Australian rivers

[Eddy Matthews]

I noticed that someone had tried to upload a map showing the major Australian rivers, but obviously the upload failed for some reason. Anyway, here it is - I cannot give credit to the original uploader as I don't know who it was!

[derekwarner_decoy]

It was me Eddy – I have explained it in another post - Derek  
         
 
From: Eddy Matthews [mailto:research@paddleducks.co.uk]
 Sent: Tuesday, 13 March 2007 7:39 PM
 To: research@paddleducks.co.uk
 Subject: Australian rivers  
 
   
I noticed that someone had tried to upload a map showing the major Australian rivers, but obviously the upload failed for some reason. Anyway, here it is - I cannot give credit to the original uploader as I don't know who it was!
 
       
 

 Regards
 Eddy
 
 
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 http://www.paddleducks.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=11346#11346
 
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[derekwarner_decoy]

Sorry...........must be Australian Telstra   ..doing this to my PC...again

From: Derek L Warner Pty Ltd [mailto:dlwarner@bigpond.net.au]
Sent: Tuesday, 13 March 2007 4:41 PM
To: 'research@paddleducks.co.uk'
Subject: APAM- The Directors Cut!

Hi PD’s – here is a map of the inland river system and around the eastern seaboard near Brisbane [Queensland] running south east around to Goolwa in South Australia

Parsons quotes river distances as follows

Goolwa to Wentworth on the Murray = 617 miles
Wentworth to Walget on the Darling = 1129 miles
And my guess  from Walget to Goonawindi on the Barwon = 280 miles

So with 2000+ miles in out hot inland would have driven most paddle captains & crew with the need for a cleansing ale or two

This is posted outside PD’s as I had a transmission failure re the file size… but @ 149 KB must be something else ………Derek
________________________________________

[Eddy Matthews]

Cheers Derek, at least it allows me to get an idea of the geography of the major Australian rivers, and I'm sure I can't be the only one!

[thewharfonline]

Interesting facts:

The Darling river is longer than the Murray River.

Combined the Murray Darling Basin drains 1/7 of the Nation.

...I'm doing geography this year and the first semester is all on the Murray! It's great!

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hey Sean.....unless you are very sure that the marker of your History or Geography examination is either or neither of Labour/Liberal or Green political persuasions ..... do not quote  that the "Combined the Murray Darling Basin drains 1/7 of the Nation"

This is a fundamentally mathematically flawed comment for or by the  Politicians or and MEDIA   :gather & is an   Koc... Up ....    'just tell them the truth'  :nah  9/10 of the rain water that falls is evaporated prior to entering our precious water storage areas

So 1/10 of 1/7 of a litre or 1000Mg/l is nothing......Derek

[Roderick Smith]

There are two primary websites for research:
Murray Darling Basin Commission: www.mdbc.gov.au
and CSIRO http://www.csiro.au/multimedia/pfqq.html (whole set of linked pages).
2 years ago I found good part in CSIRO identifying rainfall patterns and catchment proportions and evaporative lossed.  I can't find it this morning.  IIRC reducing evaporative losses could make a significant improvement to water supply: eliminating open-channel water distribution and adopting more-efficient irrigation techniques.  For the first time in many years salinity from rising water tables is no longer the hot issue.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[thewharfonline]

I always thought the 1/7 was more focussing on the size of land coveragethe Basin takes up...14% according to the Murray Darling Basin site, which probably means I was still wrong.

Currently I would say the basin (water wise) drains nothing....I'd say very little of Australia drains anything.

http://www.mdbc.gov.au/subs/eResource_book/index.htm

That link...if you scroll down to the Australia Map shows the drainage areas in Australia including the Murray Darling Basin...good for context for international studiers as well.

So I stand corrected...I think...I'm still possibly slightly confused.

I've had a busy day though and I'm not really focussed.

Best part about geography- next week I'm on geography camp- to the Murray! Very Exciting- Three days of Murray river around Echuca, Cohuna, Kerang and other places.

I'm pumped!

[Roderick Smith]

Now that you all have a map, here are some notes extracted from my Oct.03 article 'Randell & Cadell 150th'.

1854: Australia's first public railway, the horse-worked Goolwa - Port Elliot line, was opened without ceremony.  While the date shown in South Australian Railways records is 18.5.1854, the line was probably in use from Dec.1853 (when track was complete, only the major cutting onto Port Elliot wharf was not complete).  The SA governor travelled over the line in June 1854.

1850s-1860s: Randell & Cadell took steam vessels up most tributaries.  Paddlesteamers ran on:
* the Goulburn (Seymour occasionally, Shepparton usually).
* the Murray to Albury.
* the Wakool and Edwards (Murray anabranches, right through and to Deniliquin rarely; lower reaches regularly).
* the Murrumbidgee (Gundagai rarely; Balranald, Hay, Narrandera & Wagga Wagga usually).
* the Darling to Bourke, and on the Barwon (the upper reach) to Mungindi (on the Qld border) rarely; to Brewarrina & Walgett usually; also on some minor anabranches and creeks near Wilcannia during floods.

The number of paddlesteamers on the river system increased rapidly.  By the end of 1864, at least 30 paddle steamers and 25 barges had entered service.  Since all trade would pass to SA, the other colonies responded in planning early railways.  Melbourne Mt Alexander & Murray River had been unable to raise sufficient capital; its project was taken over by the newly-formed Victorian Railways in 1856.  The line reached Echuca in 1864, and the port grew to be Victoria's second busiest, and the busiest inland port in Australia.

1870s-1880s: The hey day of river shipping.  Paddlesteamers carried supplies (food, furniture, construction materials) in; produce (mainly wool) out.  There were also hawking vessels.  By 1865, 33 paddlesteamers had been commissioned; by 1870 there were 79; by 1875 there were 101; by 1880 there were 160; by 1885 there were 190.

Before there was a railway to Wodonga, the Saturday night Echuca train could connect with four rival paddlesteamers to Albury, each trying to be the first away.  Cumberoona was usually the fastest; it once ran Howlong - Echuca in 36 h, inclusive of stops for cargo and passengers.  VR completed its Wodonga line in 1873; construction materials had been brought from a Murray River wharf via a temporary line to near Chiltern.  Deniliquin & Moama Railway Co. completed its Echuca - Deniliquin line in 1876.  SA completed a line to Morgan in 1878; it became the second-busiest port in SA.  The line to Murray Bridge was completed in 1886.  NSW extended to Hay from 4.7.1882, and to Bourke from 1885; other Riverina lines were built in this decade.  As railways reached commercial nodes established by river trade, the boats became just local feeders.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Eddy Matthews]

WOW - 190 paddlers by 1885! So obviously we still have a lot more to learn about!

How many of the 190 are still in existance? Australia seems to have many more paddlers remaining than almost any other country, even if some of them are in pretty poor shape, the fact remains that they are still there!

[Roderick Smith]

There were many more built after 1885.  IIRC the last of the traditional era was Alexander Arbuthnot (1923; Sean has written it up in his APAM Director's cut thread?).
Perhaps the total reached 230?
Sean's list of surviving and modern vessels, which commenced the APAM thread 'surviving and modern vessels' in the research forum, listed ~125 boats.  At a quick guess, 25 are survivors of the traditional era, of which about 10 are in close to original configuration.
There also many wrecks still visible (and others buried under mud).
A detailed answer to this question will be months off, and may have to wait for Sean or Michael to prepare it.  They are in a better position than I am to prepare a response.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[lner]

The SA Tourist Board has released a delightful little booklet which higlighted all points of paddler interest including mapping out the positions of all known wrecks both above and below the surface.

I have a copy somewhere but it only covers the coorong and Murray mouth up to the SA border.

[paddlesteamerman1]

Martin,
Where can I pick up a copy of that booklet?? Is it just one of the ones I could pick up from a tourist information centre??
I am interested, we own a house in Morgan (a rendered little cottage 1 street away from river frontage) and visit SA a lot..

We do have a rich heritage in the paddlesteamer era - but it is sad that school just dont teach that to anyone.. throughout my 12 years of schooling (neither primary or secondary taught me any Australian history whatsoever..

Also I heard on the radio that the Murray/Darling Basin is in the top ten of the quickest degenerating rivers in the world.. sad news.. I heard that on 774 this morning on the way to the bus.. a report released by WWF..

[thewharfonline]

James, just in response to your degeneration comment.

I was just (literally this morning and for the past few days) on the Murray on Geography camp, through which we spoke to many officials, government members and members of society.

The common message was- and they all wanted us to spread this message- "The Murray River is a healthy river" It is in a better condition than it was 30 years ago. Carp numbers are down, regulation is working more effectively and there are more plans in place than ever before for helping out the rivers health (The "Living Murray" scheme for instance"

I say it again the Murray River is in a very healthy condition.

All officials we spoke to immediately wanted us to disregard what the media had reported as well as the WWF. "We are currently in a drought, and we have been for a long time" was what we were told "Yet we are effectively finding ways to use Murray water wisely for the benefit of all, the river is healthier than it has been in the last 30 years."

We were lucky enough to sit in on a community meeting about the proposed Torrumbarry Cutting- a scheme that plans to bring water to the Gunbower, Perricoota and Koondrook forests. It was so intriguing to see a) democracy in action and b) the response of the community.

All thought it was important to help feed the forest- floods are required every 3 years for the health of the River Red Gum. Many of the farmers at the meet (we ended up driving out to the proposed location) had questions about how well maintained the increased waters in the area would be handled and whether it would effect their properties, whether increased water would increase grass growing and add to the fire risk, how the water would be used exactly (Minimum 30% of the Forest would be 'fed' maximum 70%) and where it would go (many outlets will be made including one back to the Murray).

Specific environmental flows would not be effective for feeding the forest because of the chokes (such as Barmah) located before these forests so the cutting would allow water directly into the channel.

The meeting was very good- and our classes learnt a lot at the meeting. The officials were incredibly impressed that we 'city folk' were there. They really wanted us to return home and tell other students about the great health of the river. The red gum forests are effected by the drought- they look in a sad state, loss of leaves etc- the river can be used effectively to help this and it is possible because of the health of our river.

I don't know if you noticed James but in the Herald Sun the argument that the river was in a terrible state was backed up with images of the Darling River.

To my knowledge only one major lock and weir regulation is set up on this river and it is much dryer than the Murray- for a few reasons, it is a longer river and much shallower. Not to mention we are currently leaving the summer period after which the river should be dryer. (Irrigators require a greater flow during summer to irrigate crops etc over winter they rely on rain- less water removed from the river)

Nowhere that I saw on this trip did I see the Mighty Murray look anything but.

The grand horse shoe bends, the surrounding lakes, the narrows at Barmah all looked stunning and healthy. Possibly the only worry is the silting up happening once again at Echuca- but that is brought on by river current as well as managed water level.

We have an incredibly healthy river here that is getting wrongly publicised. It is true (as with almost all areas in Australia) we need more rain, we are in a drought- no need for denial here. But it's time people went up to see the river for themselves.

Do it, seriously.

That is what all the people of the community that we spoke to, as well as officials, wanted us to tell you.

Don't believe everything you read in the paper- sometimes you have to get the true evidence for yourself.

If you want to know anything more about the various programs we encountered along the river- including managing salination, the Torrumbarry Cutting and various others, feel free to contact me. We recieved large amounts of publications from the Murray Darling Basin Commission and I would be happy to pass on information as they wanted us to.

(Oh and it was a great camp by the way!)

[lner]

Martin,
Where can I pick up a copy of that booklet?? Is it just one of the ones I could pick up from a tourist information centre??

I have a copy which I picked up and the relevent government department.  It was a little while ago and it cost a small amount ($7 I think from memory).

If you want one I am happy enough to whip up the road and check some time late next week when I have the time.

Cheers