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The reaches of the Murrumbidgee in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) are now[when?] affected by the complete elimination[citation needed] of large spring snow melt flows and a reduction of average annual flows of almost 50%, due to Tantangara Dam. Tantangara Dam was completed in 1960 on the headwaters of Murrumbidgee River and diverts approximately 99% of the river's flow at that point into Lake Eucumbene.[6] This had extremely serious effects on native fish populations and other native aquatic life and has led to serious habitat loss. It is said that the Murrumbidgee River through the ACT is only half the river it used to be.[weasel words][7] The mainstream of the river system flows for 900 kilometres (560 mi).[8] The river's headwaters arise from the wet heath and bog at the foot of Peppercorn Hill situated along Long Plain which is within the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains; and about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Kiandra. From its headwaters it flows to its confluence with the Murray River. The river flows for 66 kilometres (41 mi) through the Australian Capital Territory near Canberra,[9] picking up the important tributaries of the Gudgenby, Molonglo and Cotter Rivers. The Murrumbidgee drains much of southern New South Wales and all of the Australian Capital Territory, and is an important source of irrigation water for the Riverina farming area. The river system's current channels are relatively new[when?] with the Upper Murrumbidgee being an anabranch of the Tumut River (that once continued north along Mutta Mutta Creek) when geological uplift near Adaminaby diverted its flow. The contemporary Murrumbidgee starts at Gundagai but generally the stream that now[when?] includes the Upper Murrumbidgee is described as being part of the full river.[10] In June 2008 the Murray-Darling Basin Commission released a report on the condition of the Murray-Darling basin, with the Goulburn and Murrumbidgee Rivers rated in a very poor condition in the Murray-Darling basin with fish stocks in both rivers were also rated as extremely poor, with 13 of the 22 native fish species found in the Murrumbidgee River.[11] Exploration The Murrumbidgee River was known to Europeans before it was actually discovered by them. In 1820 the explorer Charles Throsby informed the Governor of New South Wales that he anticipated finding "a considerable river of salt water (except at very wet seasons), called by the natives Mur-rum-big-gee". In the expedition journal, Throsby wrote as a marginal note: "This river or stream is called by the natives Yeal-am-bid-gie ...".[12] The river he had stumbled upon was in fact the Molonglo River, Throsby reached the actual river in April 1821.[13] In 1823, Brigade-Major John Ovens and Captain Mark Currie reached the upper Murrumbidgee when exploring south of Lake George.[14] In 1829, Charles Sturt and his party rowed and sailed down the length of the river from Narrandera to the Murray, and then down the Murray to the sea. They also rowed, sailing when possible, back up against the current.[15] The Murrumbidgee basin was opened to settlement in the 1830s and soon became an important farming area. Charles Sturt Monument located at Wagga Beach in Wagga Wagga Ernest Favenc, when writing on Australian exploration, commented on the relatively tardy European discovery of the river and that the river retained a name used by Indigenous Australians: Here we may remark on the tenacity with which the Murrumbidgee River long eluded the eye of the white man. It is scarcely probable that Meehan and Hume, who on this occasion were within comparatively easy reach of the head waters, could have seen a new inland river at that time without mentioning the fact, but there is no record traceable anywhere as to the date of its discovery, or the name of its finder. When in 1823 Captain Currie and Major Ovens were led along its bank on to the beautiful Maneroo country by Joseph Wild, the stream was then familiar to the early settlers and called the Morumbidgee. Even in 1821, when Hume found the Yass Plains, almost on its bank, he makes no special mention of the river. From all this we may deduce the extremely probable fact that the position of the river was shown to some stockrider by a native, who also confided the aboriginal name, and so it gradually worked the knowledge of its identity into general belief. This theory is the more feasible as the river has retained its native name. If a white man of any known position had made the discovery, it would at once have received the name of some person holding official sway.[16] Floods Murrumbidgee River in major flood in December 2010 and flood marker showing the height of the 1974 floods in Wagga Wagga The river has risen above 7 metres (23 ft) at Gundagai nine times between 1852 and 2010, an average of just under once every eleven years. Since 1925, flooding has been minor with the exception of floods in 1974 and in December 2010, when the river rose to 10.2 metres (33 ft) at Gundagai.[17] In the 1852 disaster, the river rose to just over 12.2 m (40 ft). The following year the river again rose to just over 12.5 m (41 ft). The construction of Burrinjuck Dam from 1907 has significantly reduced flooding but, despite the dam, there were major floods in 1925, 1950, 1974 and 2012.[18][19] The most notable flood was in 1852 when the town of Gundagai was swept away and 89 people, a third of the town's population, were killed. The town was rebuilt on higher ground.[20] In 1925, four people died and the flooding lasted for eight days.[21][22] The reduction in floods has consequences for wildlife, birds and trees. There has been a decline in bird populations and black box flood plain eucalypt forest trees are starting to lose their crowns.[23] Major flooding occurred during March 2012 along the Murrumbidgee River including Wagga Wagga, where the river peaked at 10.56 metres (34.6 ft) on 6 March 2012.[24] This peak was 0.18 metres (0.59 ft) below the 1974 flood level of 10.74 metres (35.2 ft).[19] Wetlands Major wetlands along the Murrumbidgee or associated with the Murrumbidgee catchment include:[25] Lowbidgee Floodplain, 2,000 square kilometres (772 sq mi) between Maude and Balranald Mid-Murrumbidgee Wetlands along the river from Narrandera to Carathool Fivebough and Tuckerbil Swamps Tomneys Plain Micalong Swamp Lake George Yaouk Swamp Black Swamp & Coopers Swamp Big Badja Swamp Tributaries Main article: Tributaries of the Murrumbidgee River [show]Map of all coordinates from Google Map of up to 200 coordinates from Bing Bridge over the Murrumbidgee at Carrathool, New South Wales. Swimming hole on the Murrumbidgee at Hay, New South Wales Aerial photo of Tuggeranong Town Centre, with Murrumbidgee River behind, Bullen Range is behind and Tidbinbilla Tracking Station is visible too. The Murrumbidgee River has about 90 named tributaries in total; 24 rivers, and numerous creeks and gullies. The ordering of the basin, from source to mouth, of the major tributaries is: Rivers of the Murrumbidgee River basin Catchment river Elevation at confluence[26] River mouth Coordinates[27][28] River length[26] Tributary Tributary Tributary Murrumbidgee River 55 m (180 ft) Murray 34°43′43″S 143°13′8″E ~900 km (559 mi) Numeralla River 706 m (2,316 ft) Murrumbidgee 36°3′56″S 149°9′1″E 94 km (58 mi) Kybeyan River 745 m (2,444 ft) Numeralla 36°13′13″S 149°21′25″E 36 km (22 mi) Big Badja River 735 m (2,411 ft) Numeralla 36°10′27″S 149°20′52″E 94 km (58 mi) Bredbo River Murrumbidgee Strike-a-Light River Bredbo Gudgenby River Murrumbidgee Naas River Gudgenby Orroral River Gudgenby Cotter River Murrumbidgee Paddys River Cotter Tidbinbilla River Paddys Gibraltar Creek Paddys Molonglo River Murrumbidgee Jerrabomberra Creek Molonglo Sullivans Creek Molonglo Queanbeyan River Molonglo Goodradigbee River 345 m (1,132 ft) Murrumbidgee 35°00′S 148°38′E 105 km (65 mi) Yass River Murrumbidgee Tumut River Murrumbidgee Goobarragandra River Tumut Doubtful Creek Tumut Lachlan River 68 m (223 ft) Murrumbidgee 34°22′S 143°47′E ~1,440 km (895 mi) Crookwell River 430 m (1,411 ft) Lachlan 34°16′39″S 149°7′53″E 78 km (48 mi) Abercrombie River 378 m (1,240 ft) Lachlan Bolong River Abercrombie Isabella River Abercrombie Boorowa River 303 m (994 ft) Lachlan Belubula River 263 m (863 ft) Lachlan Population centres Tharwa Canberra particularly Tuggeranong Jugiong Gundagai Wantabadgery Wagga Wagga Narrandera Yanco Leeton Darlington Point Hay Balranald River crossings The list below notes past and present bridges that cross over the Murrumbidgee River. There were numerous other crossings before the bridges were constructed and many of these still exist today. Downstream from Wagga Wagga Crossing Image Coordinates Built Location Description Notes Balranald Bridge 1973 Balranald Sturt Highway Matthews Bridge Maude Hay Bridge HayMurrumbidgeeRiverBridge.JPG 1973 Hay Cobb Highway Carrathool Bridge CarrathoolBridge004.JPG 1924 Carrathool Darlington Point Bridge DarlingtonPointBridge.JPG Darlington Point Kidman Way Euroley Bridge 2003 Yanco Narrandera Rail Bridge Narrandera Tocumwal railway line Narrandera Bridge NarranderaMurrumbidgeeBridge.JPG Newell Highway Collingullie Bridge BridgeOverMurrumbidgeeRiverNearCollingullie.jpg Collingullie Wagga Wagga to Burrinjuck [show]Map of all coordinates from Google Map of up to 200 coordinates from Bing Crossing Image Coordinates Built Location Description Notes Gobbagombalin Bridge Gobba Bridge - Olympic Highway 03.jpg 1997 Wagga Wagga Olympic Highway Wirajuri Bridge Wiradjuri Bridge 2003.jpg 1995 Hampden Avenue, replaced the Hampden Bridge Hampden Bridge Hampden bridge-wagga1.jpg 1895 disused Murrumbidgee River Rail Bridge Murrumbidgee Railway Bridge.jpg 2006 Main Southern railway line. Replaced the previous bridge built in 1881 Eunony Bridge Aerial view of the Eunony Bridge over the Murrumbidgee River.jpg Eunony Bridge Road Low Bridge Mundarlo - Murrumbidgee River Crossing.jpg Mundarlo Sheahan Bridge Sheahan Bridge, across Murrumbidgee River, Gundagai, NSW.JPG 1977 Gundagai Hume Freeway; looking south from Gundagai, bridge in midground Gundagai Rail Bridge Ancien pont ferroviaire sur le Murrumbidgee à Gundagai.JPG 1902 Tumut railway line, now disused Prince Alfred Bridge Prince Alfred Bridge.jpg 1867 Prince Alfred Road, former Hume Highway. Gobarralong Bridge Gobarralong Bridge, Murrumbidgee River, New South Wales.JPG Gobarralong Jugiong Bridge Murrumbidgee River at Jugiong, NSW, Australia (Bundarbo Road Bridge).JPG Jugiong Upstream from Burrinjuck Crossing Image Coordinates Location Description Notes Taemas Bridge Taemas Bridge, NSW, approach from the south.jpg Wee Jasper 1930 Uriarra Crossing Uriarra Crossing, ACT.JPG Uriarra Cotter Road bridge MurrumbidgeeCotter junction.jpg Australian Capital Territory Cotter Road, near the confluence with the Cotter River Point Hut crossing Point Hut Crossing, ACT.JPG Gordon Tharwa Bridge Tharwa bridge.JPG Tharwa 1895 Angle Crossing Angle Crossing on Murrumbidgee River, ACT.jpg Williamsdale Angle Crossing Road, a ford Billilingra Bridge Bridge across Murrumbidgee River, Billilingra Road, Billingra, NSW.JPG Billilingra Binjura Bridge Bridge across Murrumbidgee River, Mittagang Road, near Cooma, NSW.jpg Binjura Bolaro Bridge Bridge across Murrumbidgee River, Bolaro, New South Wales.JPG Bolaro Yaouk Bridge Murrumbidgee River at Yaouk, NSW, Australia.JPG Yaouk Tantangara Bridge Bridge across the Murrumbidgee River, Tantangara, NSW.JPG Tantangara Tantangara Road, immediately downstream from the Tantangara Reservoir wall Tantangara Dam Tantangara Dam, on Murrumbidgee River, NSW.JPG Tantangara Tantangara Reservoir was constructed between 1958 and 1960. No public access to the dam to cross the river. Long Plain Bridge Murrumbidgee River crossing, Long Plain Road, New South Wales.JPG Long Plain Murrumbidgee River (/mʌrəmˈbɪdʒi/[4]), a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It descends 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) as it flows 900 kilometres (559 mi) in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains towards its confluence with the Murray River near Boundary Bend. The word Murrumbidgee means "big water" in the Wiradjuri language, one of the local Aboriginal languages.[1][5] |
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