Murrumbidgee River
| Murrumbidgee River | |
|---|---|
Murrumbidgee River at Wagga Wagga | |
The Murrumbidgee is a major tributary of the Murray River | |
| Etymology | Aboriginal Wiradjuri language: "big water" |
| Nickname(s) | 'bidgee |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| State/Territory | |
| IBRA | |
| Districts | |
| Municipalities | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Peppercorn Hill |
| • location | Snowy Mountains, NSW |
| • coordinates | 35°35′7″S 148°36′5″E / 35.58528°S 148.60139°E |
| • elevation | 1,560 m (5,120 ft) |
| Mouth | confluence with Murray River |
• location | near Boundary Bend, NSW/Vic |
• coordinates | 34°43′43″S 143°13′8″E / 34.72861°S 143.21889°E |
• elevation | 55 m (180 ft) |
| Length | 1,485 km (923 mi) |
| Basin size | 84,917 km2 (32,787 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Wagga Wagga |
| • average | 120 m3/s (4,200 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Narrandera |
| • average | 105 m3/s (3,700 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Balranald |
| • average | 27 m3/s (950 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Murray River, Murray–Darling basin |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Gudgenby River, Cotter River, Goodradigbee River, Tumut River |
| • right | Numeralla River, Bredbo River, Molonglo River, Yass River, Lachlan River |
| Reservoirs | Tantangara Reservoir, Lake Burrinjuck |
The Murrumbidgee River (/mʌrəmˈbɪdʒi/) is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, descending 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) over 1,485 kilometres (923 mi), generally in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains towards its confluence with the Murray River near Boundary Bend.
The word Murrumbidgee or Marrambidya means "big water" in the Wiradjuri language, one of the local Australian Aboriginal languages. The river itself flows through several traditional Aboriginal Australian lands, home to various Aboriginal peoples. In the Australian Capital Territory, the river is bordered by a narrow strip of land on each side; these are managed as the Murrumbidgee River Corridor (MRC). This land includes many nature reserves, eight recreation reserves, a European heritage conservation zone and rural leases.