The Murray River

Facts

Location

The Murray River is the largest and longest river in Australia. It has three main tributaries called the Darling, Lachlan and the Murrumbidgee. The source is in the Australian Alps near Mount Kosciusko where the rainfall is high. The Murray flows west to form the boundary between the states of New South Wales and Victoria. The river Murray and its tributaries flow through forests of eucalyptus trees towards areas of very flat and dry land. In these very dry areas, the rivers can almost stop flowing in the hot summer months because a lot of water is lost through evaporation.

Agriculture

The Murray river and its tributaries provide a lot of fertile farming land. Grapes, oranges, grapefruit and many other crops can be grown. There is also grazing land for cattle and sheep. There are many dams like the Dartmouth Dam (completed in 1979) along the Murray river system. These dams provide water for irrigation and mean that the land is kept fertile.

The Snowy River has been dammed to improve the water supply to the interior part of Australia. The water from this river is pumped through tunnels to the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers.

Also the dams provide hydroelectric power to people living in Australia.