MurrayDarling

The Murray-Darling Basin is Australia’s largest river system and drainage basin, spanning parts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It is named for its two principal rivers, the Murray and the Darling, and contains a network of tributaries that drain much of southeastern Australia.

The Murray River rises in the Australian Alps and generally flows southwest, while the Darling River drains inland areas of northern New South Wales toward the Murray. The two rivers converge near Wentworth, New South Wales. The basin contains extensive irrigation infrastructure and dams, including the Hume Dam and Lake Mulwala, which support agricultural production and provide water to towns along the rivers.

Governance is provided in part by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), established to coordinate water resource planning across the basin. The Murray-Darling Basin Plan, developed under the Water Act 2007, sets sustainable diversion limits and environmental obligations for water use; the plan was finalized and implemented in the early 2010s.

Environmental management within the basin addresses the ecological health of floodplains, wetlands and river channels. The system has faced challenges such as altered flow regimes, drought and climate variability, leading to initiatives aimed at restoring environmental water allocations and improving water quality.

Economy and communities in the basin are heavily dependent on irrigation and agriculture, including crops like cotton, citrus, grapes and rice. Towns along the Murray and Darling rely on water supply infrastructure and the agricultural economy, while Indigenous communities maintain long-standing connections to the land and waterways.

Historically, European exploration and settlement shaped land use in the basin, with ongoing policy reforms and management efforts responding to changing hydrological conditions and environmental concerns.