NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Darling River

Darling River
The Darling in unusually good condition, near Bourke
Origin	Bourke, New South Wales
Mouth	confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth
Basin countries	Australia
Length	2,739 km (1,701 mi)
Avg. discharge	100m³/s

The Darling River is the longest river in Australia, flowing 2,739km from northern New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. (Some geographers treat the Darling and the lower Murray as a single river, 3,000km long. This is largely a matter of semantics). Officially the Darling begins near Bourke at the confluence of the Culgoa and Barwon rivers, streams which rise in the ranges of southern Queensland. The whole Murray-Darling river system, one of the largest in the world, drains all of New South Wales west of the Great Dividing Range, much of northern Victoria and southern Queensland and parts of South Australia. October 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Location of Bourke in New South Wales (red) Bourke is a town and Local Government Area in the north of New South Wales, Australia. ... [[ == Headline text == This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Location of Bourke in New South Wales (red) Bourke is a town and Local Government Area in the north of New South Wales, Australia. ... The Murray River, or River Murray, is Australias second-longest river in its own right (the longest being its tributary the Darling). ... Wentworth is a small town in the far south west of New South Wales, Australia. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... In hydrology, the discharge of a river is the volume of water transported by it in a certain amount of time. ... Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Motto(s): Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Professor Marie Bashir Premier Morris Iemma (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 50 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004... The Murray River, or River Murray, is Australias second-longest river in its own right (the longest being its tributary the Darling). ... Wentworth is a small town in the far south west of New South Wales, Australia. ... Location of Bourke in New South Wales (red) Bourke is a town and Local Government Area in the north of New South Wales, Australia. ... The Coulga river is a continuation of the Balonne River in southern Queensland and flows south-west to join the Darling River near Bourke, New South Wales. ... For other uses, see Barwon River (disambiguation). ... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 28 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $158,506 (3rd) - Product per capita $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of November 2006) - Population 4,164,590 (3rd) - Density 2. ... Semi-arid grazing country near Burra Creek, South Australia The Murray-Darling Basin being 3430km long, drains one-seventh of the Australian land mass and is currently by far the most significant agricultural area in Australia. ... The Great Divide runs around the entire eastern and south-eastern edge of Australia The Great Dividing Range, also known as the Eastern Highlands, is Australias most substantial mountain range. ... Slogan or Nickname: Garden State, The Place to Be Motto(s): Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Government Constitutional monarchy Governor David de Kretser Premier Steve Bracks (resigning effective 30th July 2007) (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 37 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 28 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $158,506 (3rd) - Product per capita $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of November 2006) - Population 4,164,590 (3rd) - Density 2. ... Capital Adelaide Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Premier Mike Rann (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 11 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $59,819 (5th) - Product per capita $38,838/person (7th) Population (End of September 2006) - Population 1,558,200 (5th) - Density 1. ...

The Queensland headwaters of the Darling (the area now known as the Darling Downs) were gradually colonised from 1815 onward. In 1828 the explorer Charles Sturt was sent by the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Ralph Darling, to investigate the course of the Macquarie River. He discovered the Bogan and then, early in 1829, the upper Darling, which he named after the Governor. In 1835 Major Thomas Mitchell travelled the whole length of the Darling, confirming Sturt's earlier discovery that it was a tributary of the Murray. The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. ... April 5-12: Mount Tambora explodes, changing climate. ... Year 1828 (MDCCCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Charles Sturt c. ... General Sir Ralph Darling, Governor NSW (1825â€“1831). ... The Macquarie River is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1838 map of Victoria and New South Wales showing towns, major rivers and the limits of the Colony at the time. ...

Although it's flow is extraordinarily irregular (the river dried up on no fewer than forty-five occasions between 1885 and 1960), in the later 19th century the Darling became a major transportation route, the pastoralists of western New South Wales using it to send their wool by paddle steamer from busy river ports such as Bourke and Wilcannia to the South Australian railheads at Morgan and Murray Bridge. But over the past century the river's importance has declined. In this period the Australian poet Henry Lawson wrote a well-known ironic tribute to the Darling River. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pastoralists are people whose main source of livelihood is livestock with which they move seasonally in search of fresh pasture and water. ... A paddle steamer, paddleboat, or paddlewheeler is a ship or boat propelled by one or more paddle wheels driven by a steam engine. ... Location of Bourke in New South Wales (red) Bourke is a town and Local Government Area in the north of New South Wales, Australia. ... Wilcannia is a small town with a population of 688, located within the Central Darling Shire in north western New South Wales, Australia. ... Morgan is a town in South Australia on the right bank of the Murray River, just downstream of where it turns from flowing roughly westwards to roughly southwards. ... The Murray Bridge that crosses the Murray River Driving across the bridge Murray Bridge () is a city in South Australia about 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of Adelaide and 1 hour drive north of Meningie. ... Henry Lawson, circa 1902 Henry Lawson[1] (17 June 1867 - 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and poet. ...

Today the Darling is in poor health, suffering from overuse of its waters, pollution from pesticide runoff and prolonged drought. In some years it barely flows at all. The river has a high salt content and declining water quality. To quote another Henry Lawson poem: It has been suggested that Pollutant be merged into this article or section. ... A cropduster spreading pesticide. ... Fields outside Benambra, Victoria suffering from drought conditions A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. ... Henry Lawson, circa 1902 Henry Lawson[1] (17 June 1867 - 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and poet. ...

The skies are brass and the plains are bare,
Death and ruin are everywhere;
And all that is left of the last year's flood
Is a sickly stream on the grey-black mud;
The salt-springs bubble and the quagmires quiver,
And this is the dirge of the Darling River.

Conluence of the Darling with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 Ã— 1536 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 Ã— 1536 pixel, file size: 1. ... The Murray River, or River Murray, is Australias second-longest river in its own right (the longest being its tributary the Darling). ... Wentworth is a small town in the far south west of New South Wales, Australia. ...

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External Links

"A river runs through it" Daily Telegraph article - June 06, 2007 http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21854160-5006009,00.html

Categories: Articles lacking sources from January 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Rivers of New South Wales | Rivers of Queensland

Results from FactBites:

Darling River - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (372 words)
	watershed = }} The '''Darling River''' is the longest river in [[Australia]], flowing 2,739km from northern [[New South Wales]] to its confluence with the [[Murray River]] at [[Wentworth, New South WalesWentworth]], New South Wales.
	In [[1828]] the explorer [[Charles Sturt]] was sent by the Governor of New South Wales, [[Sir Ralph Darling]], to investigate the course of the [[Macquarie River]].
	Today the Darling is in poor health, suffering from overuse of its waters, [[pollution]] from [[pesticide]] runoff and prolonged [[drought]], possibly the result of manmade [[global warming]].

Central Darling Shire Council: About: The Darling River (736 words)
	River front wool empires grew at a phenomenal speed; some were 2-3 million acres, Shearing millions of sheep, so that by the 1890's the river ports at Bourke, Wilcannia and Wentworth were shipping world record amounts of wool away to Europe.
	Because much of the Darling's course runs through extensive saltbush pastures, receiving an average of less than 250 mm (10 in.) of rain annually, the river often loses more water by evaporation than is gained from its tributaries, many of which sometimes fail to reach the main stream.
	In 1828 the explorer Charles Sturt was dispatched by the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Ralph Darling, to investigate the lower course of the Macquarie River.

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