Murray-Darling Basin
Physical information
General description
This section provides details about the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region, its water resources, land use and water-related infrastructure.
Area: 1,055,600 km2 (Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences 2010)
Population: 2.0 million (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008)
The MDB is defined by the catchment areas of the Murray and Darling rivers and their many tributaries. The MDB covers three-quarters of New South Wales, more than half of Victoria, significant portions of Queensland and South Australia, and all of the Australian Capital Territory (shown in figures P1 and P2). It contains:
- around 440,000 km of rivers, of which 40,000 km are major
- some 30,000 wetlands, covering an area of around 25,000 km²
- about 60,000 km² of floodplain area, which represents approximately 6% of the MDB.

Figure P1. Location map of the MDB within Australia
Source for the boundaries of the MDB: Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.

Figure P2. Contextual map of the MDB
Source for the boundaries of the MDB: Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
As shown in Figure P3, major rivers in the MDB include (Geoscience Australia 2010):
- Murray River, which forms the border of Victoria and New South Wales, and flows east to west for 2,375 km
- Darling River, which begins in northern New South Wales and flows 2,844 km (including its major tributaries – the Culgoa, Balonne and Condamine rivers) southwest to its junction with the Murray River at Wentworth
- Murrumbidgee River, which flows 1,485 km from southern New South Wales, through the Australian Capital Territory and then westwards to the Murray River
- Lachlan River, which starts in the central highlands of New South Wales and flows 1,339 km southwest to the Murrumbidgee River
- Goulburn River, which flows 654 km from central northern Victoria northwards into the Murray River.
The MDB is a complex, interconnected river system rather than a series of separate catchments. However, its diverse climate and landscape and the presence of artificial structures means that not all parts of the system are connected to the same extent. For example, rivers such as the Paroo, Lachlan and Wimmera only rarely contribute flows further downstream.

Figure P3. Map of major rivers of the MDB
Sources: Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and Geoscience Australia (2010).
The MDB is defined in Section 18A of the Water Act 2007 (Cwlth). It includes all water resources within or beneath the MDB, but does not include groundwater that forms part of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB).
For the 2011 Account, the MDB region (see Figure P2) is defined as all the surface water connected to the channel network and all the groundwater (excluding any water in the GAB) located within the geographical boundaries of the MDB specified by the Act, except:
- the areas drained by the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme storages that are located inside the legal MDB's boundaries
- the towns of Port Elliot and Middleton in South Australia.
Further, the following elements are not included in the MDB region water account:
- off-channel water storages, such as landscape catchment storages (also known as farm dams) used to harvest runoff and floodwaters (these constitute water abstracted before it reaches the rivers or water owned by the users)
- water in urban and irrigation utility infrastructures (pipes, open channels, tanks) used to transfer, supply and distribute water to users.
The MDB region presents a varied landscape, from semi-arid ephemeral river systems in the north to highly regulated river systems in the south fed from the Australian Alps. To the east and south, the highlands of the Great Dividing Range form the limit of the MDB region,while in the north, west, and southwest, the boundaries are much less distinct. The greater proportion of the MDB region is made up of extensive plains and low undulating areas; most of them are less than 200 m above sea level.
The 2011 Account information is provided for the whole MDB region and in two segments: Northern Basin and the Southern Basin (see Figure P3). Boundaries for the Northern Basin and Southern Basin are largely determined by the physical geography of the Basin, previous water management boundaries and the level of hydrological connectivity.
Rivers in the Northern Basin are only connected to the Southern Basin at the point where the Darling River (and its anabranch) meets the River Murray. The Northern Basin typically has less rainfall, less regulation, less development, and less water use than the Southern Basin. Furthermore, water management is characterised in the Northern Basin by a different rules framework; fewer water storages; and highly variable hydrological connectivity, when compared with water management in the Southern Basin.
The region is divided into 19 surface water planning areas and 23 groundwater planning areas to provide information in the 2011 Account. Detailed information has been provided where data is available at sustainable diversion limit areas. Details of water planning areas and sustainable diversion limit areas are included under Surface water and Groundwater.
Land use
The major population centres of the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012a) and their population (as at 30 June 2010) include:
- Albury–Wodonga – 106,052
- Bendigo – 91,713
- Canberra–Queanbeyan – 410,419
- Dubbo – 38,073
- Mildura – 50,522
- Orange – 39,329
- Shepparton – 49,859
- Tamworth – 47,595
- Toowoomba – 131,258
- Wagga Wagga – 58,610.
There are also a number of smaller urban centres throughout the MDB region such as Bathurst, Griffith, Echuca, Moree, Horsham, Wangaratta, Warwick and Murray Bridge.
The (MDB) is one of the most productive food and fibre regions in Australia. It contains approximately 40% of all Australian farms (by number), which produce wool, cotton, wheat, sheep, cattle, dairy products, rice, oilseeds, wine, fruit and vegetables for domestic and overseas markets (Murray–Darling Basin Authority 2011d).
The major land use activities in the MDB region are shown in Table P1. Figure P4 shows the distribution of these land uses within the region. Land use activities that are major water users in the MDB region are urban supply and irrigated agriculture.
Land use activity |
Area (km2) |
Total area of the region (%) |
Conservation and natural environments |
107,600 |
10 |
Dryland agriculture |
133,300 |
13 |
Forestry |
34,000 |
3 |
Grazing |
727,800 |
69 |
Irrigated agriculture |
24,700 |
2 |
Mining |
300 |
<1 |
Other intensive uses |
1,200 |
<1 |
Urban |
14,300 |
1 |
Water |
12,400 |
1 |
Total |
1,055,600 |
100 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (2010)

Figure P4. Map of land use in the MDB region
Source: Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (2010); source for boundaries of the MDB region: Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
Significant aquatic ecosystems
The Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) contains 16 Ramsar listed wetlands (DSEWPC 2010) of international importance:
- Banrock Station wetland complex (South Australia)
- Barmah Forest (Victoria)
- Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert (South Australia)
- Currawinya Lakes National Park (Queensland)
- Fivebough and Tuckerbil swamps (New South Wales)
- Ginni Flats (Australian Capital Territory)
- Gunbower Forest (Victoria)
- Gwydir Wetlands (New South Wales)
- Hattah–Kulkyne Lakes (Victoria)
- Kerang Lakes (Victoria)
- Lake Albacutya (Victoria)
- Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve (New South Wales)
- Narran Lake Nature Reserve (New South Wales)
- New South Wales Central Murray state forests
- Paroo River wetlands (New South Wales)
- Riverland (South Australia).
The MDB region also contains nationally important wetlands, listed in the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia (Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities 2011).
Water resources
The water resources in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region are highly developed, as illustrated by the following statistics based on a long-term average of 114 years (1895–2009) (Murray–Darling Basin Authority 2011d):
- Approximately 42% of the total surface water runoff to the MDB region is diverted for consumption, while 58% currently remains in the environment.
- The majority of the surface water consumed in the MDB region, 10.9 million ML/year, is diverted from the watercourse and used for irrigation and urban supply. In addition 2.7 million ML/year is intercepted by local catchment storages and forestry plantations that intercept runoff before it reaches the watercourse.
Around 1.7 million ML of groundwater is consumed each year from the MDB region's water resources (Murray–Darling Basin Authority 2011d).
A Murray–Darling Basin Cap (the Cap) was established in 1995 to limit the volume of surface water that could be diverted in the MDB region in any year to that based on the 1993–1994 levels of development (Murray–Darling Basin Authority 2012h). The Cap does not place a restriction on groundwater extraction. See Operating rules and constraints within the Water rights section for further information on the Cap.
Surface water
The southern part of the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region is mostly a regulated system. The storages in the three major southern rivers – the Murrumbidgee, Murray and Goulburn – are used to provide regulated flows downstream as far as the lower lakes in South Australia.
The northern part of the MDB region consists mostly of unregulated systems, where many of the rivers and streams are ephemeral and fed by seasonal rainfall. Generally, water users in much of the northern MDB region must rely on collecting water during floods and storing it on-farm for later use.
The 2011 Account presents information on the surface water volumes for the 19 water resource planning areas for the MDB region as shown in Figure P5 (Murray–Darling Basin Authority 2011c). Table 2 lists both water resource planning areas and sustainable diversion limit areas.

Figure P5. Map of MDB surface water resource plan areas
Source: Murray–Darling Basin Authority
Segment | Jurisdiction | Water resource plan area | Sustainable diversion limit area | River system | ||
Code | Name | Code | Name | |||
Southern Basin | ACT | SW1 | ACT | SS1 | ACT | Murrumbidgee ACT |
Vic | SW2 | Vic Murray | SS2 | Vic Murray | Vic Murray | |
SS3 | Kiewa | Kiewa | ||||
Vic | SW3 | Northern Victoria | SS4 | Ovens | Ovens | |
SS5 | Broken | Broken | ||||
SS6 | Goulburn | Goulburn | ||||
SS7 | Campaspe | Campaspe | ||||
SS8 | Loddon | Loddon | ||||
Vic | SW4 | Wimmera–Mallee | SS9 | Wimmera–Mallee | Wimmera–Mallee | |
SA | SW5 | SA Murray* | SS11 | SA Murray | SA Murray | |
SS10 | SA Non-prescribed areas | SA Non-prescribed areas | ||||
SA | SW6 | Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges* | SS12 | Marne–Saunders | Marne–Saunders | |
SS13 | Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges | Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges | ||||
NSW | SW 7 | NSW Murray and Lower Darling | SS14 | NSW Murray | NSW Murray | |
SS18 | Lower Darling | Lower Darling | ||||
NSW | SW8 | Murrumbidgee | SS15 | Murrumbidgee NSW | Murrumbidgee NSW | |
NSW | SW 9 | Lachlan | SS16 | Lachlan | Lachlan | |
Northern Basin | NSW | SW10 | Macquarie–Castlereagh | SS20 | Macquarie–Castlereagh | Macquarie–Castlereagh |
NSW | SW11 | Barwon–Darling Watercourse | SS19 | Barwon–Darling Watercourse | Barwon–Darling | |
NSW | SW12 | NSW Intersecting Streams | SS17 | NSW Intersecting Streams | Paroo, Warrego, Culgoa / Bokhara / Narran and Moonie | |
NSW | SW13 | Namoi | SS21 | Namoi | Namoi | |
NSW | SW14 | Gwydir | SS22 | Gwydir | Gwydir | |
NSW | SW15 | NSW Border Rivers | SS23 | NSW Border Rivers | NSW Border Rivers | |
Qld | SW16 | Qld Border Rivers* | SS24 | Qld Border Rivers | Qld Border Rivers | |
Qld | SW17 | Moonie* | SS25 | Moonie | Moonie | |
Qld | SW18 | Condamine–Balonne* | SS26 | Condamine–Balonne | Condamine–Balonne | |
Qld | SW19 | Warrego – Paroo – Nebine* | SS27 | Nebine | Nebine | |
SS28 | Warrego | Warrego | ||||
SS29 | Paroo | Paroo |
* Combined surface water and groundwater resource plan areas
The total storage capacity (including dead storage) for the 50 major storages (excluding weirs) within the Murray–Darling Basin region for which data are available for the 2011 Account is 19,183,285 ML. A full list of these storages and their individual total storage capacities can be found in following line items:
- 1.1 Storages
- 1.10 Other surface water assets.
The 2011 Account includes streamflow summary at following gauging stations within the region:
- Murray River at Doctors Point (Albury) (Station ID 409017)
- Darling River at Bourke (Station ID 425003)
- Ovens River at Peechelba (Station ID 403241).
The Murray River at Doctors Point (Albury) represents a regulated reach of the Murray downstream of the major regulating storages (within the Southern Basin).
The Darling River at Bourke represents the unregulated Northern Basin.
The Ovens River at Peechelba represents a largely unregulated major river in the Southern Basin.
Figure P6 shows mean monthly rainfall and flow volumes for these three gauging stations. The locations of the gauging stations are shown in Figure P7.

Figure P6. Graph of mean monthly flows along the Murray, Darling and Ovens rivers; mean monthly rainfall for the region is also shown

Figure P7. Map of the stream-flow gauging station locations used to develop flow charts
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology and Murray–Darling Basin Authority
Information on streamflow patterns, volumes and variations for the flows at the stations are available in Streamflow in the 2011 Account Water overview for Murray–Darling Basin.
In a number of locations, water is transferred into or out of the region, as well as from one catchment to another within the region (see Figure P8).

Figure P8. Map of water transfers into, out of, or between catchments within the MDB region
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology and Murray–Darling Basin Authority
Major transfers into the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region are from:
the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme into the Murrumbidgee and Murray rivers (see line item 1.5 Inter-region claim on water for more details)
the Glenelg catchment to the Wimmera system
Perseverance, Cressbrook and Wivenhoe reservoirs (through Cressbrook reservoir, which started in 2010) in the Brisbane valley to Toowoomba in the Condamine–Balonne region.
Transfers out of the MDB region include diversion of water from:
the South Australian River Murray to supply Metropolitan Adelaide and country towns
the Macquarie River water sources (Fish River Scheme) to the Blue Mountains region in Sydney
the Goulburn River system via the North–South Pipeline for distribution to Melbourne
water transfers from the Goulburn–Broken region to Ballarat (in the Barwon River Basin) via the Goldfields Superpipe since May 2008
water transfers from the Goulburn–Broken region (from Silver and Wallaby Creeks, which are tributaries of the Goulburn River, not shown in Figure P8) to the Melbourne urban supply system.
Channels and pipelines in the river system of the Southern Basin allow water to be moved and traded from one catchment to another. For example, the Waranga Western Channel delivers water from the Goulburn River to the Campaspe, Loddon and Wimmera–Avoca catchments.
Groundwater
The groundwater systems of the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region can be categorised into three broad types:
- alluvial sedimentary systems (Quaternary/Tertiary)
- fractured basement rock systems (Paleozoic)
- sediments (Cretaceous/Jurassic) of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB).
Alluvial sedimentary aquifers are the most important for groundwater extraction, with nearly all of the extracted groundwater (more than 95%) coming from these aquifers. The groundwater systems have relatively high water holding capacity and hydraulic conductivity, and therefore are suited to extraction for use in irrigation and urban water supply.
Groundwater quality is another significant consideration – water quality typically deteriorates down the groundwater flow path, constraining groundwater use to areas with acceptable water quality (primarily determined by low salinity).
In the 2011 Account, groundwater information has been reported where data is available for the 23 groundwater resource planning areas (Murray–Darling Basin Authority 2011c). Detailed information has been provided where data is available at sustainable diversion limit areas. Figure P9 and tables P3 and P4 include details of groundwater water resource planning areas and sustainable diversion limit areas.

Figure P9. Map of groundwater resource plan areas considered for calculations in the 2011 Account
Sources: Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, and Murray–Darling Basin Authority
Jurisdiction | Water resource plan area |
Segment of the MDB region |
Sustainable diversion limit area |
||
Code |
Name |
Code |
Name |
||
NSW | GW7 | Darling Alluvium1 | Northern Basin | GS46 | Upper Darling Alluvium |
NSW | GW11 | Lachlan and South Western Fractured Rock1 | Northern Basin | GS20 | Kanmantoo Fold Belt |
GS22 | Lachlan Fold Belt: Macquarie–Castlereagh | ||||
GS25 | Lachlan Fold Belt: Western | ||||
GS44 | Orange Basalt | ||||
NSW | GW12 | Macquarie–Castlereagh Alluvium | Northern Basin | GS11 | Bell Valley Alluvium |
GS14 | Castlereagh Alluvium | ||||
GS15 | Collaburragundry–Talbragar Alluvium | ||||
GS16 | Cudgegong Alluvium | ||||
GS31 | Lower Macquarie Alluvium | ||||
GS49 | Upper Macquarie Alluvium | ||||
NSW | GW13 | NSW Sediments above GAB | Northern Basin | GS40 | NSW Sediments above the Great Artesian Basin |
NSW | GW14 | NSW Alluvium above GAB | Northern Basin | GS37 | NSW Alluvium above the Great Artesian Basin |
NSW | GW15 | Namoi Alluvium | Northern Basin | GS34 | Lower Namoi Alluvium |
GS35 | Manilla Alluvium | ||||
GS45 | Peel Valley Alluvium | ||||
GS51 | Upper Namoi Alluvium | ||||
GS52 | Upper Namoi Tributary Alluvium | ||||
NSW | GW16 | Gwydir Alluvium water | Northern Basin | GS29 | Lower Gwydir Alluvium |
GS47 | Upper Gwydir Alluvium | ||||
NSW | GW17 | Eastern Porous Rock | Northern Basin | GS17 | Eastern Porous Rock: Macquarie–Castlereagh |
GS18 | Eastern Porous Rock: Namo–Gwydir | ||||
GS70 | Gunnedah–Oxley Basin | ||||
NSW | GW18 | New England Fractured Rock and Northern Basalts | Northern Basin | GS19 | Inverell Basalt |
GS27 | Liverpool Ranges Basalt | ||||
GS41 | New England Fold Belt: Border Rivers | ||||
GS42 | New England Fold Belt: Gwydir | ||||
GS43 | New England Fold Belt: Namoi | ||||
GS53 | Warrumbungle Basalt | ||||
NSW | GW19 | NSW Border Rivers Alluvium | Northern Basin | GS38 | NSW Border Rivers Alluvium |
GS39 | NSW Border Rivers Tributary Alluvium | ||||
Qld | GW20 | Qld Border Rivers2 | Northern Basin | GS58 | Qld Border Rivers Alluvium |
GS59 | Qld Border Rivers Fractured Rock | ||||
GS60 | Sediments above the Great Artesian Basin: Border Rivers | ||||
Qld | GW21 | Moonie2 | Northern Basin | GS62 | Sediments above the Great Artesian Basin: Moonie |
GS65 | St George Alluvium: Moonie | ||||
Qld | GW22 | Condamine–Balonne2 | Northern Basin | GS57 | Condamine Fractured Rock |
GS61 | Sediments above the Great Artesian Basin: Condamine–Balonne | ||||
GS64 | St George Alluvium (deep and shallow) | ||||
GS68 | Upper Condamine Basalts | ||||
GS67 | Upper Condamine Alluvium (Central Condamine Alluvium, Tributaries) | ||||
Qld | GW23 | Warrego – Paroo – Nebine2 | Northern Basin | GS63 | Sediments above the Great Artesian Basin: Warrego–Paroo–Nebine |
GS66 | St George Alluvium: Warrego – Paroo – Nebine | ||||
GS69 | Warrego Alluvium |
1 Straddles in both the Northern Basin and the Southern Basin
2 Combined surface water and groundwater resource plan areas
Jurisdiction | Water resource plan area |
Segment of the MDB region |
Sustainable diversion limit area |
||
Code |
Name |
Code |
Name |
||
ACT | GW1 | ACT (groundwater) | Southern Basin | GS56 | ACT (groundwater) |
Vic | GW2 | Goulburn–Murray | Southern Basin | GS8 | Goulburn–Murray (Goulburn–Broken Highlands; Loddon Campaspe Highlands; Murray Highlands; Ovens Highlands; Ovens–Kiewa Sedimentary Plain; Victorian Riverine Sedimentary Plain shallow: Shepparton Formation; Victorian Riverine Sedimentary Plain deep: Calivil and Renmark Formations) |
Vic | GW3 | Wimmera–Mallee (groundwater) | Southern Basin | GS9a | Wimmera–Mallee (West Wimmera [Luxon Parilla Sands, Murray Limestone Group, Tertiary Confined Sands]; Wimmera–Avoca Highlands; Wimmera–Mallee Border Zone [Loxon Parilla Sands, Murray Limestone Group, Tertiary Confined Sands]; Wimmera–Mallee Sedimentary Plain) |
SA | GW4 | SA Murray1 | Southern Basin | GS3 | Mallee (Pliocene Sands, Murray Limestone Group, Renmark Group) |
GS5 | Peake – Roby – Sherlock (confined, unconfined) | ||||
GS6 | SA Murray | ||||
GS7 | SA Murray Salt Interception Schemes | ||||
SA | GW5 | Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges1 | Southern Basin | GS1 | Angas Bremer (Quaternary Sediments, Murray Limestone Group) |
GS2 | Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges | ||||
GS4 | Marne Saunders (Murray Limestone Group, Renmark Group, Fractured Rock) | ||||
NSW | GW6 | Western Porous Rock | Southern Basin | GS54 | Western Porous Rock |
NSW | GW7 | Darling Alluvium2 | Southern Basin | GS28 | Lower Darling Alluvium |
NSW | GW8 | Murray Alluvium | Southern Basin | GS13 | Billabong Creek Alluvium |
GS32 | Lower Murray Alluvium (deep: Renmark Group and Calivil Formation; shallow: Shepparton Formation) | ||||
GS50 | Upper Murray Alluvium | ||||
GS71 | Oaklands Basin | ||||
NSW | GW9 | Murrumbidgee Alluvium | Southern Basin | GS26 | Lake George Alluvium |
GS33 | Lower Murrumbidgee Alluvium (deep: Renmark Group and Calivil Formation; shallow: Shepparton Formation) | ||||
GS36 | Mid–Murrumbidgee Alluvium | ||||
NSW | GW10 | Lachlan Alluvium | Southern Basin | GS12 | Belubula Alluvium |
GS30 | Lower Lachlan Alluvium | ||||
GS48 | Upper Lachlan Alluvium | ||||
NSW | GW11 | Lachlan and South Western Fractured Rock2 | Southern Basin | GS10 | Adelaide Fold Belt |
GS21 | Lachlan Fold Belt: Lachlan | ||||
GS23 | Lachlan Fold Belt: Murray | ||||
GS24 | Lachlan Fold Belt: Murrumbidgee | ||||
GS55 | Young Granite |
1 Combined surface water and groundwater resource plan areas
2 Straddles in both the Northern Basin and the Southern Basin
In most fractured rock areas of the MDB (see Figure P9), groundwater use is limited to stock and domestic supply. Furthermore, in fractured rock areas, the annual change in groundwater storage and annual groundwater flow out of the area is much less significant to regional water balance. A groundwater balance in these areas is not explicitly estimated in the 2011 Account.
The GAB contains confined aquifers at depth, with confining layers at or near the land surface. It underlies about one-third of the MDB in the northwest (Figure P9). The GAB is a large geological basin that extends beyond the MDB drainage basin boundary to the north and west. It is recharged in small areas of the MDB (along the south-eastern edge of the GAB) where the aquifer layers are exposed at the land surface. The GAB is not considered to be part of the MDB water balance because the GAB aquifers are effectively hydraulically disconnected from near-surface systems in the MDB. Groundwater extraction and leakage from the GAB to the MDB are not represented in the 2011 Account, but may be represented in the future as an inter-basin transfer.
In the areas where the GAB confining layer is near or at the land surface (shown in Figure P9 as part of the area identified as GAB sediments), storage is limited to the near-surface soil zone and is lost from this zone almost entirely as evapotranspiration. Thus there is no need to evaluate change in groundwater storage in these areas to establish an annual regional water balance in the MDB. In the areas overlaying the GAB – where the confining layer does not outcrop – there are some shallow alluvial areas associated with drainage lines. They were also not considered in the water balance evaluation.
More details about the groundwater resources within the MDB region are available in the Groundwater note.
Other water resources and distribution systems
Across the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region, many towns and urban centres abstract water and then return treated urban wastewater to the river for subsequent use downstream. For example, on the Murrumbidgee, average returns to surface water from Canberra are more than half of the Australian Capital Territory diversions from the river. Returns may also flow from irrigation channels and infrastructure back to the rivers. Line item 9.9 Discharge from urban water system includes information on return flows.