Murray-Darling Basin –
A Living Landscape
Lawrie Kirk
Manager Communication
MDBC
lawrie.kirk@mdbc.gov.au
02 6279 0107
Presentation to
Geography Teachers Association of Victoria
December Conference
Murray-Darling Basin
15% of Australia
Over 2 million people
Murray-Darling Basin
A Snapshot
› The Basin covers 1
million sq. km (equivalent
to the size of South
Africa)
› Major river system by
world standards
Charleville
Warrego
QUEENSLAND
Brisbane
Border
Barwon
Moree
Bourke
SOUTH
AUSTRALIA
Darling
Meninde
Lakes
» River Murray 2530 km
» River Darling 2740 km
Balonne
Morgan
Macquarie
Dubbo
Menindee
NEW SOUTH WALES
Forbes
Lake
Vi ctoria
Lachlan
Mildura
» Basin produces 40% of
total gross value of
Australia’s agricultural
production – including 70%
of irrigation production
Adelaide
Murray
Sydney
Murrumbidgie
Murray Bridge
Canberra
Swan Hill
Albury
VICTORIA
Melbourne
200 km
Average Annual Rainfall in
Murray-Darling Basin
Global water resources
Australia
Africa
South America
Asia
Oceania
North-central America
Europe
FAO AquaStat Data
Flow Variability
River Murray Inflows (Gigalitres/year)
Natural Inflows to Hume Dam (GL/Year)
12000
Historical Inflows
Mean Inflows
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
Ratio of maximum annual flow to minimum annual flow for
selected rivers
COUNTRY
RIVER
RATIO BETWEEN THE
MAXIMUM and the
MINIMUM ANNUAL
FLOWS
BRAZIL
AMAZON
1.3
SWITZERLAND
RHINE
1.9
CHINA
YANGTZE
2.0
SUDAN
WHITE NILE
2.4
USA
POTOMAC
3.9
SOUTH AFRICA
ORANGE
16.9
AUSTRALIA
MURRAY
15.5
AUSTRALIA
HUNTER
54.3
AUSTRALIA
DARLING
4705.2
Murray-Darling Basin
Ministerial Council
Charter
“to promote and coordinate effective
planning and management for
equitable, efficient and sustainable use
of land, water and other environmental
resources”
SIX GOVERNMENTS
Aust. Govt NSW Vic SA Qld ACT
MURRAY-DARLING BASIN
MINISTERIAL COUNCIL
Up to 3 Ministers from each Government
representing land, water and environment
Community Advisory Committee
21 expertise based
representatives
MURRAY-DARLING BASIN
COMMISSION
1 Independent President
2 Commissioners from each Government
Commission Office
Technical and administrative secretariat
River Murray System
Menindee Lakes
Lake Victoria
SA
Redbank Weir
2
3
4
5
6
7
Weirs/Locks
8
9
10
11
Maude Weir
NSW
15
Interface
with Snowy
Mountains
Scheme
Euston Weir
Hume Reservoir
1
Vic
Torrumbarry Weir
BarmahMillewa
Forest
Barrages
DARTMOUTH DAM – On the Mitta Mitta
PHOTO: Michael Bell
LAKE HUME – Mitta Mitta Arm
PHOTO: Michael Bell
LAKE MULWALA – Yarrawonga Weir
PHOTO: Michael Bell
DARETON - Photo Credit: Michael
Bell
DARETON – On the Murray
Photo: Michael Bell
LOCK & WEIR NINE – Kulnine
PHOTO: Michael Bell
LAKE VICTORIA
PHOTO: Michael Bell
MURRAY MOUTH - Dredge
PHOTO: Michael Bell
MURRAY MOUTH
PHOTO: Michael Bell
Water trading
From this ....
To this ….
Turning water into wealth
(by Commodity)
10000
9000
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Gross Margin $ / ML
Water used (GL)
Gross value of irrigated agriculture $7.3 billion per annum
Source: ABS 2000
Murray Mouth Barrages
MURRAY MOUTH – Goolwa Barrage
PHOTO: Michael Bell
The six ecological assets
Murray Mouth, Coorong and Lower
Lakes
Healthier lower lakes and Coorong
estuarine environment
› Open Murray mouth
› More frequent estuarine fish spawning
› Enhanced migratory wader bird habitat in
the Lower Lakes
River Murray Channel
• Increase the frequency of higher
flows in spring that are
ecologically significant
• Overcome barriers to migration
of native fish species between
the sea and Hume Dam
• Maintain current levels of
channel stability
The Challenges
Water Flow
Murray mouth - Flowing
Murray mouth - Closed, April 1981
Photos: Courtesy SA Govt
Commissioner, Sir Ronald East
straddling the River Murray at Nyah,
Victoria during the drought of 1923
Our youth our future..