Murray Darling Basin

The Murray Darling Basin is a large area throughout south-eastern Australia where water flows through two major rivers and lakes.

The states and territories the basin spreads throughout include:

  • Queensland

  • New South Wales

  • Australian Capital Territory

  • Victoria

  • South Australia

The two main rivers include the River Murray and the Darling River.

The Darling begins in Southern Queensland where the Culgoa and Barwon rivers meet. It flows into the Murray at the border of New South Wales and Victoria, and the Murray eventually reaches the sea just to the south-east of Adelaide.

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Murray Darling Basin Authority

With the enactment of the Water Act 2007, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) was established as an independent expertise-based statutory agency established purley for the Murray-Darling Basin.

This institution is the only institution responsible for planning the Basin's water resources, with all planning decisions made in the interest of the Basin as a whole.

Their most important work includes:

  • prepare, implement and review an integrated plan for the sustainable use of the Basin's water resources

  • operate the River Murray system and efficiently deliver water to users on behalf of partner governments

  • measure, monitor and record the quality and quantity of the Basin's water resources

  • supporting, encourage and conduct research and investigations about the Basin's water resources and dependent ecosystems

  • advise the Australian Government Minister for Water Resources on the accreditation of state water resource plans

  • provide water rights information to facilitate water trading across the Basin

  • engage and educate the Australian community about the Basin's water resources.

The sustainable management of the Murray–Darling Basin river system is a collective endeavour of the Australian and Basin state governments, with river dependent industries and communities.

For more information, visit:

https://www.mdba.gov.au/