushton (pop. 1,000–9,999) iver National nie R Irrigation district* ek Park oo Cooper Cre k M r Moonie Ramsar sites: SEWPaC e Beardmore Reservoir ve Millmerran Township Thargomindah e Ri Snowy Mountains area r St George r C Bollon i e (pop. ≤999) r W Allora Snowy Mountains area: CSIRO e e n Tweed Heads- Lock and/or weir i iv b Jack Taylor Weir R e Cunnamulla k e Coolangatta N n Salt interception scheme N e n e o r l Warwick C a B Inglewood a l a l * Combines data provided by the states to give a picture of irrigation districts in Australia. The dataset does l a Goondiwindi g Coolmunda Reservoir k n e not show actual on-ground irrigation but rather administrative0 boundaries50 for irrigation. 100 The definitions of u r Stanthorpe e Currawinya N.P. ive r Currawinya Lakes M R ) C a D o cintyre River QL irrigation districts for each state differ i and as a result boundaries are larger or grouped in some states. r lg Dirranbandi Ma D ( k e u u er c iv C m iv e Kilometres a Lismore l Hungerford R Culgoa N.P. re Texas R e o sq rn iz ro e t a R v S P iv e Mungindi er S Goodooga Tenterfield

Torrington State er LENGTH OF MAJOR RIVERS IN THE MURRAY–DARLING BASIN (Not to map scale) iv Gwydir R Recreation Area R iver Pindari Reservoir C ie ver la rr Ri Lightning Ridge Se r r i n Moree vern e DARLING 2740 km ve B r ra Riv nc i Enngonia e ar er (N e R iv N SW) River go R Warialda MURRAY 2530 km e ra rr a Me a kh hi Riv River F W o er MURRUMBIDGEErome 1690 km B Ma Wanaaring Narran Lake cin Grafton r tyr Glen Innes CONDAMINE-CULGOA 1375 km Narran Lakes ve Inverell e R Nocoleche Ri ive Nature n r wo LACHLAN 1370 km Reserve ar Copeton Reservoir Bourke Weir B Walgett r e iv MACQUARIE 950 km R Bourke Brewarrina Wee Waa Mann WARREGO 830 km Na Bundarra Coffs Harbour moi River Mt. Kaputar N.P. NAMOI 700 km Narrabri

PAROO 640 km Gundabooka N.P. Armidale Louth Byrock Pilliga West Uralla BOGAN 600 km State Forest Split Rock

Paroo–Darling k Manilla Reservoir GOULBURN 560 km e National Park e Macquarie Marshes r Pilliga C White Cliffs er Keepit Reservoir acle GWYDIR 560 km iv Nature s M ay R g R M Coonamble Reserve x ive n o rli a r CASTLEREAGH 550 km a c C D q Paroo–Darling u a Tamworth LODDON 390 km State Conservation Area r i Gunnedah e Coonabarabran Chaffey Reservoir

R 290 km i WIMMERA 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 run Hattah– Leeton Kulkyne Cootamundra Murray Sunset N.P. Lakes River Nowra through the Basin. However, in the Billiat Conservation Mu Adelaide Mannum Hattah Hattah Lakes rra Oolambeyan N.P. Narrandera Park y Yanga N.P. Hattah-Kulkyne N.P. Yass driest inhabited continent on earth, k Wagga Wagga Murray Bridge Moulamein ree N Bi C Lake less than 6% of rainfall makes it into 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 these slow flowing rivers. The Murray– Alexandrina dw Tumut Brindabella N.P. a ar lh d R Canberra a W iv T o Darling system therefore 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 Basin’s largest river is less than the daily flow of L Echuca Gou Broken Cr Khancoban o lb Lake Buloke urn eek Wodonga Nhill d Riv Brazil’s 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 people 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 live there, including from many Aboriginal nations C r ra R Curran ive Eppalock r Reservoir Reservoir Seymour whose spiritual connection to its environment dates Maryborough Goulbur Mansfield Alpine N.P. Omeo Eden n Ri Halls Gap Tullaroop ver Eildon Reservoir back many thousands of years. Australia’s most Reservoir iver Grampians N.P. nelg R important agricultural region, the Basin produces Gle Kinglake N.P. Lake Eildon N.P. Mi tch Ararat el around one-third of our food supply and billions l R Sunbury i r ve e r iv Ballarat of dollars for the national economy. Agriculture R s Mount n Bairnsdale i and associated industries helped to create, and k ve Hamilton p rra Ri r Gambier o Ya H VICTORIA Melbourne continue to support, the Basin’s towns and diverse L Lakes Entrance a T rob communities. e Ri Sale Cranbourne ver Portland Warrnambool Geelong Traralgon A challenge in managing the Basin’s resources is delivering sufficient water for both humans and a healthy environment. Sixteen of its 30,000 wetlands are Ramsar Convention listed as internationally-important habitat. However, many plant and animal species are declining (including the much-loved river red gum) and at least 95 are threatened. Factors involved include taking too much water for human use (especially when combined with periodic drought) and controls on the way water moves around (eg. dams and weirs).

Significant flood and drought events Rainfall variability Murray–Darling Basin 30,000 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Rainfall anomaly 1895 1917 1952 1956 1974 1993 1997 2004–2013 (mm) 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 Below -500 which lasts for 7 years 1950 cause widespread known as the ‘big wet’ and Victoria 1914 1921 Record rainfall flooding -499 to -400 causes widespread 2000 Severe drought Flooding across Murray Mouth closes and flooding in Condamine 20,000 leads to the end the entire Basin 1981 requires dredging -399 to -300 of commercial and Warrego rivers Drought forces navigation on the Adelaide to take -299 to -200 Murray and 1931 90% of its water 2006 1944 1968 Lowest water Darling rivers Flooding along from the Murray. -199 to -100 Severe drought Due to severe inflows on record 15,000 1909 the River Murray The Murray Mouth Flood in the throughout NSW, drought, Hume Dam closes for the first Murray and Vic and SA. falls to 1% of capacity -99 to -50 time in recorded 2010-11 Wimmera rivers Murray ceases to Widespread flooding history

flow in some areas throughout the Basin (DRY) AVERAGE BELOW -49 to 0

Flow (GL per year) Flow 10,000 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 0 to 49 June 2013 50 to 99 5,000 100 to 199 200 to 299 0 300 to 399 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 400 to 499 Above 500 Water inflows in the Murray–Darling Basin can be highly in the early and mid 1950s and three peaks in the 1970s. The (WET) AVERAGE ABOVE variable from year to year and differ between the north and three periods 1895-1902, 1940-1948 and 1998-2010 were dry Northern basin annual flows Flow measured on Darling River at Bourke Rainfall throughout Australia can be generally The plots for the years 2004–2013 show that within the rainfall is highly variable. Regulation structures south. This above graphic of the last 116 years of river flows in both the northern and southern Basin. described as variable. The Murray–Darling Basin is no Murray–Darling Basin, there was significant variability managed by MDBA in cooperation with basin states of the River Murray at Euston and the Darling River at Bourke Southern basin annual flows Looking closer at the graph you will notice that above–average Flow measured on River Murray at Euston exception to this. The annual rainfall anomaly graphic in rainfall anomalies from year to year. For example, such as dams and weirs assist in maintaining demonstrates this. flows in the northern and southern Basin do not necessarily (above) illustrates this variability throughout the in 2008 a significant proportion of the northern Basin appropriate water supply through drought periods. Average annual flow levels Murray–Darling Basin. was wetter than average, while the southern Basin Flows of the Darling River at Bourke (shaded light blue) can coincide. What might be a very wet year with higher flows in (Data source: Bureau of Meteorology) experienced drier than normal conditions throughout. be seen to be generally representative of flows in the northern the southern Basin does not always turn out to be a wet year An annual rainfall anomaly is a measurement of the Across the entire Basin, 2010 stands out as an Basin rivers. Flows of the River Murray at Euston (shaded with higher flows in the northern Basin and vice versa. Take difference between actual rainfall received in any year extremely wet year, while 2006 and 2007 were very dry dark blue), can be seen to be generally representative of flows the year 1909; the Murray experienced flow levels almost compared to the long-term average rainfall. If a given in the southern Basin rivers. twice its average and it flooded. The Darling at Bourke years throughout the Basin. location experiences a year where it receives above © Murray–Darling Basin experienced flows of about half its average. There are years There are obvious peaks of well above average–flows, as well average precipitation, the rainfall anomaly will have One of the challenges faced by the Murray–Darling Authority for and on behalf of the such as 1950 where the flows for the Darling were almost 10 Commonwealth of Australia, 2014. as troughs for significant periods of below–average flows. The a positive number (shades of blue). If a location has a Basin Authority in managing the water resources of times its average, and the Murray only slightly above average. With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, the MDBA River Murray peaks of 1917, 1931, 1952, 1956, 1974, 1993 and drier than average year, the rainfall anomaly will be a the Basin is delivering sufficient water for both human logo, all photographs, graphics and trade marks, this publication is 2010 are particularly prominent. The Darling has two peaks (Data source: MDBA/ Bureau of Meteorology) negative number (shades of red). and environmental needs on an ongoing basis, where provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence.