Darling River

Darling River at Bourke with above average water

Reaches of the river

The Darling River is 2844 kilometers ( including headwaters ) is the longest river on the continent of Australia. It flows into the Murray River. He has a very irregular water supply in the middle of 102 m³ / s at Menindee.

The flow is referred to only for a length of 1570 miles as a Darling River. For the entire length of 2844 kilometers, the successive sections Culgoa River, Condamine River and Balonne River are right - should be counted river source - smaller but longer. Along with the 828 km long river route to the confluence with the Murray River results in a flow system by 3672 kilometers in length.

Geography

River

Darling and Murray spring on the western slopes of the Great vagina Mountains ( Great Dividing Range) and flow into weak coils with very low gradient (6-14 centimeters per kilometer ) by grasslands to the west and south. The Darling is created by the confluence of the Culgoa River ( right) and Barwon River (left, water-rich ) near Bourke. The right, longer source river is called later in the headwaters Condamine River, Balonne River and then goes into the Culgoa.

Recurring droughts can cause the Darling transformed into a chain of ponds. In the years 1885-1960 alone, the river was at Menindee 48 times dry; 1902/ 03 even for 364 days. There is high water, flooded vast areas. The floods leave then, despite up to twelve meters high embankments from her bed and spread on flat terrain up to 80 kilometers. Nowadays, the salinization of the river is a major problem, for which drying times and by deforestation caused erosion are the main causes.

In the Menindee Lakes Menindee in flood peaks can be temporarily stored and released gradually to agriculture for irrigation. The 120 km distant town of Broken Hill are the lakes for drinking water. Regulate contracts between the member states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, how much water is in each case directed back into the river.

At Wentworth the Darling flows into the flowing to the Indian Ocean Murray. The drain is much narrower than in Merindee mainly by water transfer and averages only around 47.56 m³ / sec ( at Burtundy ).

South of Menindee was the Darling earlier to the west in a river bed. Since the completion of the Menindee Lakes water is fed continuously into the former Great Darling anabranch said river to provide livestock farmers in the region with water. In the future, farmers are provided with a pipeline, allowing reconversion of anabranch in a natural arroyo ecosystem. The Great Darling anabranch flows around a dozen kilometers west of Wentworth in the Murray.

Tributaries ( with mouth height )

  • Culgoa River - 119 m
  • Barwon River - 119 m
  • Bogan River - 111 m
  • Whiskey Creek - 109 m
  • Warraweena Lagoon - 108 m
  • Little Bogan River - 107 m
  • Dead Horse Creek - 106 m
  • Ross Billabong - 106 m
  • Stony Creek - 106 m
  • Deadmans Creek - 105 m
  • Ross Billabong - 104 m
  • Mulga Creek - 104 m
  • Yanda Creek - 104 m
  • Ross Billabong - 103 m
  • The Big Billabong - 103 m
  • Humes Creek -101 m
  • Warrego River - 101 m
  • Talowla Billabong - 100 m
  • Paddy's Creek - 100 m
  • Kerrigundi Creek - 95 m
  • Five Mile Creek - 95 m
  • Talyawalka Creek - 93 m
  • Nine Mile Creek - 93 m
  • Compodere Creek - 89 m
  • Papepapinbilla Creek - 89 m
  • Cultowa Billabong - 88 m
  • Marra Billabong - 88 m
  • Goonery Creek - 86 m
  • Paroo River - 85 m
  • Twenty Seven Mile Creek - 85 m
  • Acres Billabong - 84 m
  • Lignum Creek - 83 m
  • Jamieson Creek - 81 m
  • Ten Mile Creek - 80 m
  • Woytchugga Creek - 80 m
  • Deep Creek - 74 m
  • Five Mile Creek - 71 m
  • Charlie Stone Creek - 66 m
  • Three Mile Creek - 64 m
  • Talyawalka Creek - 64 m
  • Bijijie Creek - 63 m
  • Cuthero Creek - 57 m
  • Frenchmans Creek - 54 m

Reservoirs and lakes ( with height )

  • Lake Wetherell - 62 m
  • Pamamaroo Lake - 61 m

History

As of 1815, the areas along the headwaters of the Darling were gradually settled. In 1828, commissioned Ralph Darling, Governor of New South Wales, the explorer Charles Sturt, who was accompanied by his old companions Hamilton Hume, with the exploration of the Macquarie River. During this expedition, they discovered the Darling River, which was named after the principal. In 1835, Thomas Mitchell undertook an expedition on which he explored as first the entire course of the Darling and thus its open out proved in the Murray, which Sturt had suspected earlier.

Darling and Murray were in the second half of the 19th century, major transport routes. Up to 240 -wheelers went on the two rivers and their tributaries on the go. The vessels with shallow draft transport mainly of wool and wheat to the coast and provided the settlers with goods. From the turn of the century the importance of rivers as transport routes took off rapidly after major droughts made ​​it difficult to transport and the railway was becoming more widespread.

Bourke (New South Wales) Barwon River (New South Wales) Brewarrina, New South Wales Menindee, New South Wales Wilcannia Australia (continent) Dry season Broken Hill, New South Wales Dry valley Thomas Mitchell (explorer)
218126
de