What are the Longest Rivers in Australia - Top 10
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| Rivers in Australia. Photo: KnowInsiders.com |
| Table of Contents |
Situated on the Australian continent, Australia is a sovereign nation. It also includes many smaller islands and a portion of the Tasmanian island. Australia is classified as a developed country and is the sixth largest country in the world by area, covering 7,692,024 km³. It is a federal nation made up of two significant continental territories and six states.
In Australia, the number of rivers is enormous. Due to the low average annual rainfall and the aridity of much of Australia's interior, interior rivers and lakes are frequently dry. Some rivers have their headwaters in tropical areas with high discharge rates due to summer rains. The dry environment of central Australia is significantly altered by flood events, forcing the region's ecology to adjust to the boom-bust cycle.
 Top 11 Longest Rivers in the World - Interesting Facts |
Which are the 10 Longest and Beautiful Rivers in Australia?
1. Murray - 2,508 Km
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| Photo: Ilya Genkin |
The river has a long history because native communities have depended on it for food and water for ages. The indigenous tribes living in the river's basin also regarded the river as being important culturally. Among the groups, a common folktale told was about a hunter who chased a Murray cod and as a result carved out the river. After European explorers found the river in 1824, it was utilized for irrigation, water supply, and navigation.
Today, the Murray River is home to hydroelectric projects, locks, dams, and weirs to regulate the amount of water during droughts or floods. In River Murray, social and recreational events like the yearly canoe race are well-liked. The river's aquatic fauna includes trout cod, western carp, perch, catfish, and Murray cod. In addition, there are lizards, gray kangaroos, pelicans, turtles, and koalas in the river's basin. Climate change, excessive water extraction, and rising salinity levels have all had a negative effect on the river.
2. Murrumbidgee River – 1, 485 km
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| Photo: Flickr |
The name Murrumbidgee, which translates to "big water" in Aboriginal culture, refers to the river that provided the Wiradjuri people with fish, crayfish, and mussels for thousands of years. There are kangaroos, bandicoots, emus, wildfowl, and turkeys in the area.
The city of Wagga Wagga was founded in 1832 on the river's south bank and stretched all the way to North Wagga Wagga. The river rises 32 km north of Kiandra and flows southeast for 32 km, then veers into the Australian Capital Territory and flows north through a fishhook bend.
The Lachlan joins it as it bends once more to flow westward between Balranald and Maude. It joins the Murray River 140 miles south of the Victorian border.
3. Darling River – 1, 472 km
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| Photo: Insight – Charles Sturt University | |
Originating in New South Wales, the Darling River empties into the Murray River in Wentworth. It is the most significant outback waterway. The Darling River flows through saltbush pastures for a large portion of its course. When there isn't enough rain, the water evaporation from the rainfall causes more water loss. Travelers planning to see Australia's longest rivers in 2022 will be taken aback by the news that the Darling River, which was threatened, is once again flowing, as reported in May 2019.
The Murray-Darling Basin has been drying up for a while, and if this trend keeps up, the Darling River will undoubtedly fall off the list of rivers that are the longest in 2021.
4. Lachlan River – 1, 448 km
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| Photo: Flow-MER |
The Lachlan River is the principal tributary of Murrumbidgee River. It runs through the state of South Wales and flows to a length of 1,450 kilometers. When in flood, it connects to the famous Murray-Darling Basin along with the Murrumbidgee River.
| * The river originates at Gunning where Hannans Creek and Mutmutbilly Creek meet. * It was discovered by a famous explorer, George William Evans in 1815. He named the river in honor of the Governor of the state of New South Wales – Lachlan Macquarie (1810 – 1820). * Lachlan is the only river that contains important wetlands all along its length instead of merely at the end, as it is the case with the other rivers in Australia. * Wyangala Reservoir is an important dam that stores the water of the Lachlan River. * Along with its tributaries, the mainstream drains a basin that covers an area of 84,690 square kilometers. |
 Top 10 Most Beautiful Rivers in the World Rivers have been an extremely essential part of people’s lives throughout centuries in all parts of the world, and undoubtedly they are incredibly charming. |
5. Warrego River – 1, 380 km
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| Photo: Flickr |
Warrego River is the fifth-longest river in Australia, measuring 1,380 kilometers or 857 miles. It is located in the southwest of Queensland and in the Orana region of New South Wales. The Warrego River is the northernmost tributary of the Darling River. The source of the Warrego River is from Mount Ka Ka Mundi, Carnarvon Range, and flows through to Darling River near Bourke, New South Wales.
6. Cooper Creek – 1, 300 km
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| Photo: Australia by Red Nomad OZ |
Cooper Creek is also known as the Barcoo River is one of Queensland’s three top river systems. It flows into Lake Eyre with the majority of its waters coming from monsoonal rains. Cooper Creek starts as two rivers west of the Great Dividing Range and it spreads out as vast channels before making its way to Queensland’s far south-west before turning into South Australia towards Lake Eyre.
7. Paroo River – 1,210 km
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| Photo: ipernity |
The Paroo River joins the Darling River only during rainy years; it is a network of wetlands, lakes, and waterholes. The river's catchment lies in the northwest corner of the Murray-Darling Basin, with half of it in Queensland and the other half in New South Wales.
The Warrego Range's west of Charleville is where the river begins, and it flows out of the range county across semi-arid plains. It finishes in the upper north-west corner of New South Wales, south of Wanaaring. The Paroo River only flows all the way to the Darling River during periods of intense rainfall and/or flooding.
Poplar box, coolabah, and red gum are the three main species of eucalyptus that border the river.
8. Flinders River – 1,004 km
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| Photo: ExplorOz |
Flinders River is the longest river in Queensland entirely. It length is 1,004 kilometers or 624 miles. It was named in honour of the explorer Matthew Flinders. Flinders River flow from Burra Range, Great Divide Range in North West Queensland and flows through the Gulf of Carpentaria in the west of Karumba.
9. Diamantina River – 941 km
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| Photo: lookANDsee |
The Diamantina River in Channel Country originates in Kirby's Range, northwest of Longreach. It only flows occasionally past Birdsville to Goyder Lagoon in South Australia. Here, it empties into a 158, 000 square kilometer basin.
The Georgina River and the Diamantina River combine during a flood, then flow together along Warburton Creek to Lake Eyre. The Mayne and Western Rivers are the Diamantina's main tributaries.
10. Gascoyne River – 834 km
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| Photo: www.carnarvon.wa.hospitalityinns.com.au |
At 834 kilometers, or 518 miles, the Gascoyne River is the longest river in Western Australia. There are three sources: the south Gascoyne River close to the Doolgunna homestead, the middle Gascoyne River west of Beyondie Lakes, and the Collier Ranger in Three Rivers Station. It flows straight through Shark Bay and into the Indian Ocean.
Other Australian Rivers of NotesThe Darling River joins the Murray River in Wentworth. According to Geoscience Australia, the Darling River is the second longest river in Australia, spanning 960 miles. It begins its journey towards Brisbane, far to the northeast of Adelaide, and then passes through a large portion of the outback. It should be mentioned, though, that occasionally it gets so dry that a portion of its length is actually unflowable. The Murray River is a tributary of the third-longest river in Australia. The Murrumbidgee River is that. It begins southeast of Canberra and ends at Boundary Bend, east of Mildura, where it joins the Murray River. Geoscience Australia estimates that this river is 925 miles long. This river also forms part of the traditional lands of several Aboriginal tribes. The Murrumbidgee River's tributary, the Lachlan River, is the fourth-longest river in Australia. The most notable feature is that, unlike most Australian rivers, it is entirely covered in wetlands. |
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