Murrumbidgee

River in New South Wales, Australia; length 1,609 km/1,000 mi. The Murrumbidgee rises in the Australian Alps, then flows north and west to meet the River Murray on the Victoria border. It is a major tributary of the Murray. The Murrumbidgee is navigable for 807 km/501 mi to Wagga Wagga during the winter months. The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area is a large, fertile region irrigated by the waters of the Murrumbidgee.

Course From its source in the Australian Alps the Murrumbidgee flows north to the Burrinjuck reservoir, then west through the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area before joining the Murray on the border between New South Wales and Victoria, 145 km/90 mi southeast of Wentworth, where the River Darling joins the Murray. The Lachlan and Molonglo rivers are the principal tributaries of the Murrumbidgee. The principal towns on its course are Wagga Wagga and Narrandera.

Irrigation The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) covers an area of 2,000 sq km/800 sq mi, centred around the town of Griffith, 625 km/388 mi southwest of Sydney, between the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee rivers, including the Riverina district. Water is stored in Blowering and Burrinjuck dams (built between 1907 and 1912), then flows down the Murrumbidgee River for over 400 km/249 mi before being diverted into a network of canals. Most of Australia's rice is grown here, as well as 80 % of New South Wales's grapes and 60% of its citrus fruits.