Rivers of New South Wales
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This page discusses the rivers and hydrography of the State of New South Wales, Australia.
The principal topographic feature of New South Wales is the series of low highlands and plateaus called the Great Dividing Range which extend from north to south roughly parallel to the coast of the Tasman Sea.
The two main categories of rivers in New South Wales, are those which rise in the Great Dividing Range and flow directly eastwards to the sea, and those which rise on the other side of the crest of the range and flow westward towards the desert. Most of the inland rivers eventually combine into the Murray-Darling network of rivers which drains to the sea in South Australia.
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[edit] Coastal rivers
In general, the coastal rivers are short, navigable only in their lowest reaches, if at all, subject to flooding in periods of high rainfall. The inland rivers have little water, are also subject to flooding, and their limited resources are extensively used for irrigation in the more arid inland agricultural districts of the State. On all of the significant inland rivers, large dams have been constructed to regulate the water flow and facilitate irrigation.
This is a list of the coastal rivers in New South Wales, in order from north to south:
- Tweed River
- Brunswick River
- Wilson River
- Richmond River
- Clarence River
- Orara River
- Nymboida River
- Bellinger River
- Kalang River
- Nambucca River
- Macleay River
- Hastings River
- Manning River
- Myall River
- Hunter River also Glenbawn Dam
- Williams River
- Paterson River
- Goulburn River
- Wollombi Brook
- Wyong River
- Hawkesbury River
- Macdonald River
- Colo River
- Grose River
- Warragamba River also Warragamba Dam
- Wollondilly River
- Nepean River
- Parramatta River
- Georges River
- Shoalhaven River
- Clyde River
- Moruya River
- Bega River
[edit] Inland-flowing rivers
The inland-flowing rivers in New South Wales can be considered in two groups. In the northern half of the state, a series of rivers rise on the western side of the Great Dividing Range. These rivers flow west and northwest and eventually combine into the Barwon which becomes the Darling River further west near Bourke. The waters of the Darling River then flow south through the arid far west of New South Wales to join the Murray River at Wentworth in the far south-west corner of the State.
The second group of inland-flowing rivers in New South Wales are those which rise in the southern part of the State and combine directly with the Murray River which forms the southern border of New South Wales with Victoria.
[edit] North-western New South Wales
- Darling River in the northwestern sector of the state.
- Barwon River
- MacIntyre River
- Severn River
- Beardy Waters
- Gwydir River also Copeton Dam
- Mehi River
- Horton River
- Namoi River also Keepit Dam
- Peel River
- Cockburn River
- Manilla River
- Castlereagh River
- Macquarie River also Burrendong Dam
- Bogan River
[edit] South-western New South Wales
In the southwestern sector of the state:
- Lachlan River also Wyangala Dam
- Abercrombie River
- Boorowa River
- Belubela River
- Crookwell River
- Murrumbidgee River also Burrinjuck Dam
- Naas River
- Molonglo River
- Cotter River
- Tumut River also Blowering Dam
- Yass River
- Murray River also Lake Hume
- Geehi River see Snowy Mountains Scheme
- Tooma River
- Edward River
[edit] See also
- List of rivers of Australia for an alphabetical listing including rivers in other Australian states
