Darling River System
Personal blog and guide to paddling the Darling River System
Condamine River
The Condamine River is the most diverse section of the entire waterway. From a gentle stream in highland farmland surrounded by rainforests, it is channeled into a forested gorge before entering the wide farming plains of the Darling Downs.
The Condamine River is also the most technical of the rivers that make up the Darling River system. Grade II rapids, highly variable river levels and notoriously bad log jams make for a challenging trip.
Key Waypoints
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-5 km
Mount Superbus
Detour up South East Queensland's highest peak that towers over the source.
A steep and hard Grade 4 walk up the ridgeline to the viewless summit that would get very slippy if wet. Some navigation required, especially if you head to the second cairn. Interesting detour to the Lincoln Wreckage or the lookout at Lizard Point and The Steamers.
Additional information about the walk can be found here.
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0 km
Source
Spring near the Main Range.
There is a seep in the paddock beside Spring Creek Rd, but there is a spring within the cliffs that is usually considered to be the true source of the South Branch of the Condamine River. The source and the first kilometer traverses private property before the first pipe culvert on Spring Creek Rd.
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19.0 km
Cambanoora Gorge (First Crossing)
Cambanoora Gorge runs between the source of the Condamine River and Killarney, QLD. It is also known as the Condamine Gorge.
Put in at or just above the first 4wd crossing of the river. I started near the gate as you leave the farmland for forest about 4.5 km upstream of the first crossing.
Levels under 2.1 m at The Head are likely to become difficult to paddle the bouldery sections of the gorge. You should expect about a dozen or more fences across the creek. Most farmers used barbed wire so be careful!
1.9 m at the Head represents almost zero flow and levels drop quickly after heavy rain. On an average year, there are 55 days at or above the recommended flow at Killarney (Brosnans Barn), but only 4.5 days at or above 1 Cumecs (~2 m) at the Head.
Normal flow, gauge height 1.9 m
High flow with heavy rain, gauge height 2.2 m
My Personal Journey
Due to a late start, I only managed a couple of hours of paddling on the first day. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable start to the trip with a starting river height of 2.23 m. The following morning, I awoke to a noticeably lower river level of 2.08 m, but it was still high enough to provide a pleasant paddling experience. I had enough control to stop for the barbed wire fences that were common in the lower sections.
Because of the large number of logs across the river and the rocky Grade II/III rapids, I decided to portage the top section in my sea kayak. I walked the kayak from the area adjacent to the North and South Condamine Junction, down through the first seven crossings, and put in at the eighth. I found the Grade I/II rapids and riffles downstream to be reasonably manageable in the sea kayak, but I still had a couple of close calls and a single capsize while trying to squeeze under a log.
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40.1 km
Killarney
From what would best be described as a narrow deep drainage ditch surrounded by River She-oaks (Casuarina cunninghamiana) below Killarney, the river started to open up around Murrays Bridge (~halfway to Warwick) where farmland dominated with sections lined with River Red-gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) as well as willow trees.
Road crossings and weirs become common and the majority of these are unmarked. Stay alert!
My Personal Journey
Despite the river height falling from 0.98m to 0.64m, it was still an enjoyable experience, although the decreased flow definitely made it slower. It was easy enough to control the kayak around the numerous log rafts/jams from the recent floods. This section was tough on both my boat and my skin as I tackled the log rafts.
With a higher flow and a plastic boat, this section was significantly faster and easier. There were only three log rafts and maybe a dozen downed trees to climb through. Even though I was extremely careful in the short sea kayak, I had two capsizes while navigating falling logs and a couple of nose-tail pins in the narrow creek.
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110 km
Warwick
Catchment: 1,360 sq km
Flood: minor: 5 m, moderate: 6 m, major: 7 m
Flow: no flow: 0.69 mRiver felt like it had dropped to a more "normal" level with a healthy rainfall at 0.91 m, as opposed to no rain for years. Crossings and weirs made for mostly flatwater paddling and minimal assistance from the flow around Warwick.
The next section downstream is mostly unregulated until you reach Talgai Weir. You really need to be ready to go quickly after heavy rains to use the current. A flow higher than 1.5 m above normal should allow you to paddle over many of the fences across the river.
Warwick is the last major supply pickup before Chinchilla, which is 426 km downstream. The small country store at Cecil Plains can be used for basic supplies. Dalby is a fairly long detour off the river. Benz Auto Dismantlers in Warwick may be able to offer long term car storage.
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336 km
Cecil Plains
Catchment: 7,795 sq km
Flood: minor: 6 m, moderate: 7 m, major: 8 m
Flow: no flow: 3.66 mTiny general store and a pub in the town.
Flowing Condamine at Cecil Plains. 710 ML/day 
Five days later, there was no flow Other possible towns on the way to Cecil Plains seem very limited and off the track:
- Clifton
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19 km E along Clifton Leyburn Rd
- Millmerran
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13.2 km SW along Gore Hwy from the bridge
Condamine River (North Branch)
The north branch rarely flows outside of flood events. The inlet was dry on both my trips even though the gauges suggested some flow. The north branch does not go past Cecil Plains and it is a 7.3 km walk west to the store from Pampas Bridge.
Flood: minor: 3.5 m, moderate: 4 m, major: 5 m
Flow: no flow: 1.81 m
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397 km
Loudoun Weir, Dalby
Catchment: 12,380 sq km
Flood: minor: 2.5 m, moderate: 3.5 m, major: 5.5 m
Flow: no flow: 1.78 mDalby is 10 km north east of the Moonie Hwy Bridge.
- Warra
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6.5 km north of the bridge along Warra Kogan Rd
- Brigalow
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3.75 km north of the bridge along Banana Bridge Rd.
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538 km
Chinchilla Weir
Catchment: 19,190 sq km
Flood: minor: 6 m, moderate: 8 m, major: 10 m
Flow: no flow: 0.74 mThe weir is 9 km from town. I stopped beside the rifle range and walked to town (6.5 km) for supplies to get me to the next major town that was St George (475 km), even Surat is 296 km away.
The first true rapids since the gorge were a few kms from the weir. This was the first of about four or five rocky sections before Surat. With an OK flow these are mostly about Grade I with a couple of easy Grade II rapids. Portage required on a poor flow and will wash out on higher flows.
Methane seeps were fairly common on the lower Condamine. There is still some debate on the cause of these, from being a natural phenomena to a byproduct of the large gas fracking industry in the area.
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624 km
Condamine
Roadhouse and pub.
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730 km
Dogwood Creek
Balonne River starts where the Condamine and Dogwood rivers join.
This is approximately halfway between the small towns of Condamine Township and Surat (~200 km); and halfway between Chinchilla and St George (475 km).
It was by a campfire beside the Condamine River during Christmas in 2015 where the idea to kayak the Murray-Darling river was first born. However, this also marked the beginning of a severe dry spell that plunged the eastern states of Australia into a prolonged drought, resulting in no flow in the system at all.
Four years later, the rivers of the Darling Downs finally had their first significant rains in over five years, allowing me to put my inflatable kayak into the headwaters and finally begin the trip. I was able to complete some sections, including the Condamine Gorge and the Culgoa River, but COVID-19 restrictions delayed the rest of the trip for almost a year.
In 2021, a rare flood event finally allowed me to finish the trip with a fantastic high flow on the Darling River.
With an almost unprecedented third consecutive La Niña event in 2022, I seized the opportunity to repeat the entire journey in a single continuous trip, and allowing me to explore the system in a much more intrepid fashion.