Murray River

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For other uses, see Murray River (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Murray River (Western Australia).
Murray River
(Millewa / Tongala)
Map of the Murray River, south-eastern Australia.tif
The course of the Murray River (click to enlarge)
Location
Country Australia
State New South Wales, South Australia Victoria
Cities Albury, Wodonga, Echuca, Swan Hill, Mildura, Renmark, Murray Bridge
Physical characteristics
Source Cowombat Flat
• location Australian Alps, NSW
• coordinates 36°47′46″S 148°11′40″E
• elevation 1,430 m (4,690 ft)
Mouth Murray Mouth
• location
near Goolwa, South Australia
• coordinates
35°33′32″S 138°52′48″ECoordinates: 35°33′32″S 138°52′48″E
• elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length 2,508 km (1,558 mi)
Basin size 1,061,469 km2 (409,835 sq mi)
Discharge
• average 767 m3/s (27,100 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left Mitta Mitta River, Kiewa River, Ovens River, Goulburn River, Campaspe
River, Loddon River
• right Swampy Plains River, Murrumbidgee River, Darling River
Lower course of the Murray River at Murray Bridge
The confluence of the Murray River and Murrumbidgee River near the town of Boundary
Bend

The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray)[note 1] (Ngarrindjeri: Millewa,
Yorta Yorta: Tongala)[2] is a river in south-eastern Australia. It is Australia's
longest river at 2,508 km (1,558 mi) extent.[3] Its tributaries include five of the
next six longest rivers of Australia (the Murrumbidgee, Darling, Lachlan, Warrego
and Paroo Rivers). Together with that of the Murray, the catchments of these rivers
form the Murray–Darling basin, which covers about one-seventh the area of
Australia. It is widely considered Australia's most important irrigated region.

The Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's
highest mountains, then meanders northwest across Australia's inland plains,
forming the border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria as it flows
into South Australia. From an east–west direction it turns south at Morgan for its
final 315 km (196 mi), reaching the eastern edge of Lake Alexandrina, which
fluctuates in salinity. The water then flows through several channels around
Hindmarsh Island and Mundoo Island. There it is joined by lagoon water from The
Coorong to the south-east before emptying into the Great Australian Bight (often
referenced on Australian maps as the Southern Ocean) through the Murray Mouth, 10
km (6.2 mi) east of Goolwa South.[4] Despite discharging considerable volumes of
water at times, particularly before the advent of large-scale river regulation, the
waters at the Murray Mouth are almost invariably slow and shallow.

As of 2010, the Murray River system received 58 per cent of its natural flow; the
figure varies considerably.[5]

The border between Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) lies along the top of the
southern or left bank of the Murray River.[6]
Contents

1 Geography
1.1 Major settlements
2 River life
3 Ancient history
3.1 Lake Bungunnia
3.2 Cadell Fault and formation of the Barmah red gum forests
4 Murray mouth
5 Mythology
6 History
6.1 European exploration
7 River transport
7.1 River crossings
8 Water storage and irrigation
8.1 Reservoirs
8.2 Barrages
8.3 Locks
9 Notes
10 References
11 Further reading
12 See also
13 External links

Geography

The Murray forms part of the 3,750 km (2,330 mi) long combined Murray–Darling river
system that drains most of inland of Victoria, New South Wales and southern
Queensland. The Murray carries only a small fraction of the water of comparably
sized rivers in other parts of the world, and with a great annual variability of
its flow. It has dried up completely during extreme droughts on three occasions
since official record-keeping began. More often, a sandbar formed at the mouth and
stopped the flow.

The Murray is the border between the Victoria and New South Wales – specifically at
the top of the bank of the Victorian side of the river.[7] In a 1980 judgement, the
High Court of Australia ruled on the question as to which state had jurisdiction in
the unlawful death of a man who was fishing by the river's edge on the Victorian
side of the river.[8] This boundary definition can be ambiguous, since the river
changes its course over time, and some of the river banks have been modified.

For 11 km (6.8 mi) west of the line of longitude 141°E,[note 2] the border is
between Victoria and South Australia, in the middle of the river.[9] The
discrepancy was caused during the 1840s, when the border was originally surveyed,
by an east–west miscalculation of 3.72 kilometres (2.31 miles). West of this
sector,[note 3] the Murray is entirely within the state of South Australia.
Major settlements

Major settlements along the course of the river, from its source to the Southern
Ocean, and their populations from the 2016 Australian Census are as follows.
Town Population Data
source
Albury–Wodonga 89,007 [10]
Yarrawonga–Mulwala 9,810 [11][12]
Echuca–Moama 18,526 [13][14]
Swan Hill 10,905 [15]
Mildura and Merbein 35,451 [16][17]
Renmark–Paringa 9,475 [18]
Berri 4,088 [19]
Loxton 4,568 [20]
Waikerie 1,632 [21]
Mannum 1,632 [22]
Murray Bridge 16,804 [23]
River life

The Murray and its tributaries support a variety of river life adapted to its
vagaries. This includes native fish such as the famous Murray cod, trout cod,
golden perch, Macquarie perch, silver perch, eel-tailed catfish, Australian smelt,
and western carp gudgeon, and other aquatic species such as the Murray short-necked
turtle, Murray Crayfish, broad-clawed yabbies, and the large-clawed Macrobrachium
shrimp, in addition to aquatic species more widely distributed through south-
eastern Australia such as common long-necked turtles, common yabbies, the small
claw-less paratya shrimp, water rats, and platypus. The Murray also supports
fringeing corridors and forests of the river red gum.

The health of the Murray has declined significantly since European settlement,
particularly through regulation of its flows. Much of its aquatic life is
declining, rare or endangered. Extreme droughts between 2000 and 2007 put
significant stress on river red gum forests, leading to mounting concern over their
long-term survival. The Murray has also flooded on occasion. The most significant
was the flood of 1956: lasting for up to six months, it inundated many towns on the
lower reaches of the river in South Australia.

Introduced fish species such as carp, gambusia, weather loach, redfin perch, brown
trout, and rainbow trout have also had serious negative effects on native fish. The
most pernicious are carp, which have contributed to environmental degradation of
the Murray and its tributaries by destroying aquatic plants and permanently raising
turbidity. In some segments, carp have become the only species found.
Ancient history
Lake Bungunnia

Between 2.5 and 0.5 million years ago, the Murray terminated in a vast freshwater
lake – Lake Bungunnia – formed by earth movements that blocked the river near Swan
Reach. At its maximum extent, Lake Bungunnia covered 33,000 km2 (12,741 sq mi),
extending to near the Menindee Lakes in the north and to near Boundary Bend in the
south.[24] The draining of Lake Bungunnia occurred approximately 600,000 years ago.
[25]

Deep clays deposited by the lake are evident in cliffs around Chowilla in South
Australia. Considerably higher rainfall would have been required to keep such a
lake full; the draining of Lake Bungunnia appears to have marked the end of a wet
phase in the history of the Murray–Darling Basin and the onset of widespread arid
conditions similar to today. A species of Neoceratodus lungfish existed in Lake
Bungunnia;[26] today Neoceratodus lungfish are only found in several Queensland
rivers.
Cadell Fault and formation of the Barmah red gum forests
Main article: Cadell Fault

The noted Barmah River red gum forests owe their existence to the Cadell Fault.
About 25,000 years ago, displacement occurred along this fault, raising its eastern
edge, which runs north–south, 8 to 12 m (26 to 39 ft) above the floodplain. This
created a complex series of events. A section of the original Murray River channel
immediately behind the fault was rendered abandoned (it exists today as an empty
channel known as Green Gully). The Goulburn River was dammed by the southern end of
the fault to create a natural lake.

The Murray River flowed to the north around the Cadell Fault, creating the channel
of the Edward River which exists today and through which much of the Murray's
waters still flow. Then the natural dam on the Goulburn River failed, the lake
drained, and the Murray changed its course to the south and started to flow through
the smaller Goulburn River channel, creating "The Barmah Choke" and "The Narrows"
(where the river channel is unusually narrow), before entering into the proper
Murray River channel again.

The primary result of the Cadell Fault – that the west-flowing water of the Murray
River strikes the north-south fault and diverts both north and south around the
fault in the two main channels (Edward and ancestral Goulburn) in addition to a fan
of small streams, and regularly floods a large amount of low-lying country in the
area. These conditions are perfect for River Red Gums, which rapidly formed forests
in the area. Thus the displacement of the Cadell Fault 25,000 BP led directly to
the formation of the famous Barmah River Red Gum Forests.

The Barmah Choke and The Narrows restrict the amount of water that can travel down
this part of the Murray. In times of flood and high irrigation flows the majority
of the water, in addition to flooding the Red Gum forests, actually travels through
the Edward River channel. The Murray has not had enough flow power to naturally
enlarge The Barmah Choke and The Narrows to increase the amount of water they can
carry.

The Cadell Fault is quite noticeable as a continuous, low, earthen embankment as

one drives into Barmah from the west, although to the untrained eye it may appear
man-made.
The confluence of the Darling and Murray Rivers at Wentworth, New South Wales
Murray mouth
Main article: Murray Mouth
Murray Mouth viewed from Hindmarsh Island

The Murray Mouth is the point at which the Murray River empties into the sea,[4]
and the interaction between its shallow, shifting and variable currents and the
open sea can be complex and unpredictable. During the peak period of Murray River
commerce (roughly 1855 to 1920), it presented a major impediment to the passage of
goods and produce between Adelaide and the Murray settlements, and many vessels
foundered or were wrecked there.

Since the early 2000s, dredging machines have operated at the Murray Mouth for 24
hours a day, moving sand from the channel to maintain a minimal flow from the sea
and into the Coorong's lagoon system. Without the dredging, the mouth would silt up
and close, cutting the supply of fresh sea-water into the Coorong National Park,
which would then warm up, stagnate and die.
Mythology

Being one of the major river systems on one of the driest continents on Earth, the
Murray has significant cultural relevance to Aboriginal Australians. According to
the people of Lake Alexandrina, the Murray was created by the tracks of the Great
Ancestor, Ngurunderi, as he pursued Pondi, the Murray Cod. The chase originated in
the interior of New South Wales. Ngurunderi pursued the fish (who, like many totem
animals in Aboriginal myths, is often portrayed as a man) on rafts (or lala) made
from red gums and continually launched spears at his target. But Pondi was a wily
prey and carved a weaving path, carving out the river's various tributaries.
Ngurunderi was forced to beach his rafts, and often create new ones as he changed
from reach to reach of the river.

At Kobathatang, Ngurunderi finally got lucky and struck Pondi in the tail with a
spear. However, the shock to the fish was so great it launched him forward in a
straight line to a place called Peindjalang, near Tailem Bend. Eager to rectify his
failure to catch his prey, the hunter and his two wives (sometimes the escaped
sibling wives of Waku and Kanu) hurried on, and took positions high on the cliff on
which Tailem Bend now stands. They sprung an ambush on Pondi only to fail again.
Ngurunderi set off in pursuit again but lost his prey as Pondi dived into Lake
Alexandrina. Ngurunderi and the women settled on the shore, only to suffer bad luck
with fishing, being plagued by a water fiend known as Muldjewangk. They later moved
to a more suitable spot at the site of present-day Ashville. The twin summits of
Mount Misery are said to be the remnants of his rafts; they are known as
Lalangengall or the two watercraft.

This story of a hunter pursuing a Murray cod that carved out the Murray persists in
numerous forms in various language groups that inhabit the enormous area spanned by
the Murray system. The Wotojobaluk people of Victoria tell of Totyerguil from the
area now known as Swan Hill, who ran out of spears while chasing Otchtout the cod.
History
European exploration

The first Europeans to encounter the river were Hamilton Hume and William Hovell,
who crossed the river where Albury now stands in 1824: Hume named it the Hume River
after his father. In 1830, Captain Charles Sturt reached the river after travelling
down its tributary the Murrumbidgee River and named it the Murray River in honour
of the then British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, Sir George Murray,
not realising it was the same river that Hume and Hovell had encountered further
upstream.

Sturt continued down the remaining length of the Murray to finally reach Lake
Alexandrina and the river's mouth. The vicinity of the Murray Mouth was explored
more thoroughly by Captain Collet Barker in 1831.

The first three settlers on the Murray River are known to have been James Collins
Hawker (explorer and surveyor) along with Edward John Eyre (explorer and later
Governor of Jamaica) plus E.B. Scott (onetime superintendent of Yatala Labour
Prison). Hawker is known to have sold his share in the Bungaree Station, which he
founded with his brothers, and relocated alongside the Murray at a site near
Moorundie.[27]

In 1852, Francis Cadell, in preparation for the launch of his steamer service,
explored the river in a canvas boat, travelling 1,300 miles (2,100 km) downstream
from Swan Hill.[28]

In 1858, while acting as Minister of Land and Works for New South Wales, Irish
nationalist and founder of Young Ireland, Charles Gavan Duffy, founded Carlyle
Township on the Murray River, after his close friend, Scottish historian and
essayist Thomas Carlyle. Included in the township were "Jane Street," named in
honor of Carlyle's wife Jane Carlyle and "Stuart-Mill Street" in honor of political
philosopher John Stuart Mill[29]

In 1858, the Government Zoologist, William Blandowski, together with Gerard Krefft,
explored the lower reaches of the Murray and Darling rivers, compiling a list of
birds and mammals.

George "Chinese" Morrison, then aged 18, navigated the river by canoe from Wodonga
to its mouth, in 65 days, completing the 1,555-mile (2,503 km) journey in January
1881.[30]
River transport
The PS Murray Princess is the largest paddlewheeler operating on the Murray River
The P.S. Melbourne passing through Lock 11 at Mildura

Shipping cannot enter the Murray from the sea because it does not have an estuary.
However, in the 19th century the river supported a substantial commercial trade
using shallow-draft paddle steamers, the first trips being made by two boats from
South Australia on the spring flood of 1853. The Lady Augusta, captained by Francis
Cadell, reached Swan Hill while another, Mary Ann, captained by William Randell,
reached Moama (near Echuca).[31] In 1855 a steamer carrying gold-mining supplies
reached Albury but Echuca was the usual turn-around point, though small boats
continued to link with up-river ports such as Tocumwal, Wahgunya and Albury.[32]

The arrival of steamboat transport was welcomed by pastoralists who had been
suffering from a shortage of transport due to the demands of the gold fields. By
1860 a dozen steamers were operating in the high water season along the Murray and
its tributaries. Once the railway reached Echuca in 1864, the bulk of the woolclip
from the Riverina was transported via river to Echuca and then south to Melbourne.

The Murray was plagued by "snags", fallen trees submerged in the water, and
considerable efforts were made to clear the river of these threats to shipping by
using barges equipped with steam-driven winches. In recent times, efforts have been
made to restore many of these snags by placing dead gum trees back into the river.
The primary purpose of this is to provide habitat for fish species whose breeding
grounds and shelter were eradicated by the removal of the snags.[citation needed]
A paddle steamer passing another on the Murray at night, about 1880

The volume and value of river trade made Echuca Victoria's second port and in the
decade from 1874 it underwent considerable expansion. By this time up to thirty
steamers and a similar number of barges were working the river in season. River
transport began to decline once the railways touched the Murray at numerous points.
The unreliable levels made it impossible for boats to compete with the rail and
later road transport. However, the river still carries pleasure boats along its
entire length.

Today, most traffic on the river is recreational. Small private boats are used for
water skiing and fishing. Houseboats are common, both commercial for hire and
privately owned. There are a number of both historic paddle steamers and newer
boats offering cruises ranging from half an hour to 5 days.
River crossings
Main article: List of crossings of the Murray River

The Murray River has been a significant barrier to land-based travel and trade.
Many of the ports for transport of goods along the Murray have also developed as
places to cross the river, either by bridge or ferry. The first bridge to cross the
Murray, which was built in 1869, is in the town of Murray Bridge, formerly called
Edwards Crossing. To distinguish this bridge from the many others that span the
Murray River, this bridge is known as Murray River road bridge, Murray Bridge Tolls
applied on South Australian ferries until abolished in November 1961.[33]
Water storage and irrigation
A branch of the Murray in its middle reaches, near Howlong, New South Wales

Small-scale pumping plants began drawing water from the Murray in the 1850s and the
first high-volume plant was constructed at Mildura in 1887. The introduction of
pumping stations along the river promoted an expansion of farming and led
ultimately to the development of irrigation areas (including the Murrumbidgee
Irrigation Area).[34]

In 1915, the three Murray states – New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia –
signed the River Murray Agreement which proposed the construction of storage
reservoirs in the river's headwaters as well as at Lake Victoria near the South
Australian border. Along the intervening stretch of the river a series of locks and
weirs were built. These were originally proposed to support navigation even in
times of low water, but riverborne transport was already declining due to improved
highway and railway systems.

The disruption of the river's natural flow, run-off from agriculture, and the
introduction of pest species such as the European carp has led to serious
environmental damage along the river's length. There are widespread concerns that
the river will be unusably salty in the medium to long term – a serious problem
given that the Murray supplies 40 per cent of the water supply for Adelaide.
Efforts to alleviate the problems have proceeded but disagreement between various
groups has hampered progress.[when?]
Reservoirs

Four large reservoirs were built along the Murray. In addition to Lake Victoria
(completed late 1920s), these are Lake Hume near Albury–Wodonga (completed 1936),
Lake Mulwala at Yarrawonga (completed 1939), and Lake Dartmouth, which is actually
on the Mitta Mitta River upstream of Lake Hume (completed 1979). The Murray also
receives water from the complex dam and pipeline system of the Snowy Mountains
Scheme. An additional reservoir was proposed in the 1960s at Chowilla Dam, which
was to have been built in South Australia and would have flooded land mostly in
Victoria and New South Wales. It was cancelled in favour of building Dartmouth Dam
due to costs and concerns relating to increased salinity.
Barrages
Locations of the barrages at the mouth of the Murray
Goolwa Barrage viewed from the freshwater side

From 1935 to 1940 a series of barrages was built near the Murray Mouth to stop
seawater entering the lower part of the river during low flow periods. They are the
Goolwa Barrage, with a length of 632 metres (2,073 ft); Mundoo Channel Barragel 800
metres (2,600 ft); Boundary Creek Barragel 243 metres (797 ft); Ewe Island Barrage,
853 metres (2,799 ft); and Tauwitchere Barrage, 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi).
Dead and dying River Red Gums on the lower Murray near Berri, South Australia

These dams inverted the patterns of the river's natural flow from the original
winter-spring flood and summer-autumn dry to the present low level through winter
and higher during summer. These changes ensured the availability of water for
irrigation and made the Murray Valley Australia's most productive agricultural
region, but have seriously disrupted the life cycles of many ecosystems both inside
and outside the river, and the irrigation has led to dryland salinity that now
threatens the agricultural industries.

In 2006, the state government of South Australia released a plan to investigate the
construction of controversial Wellington Weir.[needs update]
Locks

Lock 1 was completed near Blanchetown in 1922. Torrumbarry weir downstream of

Echuca began operating in December 1923. Of the several locks that were proposed,
only thirteen were completed; Locks 1 to 11 on the stretch downstream of Mildura,
Lock 15 at Euston and Lock 26 at Torrumbarry. Construction of the remaining weirs
purely for navigation purposes was abandoned in 1934. The last lock to be completed
was Lock 15, in 1937.[35] Lock 11, just downstream of Mildura, creates a 100-
kilometre (62 mi) long lock pool that aided irrigation pumping from Mildura and Red
Cliffs.

Each lock has a navigable passage next to it through the weir, which is opened
during periods of high river flow, when there is too much water for the lock. The
weirs can be completely removed, and the locks completely covered by water during
flood conditions. Lock 11 is unique in that the lock was built inside a bend of the
river, with the weir in the bend itself. A channel was dug to the lock, creating an
island between it and the weir. The weir is also of a different design, being
dragged out of the river during high flow, rather than lifted out.
Lock distances and elevations[35]
Name No. River distance* Elevation** Com-
pleted
Blanchetown 1 274 km (170 mi) 3.3 m (10.8 ft) 1922
Waikerie 2 362 km (225 mi) 6.1 m (20.0 ft) 1928
Overland Corner 3 431 km (268 mi) 9.8 m (32.2 ft) 1925
Bookpurnong 4 516 km (321 mi) 13.2 m (43.3 ft) 1929
Renmark 5 562 km (349 mi) 16.3 m (53.5 ft) 1927
Murtho 6 620 km (385 mi) 19.2 m (63.0 ft) 1930
Rufus River 7 697 km (433 mi) 22.1 m (72.5 ft) 1934
Wangumma 8 726 km (451 mi) 24.6 m (80.7 ft) 1935
Kulnine 9 765 km (475 mi) 27.4 m (89.9 ft) 1926
Wentworth 10 825 km (513 mi) 30.8 m (101 ft) 1929
Mildura 11 878 km (546 mi) 34.4 m (113 ft) 1927
Euston 15 1110 km (690 mi) 47.6 m (156 ft) 1937
Torrumbarry 26 1638 km (1020 mi) 86.05 m (280 ft) 1924
Yarrawonga Weir n/a 1992 km (1238 mi) 124.9 m (410 ft) 1939
* Distance is from the Murray Mouth.
** Elevation is above sea level, at full supply level (i.e., maximum capacity).

Lock 1 and weir at Blanchetown.JPG

Lock Five Renmark River Murray(GN05819) (cropped).jpg

Lock 1 and weir at Blanchetown Lock 5 at Renmark, about 1935

Lock11Mildura.jpg

Lock 11, Mildura

Notes

The naming principles for locations in South Australia issued by the Government of
South Australia include: ... "'river' should be used as a generic term following
the specific name of the feature – e.g. 'Onkaparinga River' – except when referring
to the River Torrens or River Murray."[1] South Australians usually follow this
word order when referring to these two major rivers of the state. They may also do
so in referring to the Darling River, the major tributary of the Murray, despite
the Darling joining the Murray in New South Wales.
34°01′19″S 141°00′00″E.

33°58′50″S 140°57′49″E

References

"Geographical names guidelines". Planning and property. Attorney-General's

Department (Government of South Australia). August 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
"People of the Murray River - Aboriginal communities". www.murrayriver.com.au.
"(Australia's) Longest Rivers". Geoscience Australia. 10 December 2013. Retrieved
10 December 2013.
"The Murray Mouth". Murray–Darling Basin Commission. Archived from the original on
29 August 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2007.
Guide to the proposed Basin Plan, Murray Darling Basin Authority 2010 Archived 13
September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
"Guidelines for the Determination of the State Border Between New South Wales and
Victoria Along the Murray River" (PDF).
"New South Wales Land and Property Information/Victoria Natural Resources and
Environment" (1993), Guidelines for the Determination of the State Border between
New South Wales and Victoria along the Murray River (PDF), archived from the
original (PDF) on 26 September 2013
Ward v R (1980) 142 CLR 308. Retrieved 6 April 2018
"(Australia's) longest river by state and territory". Geoscience Australia.
Retrieved 11 April 2016.
"2016 census QuickStats: Albury - Wodonga". Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Retrieved 27 February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Yarrawonga - Mulwala (Yarrawonga Part)". Australian Bureau
of Statistics. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Yarrawonga - Mulwala (Mulwala Part)". Australian Bureau of
Statistics. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Echuca - Moama (Echuca Part)". Australian Bureau of
Statistics. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Echuca - Moama (Moama Part)". Australian Bureau of
Statistics. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Swan Hill". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 27
February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Mildura". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 27
February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Merbein". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 27
February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Renmark Paringa (DC)". Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Retrieved 27 February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Berri". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 27
February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Loxton". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 27
February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Waikerie". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 27
February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Mannum". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 27
February 2021.
"2016 census QuickStats: Murray Bridge". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved
27 February 2021.
"Murray River's natural history dates back 130 million years". The Murray River is
an ancient river, even by the time scale of geologists. Its origins date back about
130 million years ago. Discover Murray River. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
Rogers, P.A. (1995): Continental sediments of the Murray Basin. In: Drexel, J.F. &
Preiss, W.V. (Eds.) The geology of South Australia. Vol.2, The Phanerozoic. p. 252.
South Australia Geological Survey, Bulletin 54. ISBN 0-7308-0621-9
Mackay, Norman; Eastburn, David, eds. (1990). The Murray. Canberra: Murray–Darling
Basin Commission. ISBN 1-875209-05-0.
"The LateMr. J. C. Hawker. An Interesting Career". The Register. Adelaide. 16 May
1901.
"Present condition and prospects of south australia". South Australian Register. 14
September 1852. p. 1S. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
Gavan Duffy, Charles (1892). "Conversations with Carlyle". Internet Archive.
Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 204. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
Pearl, Cyril (1967). Morrison of Peking. Sydney, Australia: Angus & Robertson. pp.
11–12.
"Navigation of the Murray". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 November 1853. p. 2.
Retrieved 4 November 2010.
Railways and Riverboats Rowland, E.C. Australian Railway Historical Society
Bulletin, January 1976 pp1-16
Ferry charges abolished Truck & Bus Transportation December 1961 page 4
"Irrigation". www.mdba.gov.au. Retrieved 15 August 2017.

"Weirs and locks". Murray–Darling Basin Authority. Retrieved 17 June 2017.

Further reading

Isaacs, J. (1980). Australian Dreaming: 40,000 Years of Aboriginal History.

Sydney: Lansdowne Press. ISBN 0-7018-1330-X.
Frankel, David. (2017). Between the Murray and the Sea: Aboriginal Archaeology
in South-eastern Australia. Sydney: Sydney University Press. ISBN 9781743325520.
Mackay, Norman; Eastburn, David, eds. (1990). The Murray. Canberra: Murray–
Darling Basin Commission. ISBN 1-875209-05-0.
Berndt, Ronald M. & Catherine H. (1993). A World That Was: The Yaraldi of the
Murray River and the Lakes, South Australia. Vancouver, Canada: UBC Press. ISBN 0-
7748-0478-5.
Jennings, J.T. (2009). Natural History of the Riverland and Murraylands.
Adelaide: Royal Society of South Australia. ISBN 978-0-9596627-9-5.

Online audio and other

"Murray River catchment (NSW)" (map). Office of Environment and Heritage.

Government of New South Wales.
Down the River Murray An ABC Radio National 5-part series on the river and its
people
Murray Region Tourist Information - VisitNSW

See also

River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve

Flag of Australia.svg Australia portal

Drinking water.jpg Water portal
Aegopodium podagraria1 ies.jpg Environment portal

Major tributaries

Darling River
Murrumbidgee River
Goulburn River
Mitta Mitta River
Ovens River
Campaspe River
Kiewa River
Lachlan River

Population centres

Albury-Wodonga
Echuca
Swan Hill
Mildura
Renmark
Murray Bridge
Goolwa

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Murray River.
 Murray River™ - Official Murray River travel website

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270 known Murray River paddlesteamers and paddleboats

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River systems and rivers of New South Wales, Australia

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Rivers of Victoria

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Rivers of South Australia

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Rivers of the Murray–Darling basin, Australia

Authority control Edit this at Wikidata
Categories:

Murray RiverRivers of Victoria (Australia)Rivers of South AustraliaBorders of

New South WalesBorders of Victoria (Australia)Snowy Mountains SchemeRivers in the
Riverina

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This page was last edited on 7 October 2021, at 05:57 (UTC).

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