What is the longest river in Australia?
The Murray River is the longest river in Australia, flowing about 2,500 kilometres from the Australian Alps to the Southern Ocean in South Australia. It forms much of the border between New South Wales and Victoria.
The Murray begins in the Snowy Mountains near Mount Kosciuszko and flows west past towns such as Albury, Echuca, Swan Hill and Mildura before entering South Australia. It reaches the sea near Goolwa, through Lake Alexandrina and the Murray Mouth.
The Darling River, which joins the Murray at Wentworth, is also very long. When the Murray and Darling are counted together with their tributaries, they form one of the longest river systems in the world.
The Murray-Darling Basin
The Murray-Darling Basin covers more than a million square kilometres, across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT. It is often called Australia's food bowl because of the farming it supports.
Paddle steamers once carried wool and goods along the Murray, and some historic boats still operate cruises at Echuca and Mannum.
The river has suffered from drought, over-extraction and introduced species such as carp. The Murray-Darling Basin Plan aims to balance water use between farming, towns and the environment.