Current Musing: Murray and Darling River Systems (On hold - COVID-19)
Ferns beside a still pool

Planning

This trip is a difficult and potentially very dangerous expedition, especially this first few hundred km in remote alpine environments. Risks include, but are not limited to:

  • Drowning: risks are greatest with whitewater kayaking, but even flat water kayaking has its own dangers.
  • Remoteness: you should be self-sufficient with at least 7 days supplies for the upper Murray loop depending on how you tackle this section.
  • Fire: mainly a risk in the summer months for most areas of the Murray River, these can occur at any time and you will not have any warnings.
  • Snakes: don't panic about these, but take precautions and stay alert. I personally saw ~15 red belly blacks, 2 tiger, 2 copperheads, 2 small-eyed and 1 yellow eyed whip snakes.
  • Dehydration: the area appears to be drying out. Carry enough water between known / reliable streams & creeks. Clearly, this applies only to the access tracks!
  • Hypothermia and hyperthermia: even in the summer months there is the possibility of either a heat wave or snow. Prepare adequately for the alpine environment.
  • Water borne diseases: both wild animals and domesticated cattle contaminate the river, with carcases and faeces. I personally saw the Murray being turned cloudy green brown from herds of cows in the water.

While I am posting this information to assist fellow explorers, you should not rely on anything stated on this page without first confirming it independently from more reliable sources.

Stores, distances & coordinates below are only approximations from using various Google Map tools and APIs, but should be accurate enough for the trip.

Coordinates will generally be at a takeout point or bridge for most locations. Various reports suggest views of the small towns could be obscured by the river banks, so some care needs to be taken while navigating down the river.

Quick Links

Starting Dates

Hill covered in snow

Mt Kosciuszko

The standard hiking season is roughly from mid-November to the end of April. Remember to check with both the NSW and VIC park pages for status and closures.

The Thredbo resort site will only list the trek to Mt Kosciuszko as open when there is minimal risk to the average walker. It is likely to be safely traversed by experienced hikers much earlier, in fact any time of the year with snow shoes and navigation tools. Up to 4 m of snow could be covering the track.

My trip was unnecessarily delayed waiting for this to change, but with hindsight while the increased flows would have assisted me, these were likely still too low for a pleasant trip, and I would have been caught out with the late snow sometime in my trip that is pictured here.

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Barely running river

Murray River

Upper Murray River

The upper section has the higher flows August to October, but that will also mean much colder water and more variable weather. I roughly estimate that you would want a water level of at least 0.5 m at Biggara, and historically this is normally seen in November and December. Leaving your trip till mid-Dec or later will significantly increase the chances of a low flow.

The sweet spot is likely at the start of December where the temperature starts to rise, but historically still above my calculated minimum if you are traveling light, but maybe consider a November start if your considering a full source to sea trip.

Murray River (below Bringenbrong Bridge)

Standing advice is that summer is the best time to do the main leg on the Murray, due to the release of water for irrigation, but looking over the historical data suggest a peak in flows during spring and this slowly tapers off till early winter.

Heat is the second factor to consider, inland Australia can get very hot summer and very cold in winter! Many would consider things to be more pleasant in Spring or Autumn.

The final factor is the weather. While summer gets the heat waves, winter is more likely to get cold fronts and thus cold headwinds.

With all of these factors combined, Spring is likely the best season, but a combined single source to sea trip would push this into the early summer months to optimise all sections of the trip.

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Alpine Track Info

NSW 1:25,000 Maps

The area is covered by NSW 1:25,000 scale maps:

Mt Kosciuszko:
Perisher Valley 8525-2S and Chimneys Ridge 8525-1N
Cascade and Cowombat Tracks:
Chimneys Ridge 8525-1N / Tom Groggin 8524-4N, Davies Plain 8524-4S / Charcoal Range 8524-1S and Suggan Buggan 8524-S (1:50,000)
Upper Murray River
Suggan Buggan 8524-S (1:50,000), Davies Plain 8524-4S, Tom Groggin 8524-4N
Murray Gorge:
Tom Groggin 8524-4N, Youngal 8525-3S, Scammels Lookout 8525-3N & Swampy Plain 8525-4S

These can be downloaded as free PDF's from NSW Governments e-Topo service (limit of 5 per day) or printed maps can also be purchased.

Victorian Maps

These can be purchased online here.

National 1:100,000 Maps

8524 - Jacobs River
Thredbo to Source Murray to Tom Groggin
8525 - Kosciusko
Murray River Gorge to Bringenbrong, including Mt Kosciusko

All other 1:100,000 topographic maps for the Murray River can be found online here, including 250,000 and 1:1,000,000 maps.

I highly recommend the 1:25,000 maps for any non-standard treks in the area. I was using a 1:100,000 that proved inadequate with low visibility conditions. However, if you are staying on the main fire trails, these are very easy to follow on the NSW parks side.

3D Map
Google Earth with tracks and other features marked of the upper Murray River. Snow Gums trail does not extend all the way down to the Poplars and the Ash Fire Trail is likely overgrown.

Mount Kosciuszko

Merritts Nature Track
4 km on a steep track directly up. This starts from the valley terminal where you head down the valley past the Bobsleigh and then straight up. Fairly well signposted and crosses multiple mountain biking tracks.
Kosciuszko Walk
13 km grade 3 track to the summit and back, mostly on a steel platform walk.
Dead Horse Gap walking track
Part of the Australian Alps walking track, this fairly steep track wides down to the trailhead of the Cascade Hut Trail back down in the valley. The start of the track is about 250m from the Eagles Nest Cafe and was unmarked. It is the stone laid track heading towards a chairlift hut.
Thredbo River Track
Follows the track down the river to Thredbo.

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Source (Pilot Wilderness Area)

Cascade (Hut) Trail

Stay on this trail, past Cascade Hut (9.7 km), past the Tin Mine Trailhead (21.9 km) down to the Tin Mine Huts (25.6 km).

I did not notice the Ash Fire Trail that heads west as the Cascade Trail turns east at about 20.5 km mark. This trail was part of a track that lead to a now abandoned BOM water gauge and is likely overgrown / non-existent now.

Water should be easily obtainable from the Thredbo and Cascade creek crossings as well as from nearby streams around both the Cascade and Tin Mine huts. Less reliable water can be found in a few streams about the 13 km mark.

Cowombat Flat Fire Trail

The Cascade Trail ends as it diverges at Tin Mine Huts. Take the Cowombat Trail that heads south west, not the Ingeegoodbee Trail that heads south east following the Ingeegoodbee River.

At 7.7 km the Snow Gums Trail heads off to the right / west. Keep left traversing around The Pilot (1,828m) on its western flank down to Cowombat Flat, 17 km along from the Tin Mine Huts.

Water should be easily obtainable from the Tin Mine Creek crossing. The only other water source I found under the dry conditions was a poor seep that crossed the road before the start of the Snow Gums trail. This would be unreliable in drier conditions. A decent enough seep was flowing at the track crossing of the Murray River at Cowombats Flat. This quickly dried up going upstream.

Snow Gums Trail

This is an alternative trail on the Pilot or Cowombat Ridge (the proper name given by GEO Australia). This provides nice views of The Pilot, before also heading down to Cowombat Flats via the Pilot Creek Firetrail.

The Snow Gums trailhead is at 7.7 km from the Tin Mine Huts and clearly marked. It heads right (west) across a small saddle.

About 850 m, the Murray River Fire Trail heads N along the Pilot or Cowombat Ridge, but stay on the Snow Gums Trail heading SW along the same ridgeline. This had an unreadable sign marking this old firetrail.

The Snow Gums Trail continues on about 2 km from the Pilot Creek Trailhead along Pilot or Cowombat Ridge. This firetrail terminates at a small rocky outcrop with thick surrounding bush.

I found no water sources allow this trail. Following the ridgeline down off trail, the first water of significance was the Murray River itself at the bottom of the valley, approx 5 km of rough offtrail hiking in dense bush.

Pilot Creek Firetrail
This drops off the ridge to the left (east) down into Cowombat Flats from the Snow Gums Trail. Starts approximately half way down the ridgeline, 5.4 km along the Snow Gums Firetrail.

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Murray River Gorge

Harrington's Track

This 17km historic bridle trail stretches along the Murray River from Tom Groggin to Bunroy Station. The walk is steep and challenging at times. This trail terminates before exiting the gorge and is also popular with horse riders.

You rejoin the Murray River near Hermit Ck, the last of the class 3/4 sections is just downstream of the Hermit Ck confluence, maybe one of the most difficult rapids in the gorge. Easier shorter mostly class 2 sections could be tackled with a packraft from below this particular rapid.

Elevation profile graph
16.6km
880m
1,009m
4h 52min

You can access this from the foot bridge at Tom Groggin Station entrance, following close to the river frontage, fording Omeo Ck (~1km from footbridge), down to the Stoney Ck track (at 3.75km) that leads to the start of the Harrington's track (combined distance 5.1km). Alternatively, start from Tom Groggin camping area, crossing the ford to Dogmans Hut. Follow Tom Groggin Track to Mt Pinnibar Track that joins up with Stoney Ck track. (10km total). A third option is to swim across from Grassy Flats Rd directly to the start of the track at Stony Ck camp.

Exiting the track via Bunroy and Upper Murray Rds.

NSW 1:25,000 Maps

Tom Groggin 8524-4N and Youngal 8525-3S. Scammels Lookout 8525-3N and Swampy Plain 8525-4S cover the remaining section of the gorge down to Bringenbrong Bridge.

Victorian 1:50,000 Maps

Geehi 8525-S and Tom Groggin 8524-N should cover the track.

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Camping Options

Upper Murray

Summit to Source

I was warned from fellow hikers to avoid sleeping in the huts as they often have healthy mouse populations that may be problematic. However there are ample flat grassy spaces for a tent at either location.

Cascade Hut (1,474m)
Approximately 10 km down the Cascade Trail
36° 32' 24.7" S, 148° 16' 36.6" E
Tin Mine Huts (1,271m)
Approximately 25.5 km down the Cascade Trail
36° 42' 0.6" S, 148° 15' 1.3" E
AAWT Camping Area
Approximately 2.5 km down the Cascade Trail, just after the first stream crossing. Effectively backcountry camping.
36° 32' 24.7" S, 148° 16' 36.6" E

Murray River

The Poplars, VIC (853m)
Heading west down the Murray will lead directly to this 4wd access campsite.
36° 46' 36.2" S, 148° 6' 27.7" E
Tom Groggin Campground, NSW (527m)
Likely base camp for the trip.
36° 32' 32.8" S, 148° 7' 43.4" E
Dogman Hut Camping Area, VIC (519m)
VIC side by Tom Groggin Campground.
36° 32' 7.7" S, 148° 7' 58.3" E

Backcountry

Majority of my camping sites were by the trails or the river itself. Remember to:

  • bury human waste at least 100m from waterways and at least 15cm deep
  • only use detergents, toothpaste and soap if you're at least 50m from any waterways
  • most importantly, leave no trace
Alpine National Park VIC
Dispersed bush camping is permitted throughout the area
Kosciuszko National Park NSW
Back country camping is permitted, but a number of restrictions do apply.

Davies Plain & VIC tracks

There may be an easy escape trail on the VIC side using Davies Plain track to Tom Groggin if the river is impassable below the Poplars.

Charles Creek, VIC (1,567m)
Maybe around the creek crossing south 250m. Toilets apparently.
36° 43' 54.4" S, 148° 4' 22.7" E roughly +/- 100m
Davies Plain Hut, VIC (1,404m)
36° 39' 6.3" S, 148° 7' 31.6" E

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River Info

Finding the Source

Map

Indi Springs is normally considered as the source of the Murray River. This is ~180m along the Black-Allen line at 36° 47' 49.3" S, 148° 11' 48.3" E.

From Cowombats Flat, walk up the Murray River to the start of the Black-Allan line. From here, head ESE along the border to find the spring. It has a steel pipe that was placed by the RMIT survey group in December 1984. A canister attached to this pole has a visitor book that you can sign. This spring can also be located by finding the Forest Hill Cairn #1 that is on the edge of the saddle between the knolls of Forest Hill (on a spur of The Pilot). Follow the line of rocks 22.5 chains (cough 452.6 metres) northwest from the cairn until you find the source.

I was guestimating a day just to find the source based on old reports, however it was an easy walk up from Cowombats Flat in fairly open terrain to the Black-Allen line. This took me about an hour one way. If both the NSW and VIC Parks service do feral animal control in the area, namely feral horses, this trip is likely much harder as the bush will recover and become thicker.

Map

The Murray River source was indirectly determined by the Act of Separation Bill, 1851 that legislated the separation the separation of NSW and VIC. This defined the border as "a straight line drawn from Cape Howe to the nearest source of the Murray River". This was first surveyed in 1846 by Townsend, and Black confirmed this as the most eastern of the sources in 1869. It was officially named the Indi Spring in 2006, which is the Aboriginal name for the Murray River and also means 'something far away, or belonging to the past'.

Note that Limestone Ck is a likely alternative for the true geographic source if you are considering all sources within the alpine areas of VIC/NSW. It would be interesting to discover the history of both rivers, and what made the smaller eastern tributary to be named as the Murray. The political direction in the 1850s wasn't to define the Murray River course, only to find the eastern most headwater. This is a bit of a moot point as the best current estimate for true geographic source of the Murray-Darling Basin is actually the Condamine River in QLD.

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Upper Murray River Gorge

Whitewater Guides

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Guiding Companies

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Alpine River Adventures

Inflatable kayaks and / or rafts. Bespoke guiding on the upper sections including the top 150 km mixed hike / kayak of the Murray River.

More Info

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Rafting Australia

Guided rafting trips down the Murray Gorge starting from Tom Groggin Station

More Info

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Location Statistics

The following charts have been generated from data from the following websites. The live feed of all gauges is extremely useful to see an overall picture of the system.

Click on the location name to open up or close each data set.

Following data is from Thredbo Village (1,380 m) and is likely the best comparative site for the walk to the Murray River source. Thredbo AWS (Top Station 1,957 m) provides a better of the conditions to Mt Kosciuszko, about 1 to 2°C colder and more exposed.

Coordinates
36° 30' 11.1" S, 148° 18' 28.1" E
Evaluation
1,380 m
Timezone
AEST (+10:00)
Daylight Savings
AEDT (+11:00)
First Sunday in October till the first Sunday in April
StatJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAnnual
Average High (°C)21.621.118.214.010.06.65.46.69.813.516.619.313.6
Max High (°C)33.533.028.924.519.615.513.016.620.824.129.532.033.5
Min High (°C)7.05.45.21.6-1.0-2.4-1.5-1.0-0.31.22.83.9-2.4
Days above 30°C0.70.20.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.9
Average Low (°C)7.47.04.81.7-0.5-2.4-3.6-2.5-0.51.73.85.51.9
Min Low (°C)-4.4-5.2-6.1-8.0-9.5-12.2-12.8-12.4-9.4-9.6-7.1-6.2-12.8
Max Low (°C)21.020.517.913.511.07.56.510.711.015.518.718.121.0
Mean frost days1.31.13.711.217.220.423.322.716.810.75.82.5136.7
Mean rain (mm)108.885.2118.1109.7151.5158.8165.7192.2207.6179.5163.1124.41771.1
Medium rain (mm)100.379.0109.297.2140.2155.2148.7184.8205.5168.9146.1126.71753.7
Days with rain8.88.38.89.010.712.413.113.814.111.711.39.3131.3
Days with 10mm rain3.32.93.23.73.94.64.85.76.15.25.34.052.7
Mean 9am wind (km/h)6.24.55.56.16.26.57.07.78.49.27.67.56.9
Mean 3pm wind (km/h)9.78.68.68.18.37.58.08.28.89.09.29.98.7
Dawn05:4306:1806:4606:1206:3506:5006:4306:1305:2905:4505:1505:15
Sunrise06:1206:4507:1206:3807:0307:1807:1106:3905:5506:1205:4405:45
Noon13:1813:2013:1312:0512:0312:0812:1312:0911:5912:5112:5313:05
Sunset20:2419:5519:1417:3117:0316:5817:1517:3918:0319:2920:0120:25
Dusk20:5320:2119:4017:5817:3117:2717:4218:0518:2919:5620:3020:55
Day Length14h 12m13h 10m12h 2m10h 53m10h 30 sec9h 40m10h 3m10h 59m12h 8m13h 17m14h 16m14h 39m

Biggara is the first gauge just out of the Murray Gorge.

Chart
Chart
Chart
Chart

Bringenbrong Bridge is the first gauge after the Indi Backwater River confluence which is significant as this river is often much higher than the Murray in the summer months.

Chart
Chart

Union Bridge, Albury Gauge is just below the Hume Dam. Flow measurements are from Doctors Point (just upstream) monitoring the dam release. Weather data was taken from BoM for Albury Airport.

Coordinates
36° 4' 51.7" S, 146° 55' 6.5" E
Evaluation
166m
Timezone
AEST (+10:00)
Daylight Savings
AEDT (+11:00)
First Sunday in October till the first Sunday in April
Chart
Chart
Chart
Chart
Chart
StatJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAnnual
Average High (°C)31.230.927.622.717.813.913.014.817.721.225.428.822.1
Max High (°C)44.641.939.035.727.622.519.025.028.936.539.542.244.6
Min High (°C)20.112.116.410.98.06.35.68.29.812.614.215.05.6
Days above 30°C18.817.69.30.60.00.00.00.00.00.84.812.864.7
Days above 40°C1.10.30.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.31.7
Average Low (°C)15.515.412.48.55.53.42.73.65.57.910.913.38.7
Min Low (°C)5.85.83.00.5-3.0-4.0-4.0-4.0-1.40.42.25.0-4.0
Max Low (°C)25.824.422.019.215.413.412.213.115.719.422.325.625.8
Mean frost days0.00.00.00.01.55.47.74.60.70.00.00.019.9
Mean rain (mm)48.444.645.345.456.368.678.776.961.356.058.448.9691.1
Medium rain (mm)30.231.231.029.647.066.772.984.657.445.151.639.5740.5
Days with rain4.74.14.14.76.59.411.410.47.76.76.35.581.5
Days with 10mm rain1.61.31.61.42.02.22.22.31.82.01.91.621.9
Mean 9am wind (km/h)4.33.12.82.01.32.02.33.34.45.04.75.23.4
Mean 3pm wind (km/h)9.87.87.46.44.65.06.08.49.911.010.510.88.1
Nautical05:1405:5306:2205:4706:0806:2206:1705:4805:0505:2004:4604:44
Dawn05:4906:2406:5206:1706:4006:5406:4806:1805:3505:5205:2205:22
Sunrise06:1806:5107:1706:4307:0707:2307:1606:4406:0006:1805:5105:52
Noon13:2313:2513:1912:1012:0912:1412:1812:1512:0412:5612:5813:11
Sunset20:2820:0019:2017:3717:1017:0517:2117:4518:0919:3420:0520:29
Dusk20:5720:2619:4518:0417:3817:3417:4918:1118:3420:0120:3420:59
Nautical21:3220:5820:1518:3418:0918:0618:2018:4119:0420:3321:1021:37
Day Length14h 10m13h 9m12h 2m10h 54m10h 2m9h 42m10h 5m11h 30 sec12h 8m13h 15m14h 14m14h 37m

Yarrawonga data is from downstream of the Yarrawonga Weir. The weir levels show a consistent level of 124m for both long term averages since 21 Jun 1992 and for 2019. Weather data was taken from BoM for Yarrawonga.

Coordinates
36° 1' 2.8" S, 146° 0' 19.8" E
Evaluation
115m
Timezone
AEST (+10:00)
Daylight Savings
AEDT (+11:00)
First Sunday in October till the first Sunday in April
Chart
Chart
Chart
Chart
StatJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAnnual
Average High (°C)32.931.728.023.218.114.613.615.218.622.927.330.323.0
Max High (°C)45.846.039.936.728.923.021.025.734.036.442.444.346.0
Min High (°C)19.312.815.710.99.07.76.98.69.812.515.014.36.9
Days above 30°C22.218.310.61.00.00.00.00.00.22.79.015.779.7
Days above 40°C2.91.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.21.15.2
Average Low (°C)16.015.712.99.16.24.03.53.65.07.411.113.59.0
Min Low (°C)4.44.73.3-0.5-1.6-5.3-4.4-6.0-3.4-1.40.62.2-6.0
Max Low (°C)29.328.125.221.016.713.613.513.118.218.826.327.029.3
Mean frost days0.00.00.00.11.04.64.94.62.30.20.00.017.7
Mean rain (mm)33.343.633.530.036.140.846.339.342.236.343.241.7461.0
Medium rain (mm)26.130.428.822.725.036.639.033.835.630.741.232.0444.0
Days with rain3.73.43.04.05.06.68.16.35.65.25.04.360.2
Days with 10mm rain1.11.21.10.70.91.31.01.01.51.21.41.413.8
Mean 9am wind (km/h)17.416.015.014.311.411.310.613.515.616.818.118.014.8
Mean 3pm wind (km/h)18.917.317.815.914.214.314.516.418.818.819.922.517.4
Nautical05:1805:5706:2505:5006:1206:2606:2005:5205:0805:2404:5004:48
Dawn05:5306:2806:5506:2006:4306:5806:5106:2205:3805:5505:2605:26
Sunrise06:2206:5407:2106:4707:1107:2607:1906:4806:0406:2205:5505:56
Noon13:2713:2913:2212:1412:1212:1812:2212:1812:0813:0013:0213:14
Sunset20:3220:0419:2417:4117:1417:0917:2517:4918:1219:3820:0920:33
Dusk21:0120:3019:4918:0717:4117:3817:5218:1518:3820:0420:3821:03
Nautical21:3621:0120:1918:3718:1318:1018:2418:4519:0820:3621:1321:40
Day Length14h 10m13h 9m12h 2m10h 54m10h 2m9h 42m10h 5m11h 40 sec12h 8m13h 15m14h 14m14h 36m

Swan Hill is about half way down and 225 km below the Torrumbarry Weir. Weather data was taken from BoM for Swan Hill Aerodrome.

Coordinates
35° 20' 27.5" S, 143° 33' 41.8" E
Evaluation
70 m
Timezone
AEST (+10:00)
Daylight Savings
AEDT (+11:00)
First Sunday in October till the first Sunday in April
Chart
Chart
Chart
Chart
StatJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAnnual
Average High (°C)33.432.428.724.018.815.314.816.720.324.428.230.824.0
Max High (°C)47.546.942.039.028.025.025.727.836.338.445.246.947.5
Min High (°C)18.814.017.013.29.07.08.28.711.011.516.017.27.0
Days above 30°C22.419.312.12.90.00.00.00.01.04.911.015.889.4
Days above 40°C4.32.10.60.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.61.69.2
Average Low (°C)16.316.013.09.16.44.33.64.05.78.011.713.89.3
Min Low (°C)6.05.54.1-0.3-2.2-5.0-5.2-3.7-1.7-1.01.05.0-5.2
Max Low (°C)30.130.023.822.916.214.012.615.418.023.125.830.130.1
Mean frost days0.00.00.00.01.03.24.83.91.30.10.00.014.3
Mean rain (mm)25.020.416.120.226.524.927.426.626.220.941.522.2300.1
Medium rain (mm)14.819.811.210.620.620.325.918.722.615.227.413.4283.5
Days with rain3.01.92.02.44.24.55.55.34.73.44.53.044.4
Days with 10mm rain0.80.80.40.70.80.40.60.60.80.51.20.68.2
Mean 9am wind (km/h)18.617.214.914.912.913.113.316.018.219.417.918.916.3
Mean 3pm wind (km/h)20.318.218.517.717.618.719.021.821.822.020.121.819.8
Nautical05:3006:0806:3606:0006:2106:3406:2906:0105:1905:3505:0205:01
Dawn06:0506:3907:0506:3006:5207:0607:0006:3105:4806:0605:3705:38
Sunrise06:3307:0507:3106:5507:1907:3407:2706:5706:1406:3306:0606:08
Noon13:3713:3913:3212:2412:2212:2712:3212:2812:1813:1013:1213:24
Sunset20:4020:1319:3317:5217:2517:2117:3617:5918:2219:4720:1720:41
Dusk21:0920:3919:5918:1817:5217:4918:0318:2518:4720:1320:4621:10
Nautical21:4321:1020:2818:4818:2318:2118:3418:5519:1720:4521:2121:47
Day Length14h 6m13h 7m12h 2m10h 56m10h 5m9h 46m10h 8m11h 2m12h 8m13h 14m14h 10m14h 32m

Wentworth Weir (Lock 10) just below the Darling confluence. Weather data was taken from BoM for Wentworth Post Office.

Coordinates
34° 6' 23.3" S, 141° 55' 19.8" E
Evaluation
31 m
Timezone
AEST (+10:00)
Daylight Savings
AEDT (+11:00)
First Sunday in October till the first Sunday in April
Chart
Chart
StatJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAnnual
Average High (°C)32.932.329.224.019.516.115.617.621.124.528.331.124.3
Max High (°C)48.145.643.336.731.725.626.431.136.740.042.846.148.1
Min High (°C)20.621.120.613.910.09.48.99.412.212.815.015.08.9
Days above 30°C23.116.613.63.50.00.00.00.00.85.111.516.190.3
Days above 40°C3.61.50.30.00.00.00.00.00.00.10.91.57.9
Average Low (°C)17.116.814.510.67.95.84.86.08.110.813.415.711.0
Min Low (°C)9.48.36.13.30.0-1.7-2.8-0.61.72.85.08.3-2.8
Max Low (°C)30.629.425.620.018.315.012.813.318.321.727.826.130.6
Mean frost days0.00.00.00.00.11.62.30.40.00.00.00.04.4
Mean rain (mm)21.421.719.618.027.726.323.925.726.627.024.822.4287.2
Medium rain (mm)12.48.910.112.023.422.320.823.121.718.917.013.2273.2
Days with rain2.32.12.22.74.14.85.05.04.34.03.42.642.5
Days with 10mm rain0.60.60.60.50.80.60.50.60.70.70.70.77.6
Mean 9am wind (km/h)7.98.36.86.45.35.06.26.08.29.49.37.87.2
Mean 3pm wind (km/h)8.69.37.77.46.67.08.79.010.311.59.89.08.7
Nautical05:4106:1706:4306:0606:2506:3806:3406:0705:2605:4405:1305:12
Dawn06:1506:4707:1206:3506:5607:1007:0406:3705:5506:1505:4705:49
Sunrise06:4307:1307:3707:0007:2307:3807:3107:0206:2006:4106:1506:18
Noon13:4313:4513:3912:3012:2912:3412:3812:3512:2413:1613:1813:31
Sunset20:4420:1819:4018:0017:3417:3017:4518:0718:2819:5220:2120:44
Dusk21:1220:4320:0518:2518:0117:5818:1218:3318:5320:1820:4921:13
Nautical21:4621:1420:3418:5518:3218:2918:4319:0219:2320:4921:2321:49
Day Length14h 1m13h 4m12h 2m10h 59m10h 11m9h 52m10h 14m11h 5m12h 8m13h 10m14h 5m14h 25m

South Australia Border water temperature and level are for Lock 7 (upstream) and the flows are calculated by the water discharge and allotments between Lock 7 and the border.

Chart
Chart
Chart

Water level is for Lake Alexandrina at Mundoo Barrage. Weather chart data was taken from BoM for Hindmarsh Island AWS which differs slightly to the extend statistics for Hindmarsh Island Marina.

Coordinates
35° 31' 12.0" S, 138° 49' 12.0" E (Hindmarsh Id, 7 km from the mouth)
Evaluation
11 m
Timezone
ACST (+09:30)
Daylight Savings
ACDT (+10:30)
First Sunday in October till the first Sunday in April
Chart
Chart
StatJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAnnual
Average High (°C)23.624.422.120.618.115.815.416.018.019.921.221.919.7
Max High (°C)43.041.339.135.428.925.522.927.031.434.741.541.243.0
Min High (°C)16.516.513.514.512.69.59.811.512.012.513.515.59.5
Days above 30°C5.66.24.01.20.00.00.00.00.11.63.43.926.0
Days above 40°C0.40.50.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.10.11.1
Average Low (°C)15.415.513.911.89.78.47.77.79.010.712.413.911.3
Min Low (°C)7.89.17.45.01.20.62.01.03.44.35.87.00.6
Max Low (°C)25.725.022.619.318.715.013.014.016.020.525.022.625.7
Mean frost days0.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.0
Mean rain (mm)12.814.418.627.741.059.860.553.050.640.627.830.4438.1
Medium rain (mm)11.810.812.622.442.654.860.548.046.041.428.314.7423.6
Days with rain2.62.84.16.39.211.711.211.38.58.15.54.585.8
Days with 10mm rain0.20.40.50.50.71.21.40.81.30.80.60.79.1
Mean 9am wind (km/h)15.513.813.113.011.012.411.714.514.816.715.315.714.0
Mean 3pm wind (km/h)21.720.818.916.915.215.516.618.917.919.721.021.518.7
Nautical05:1805:5606:2405:4906:1006:2306:1805:5005:0705:2304:5104:49
Dawn05:5306:2706:5406:1906:4106:5506:4906:2005:3705:5505:2605:26
Sunrise06:2206:5407:1906:4407:0807:2307:1706:4606:0206:2105:5405:56
Noon13:2513:2813:2112:1212:1112:1612:2112:1712:0712:5813:0013:13
Sunset20:2920:0119:2217:4017:1317:0917:2517:4818:1119:3620:0620:30
Dusk20:5820:2819:4718:0617:4117:3717:5218:1418:3620:0220:3521:00
Nautical21:3320:5920:1718:3618:1218:0918:2318:4319:0620:3421:1021:37
Day Length14h 7m13h 7m12h 2m10h 55m10h 5m9h 45m10h 8m11h 1m12h 8m13h 14m14h 11m14h 33m

This is a more detailed breakdown of four key locations by decade. There is a worrying drying trend over the years seen in these charts.

Chart
Chart
Chart
Chart

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Previous Trip Analysis

Above Tom Groggin

All river flow data was taken from Biggara using historical data. All saw decreasing flows during their journey.

My journey between 21 Dec and 24 Dec 2019 had a water level of between 0.228m to 0.259m and flow of 161 to 201 ML/day at Biggara. This was barely enough water and I was dragging the kayak for nearly 50% of the trip. My journey had the lowest water levels by far of all of the trip reports that I have found, flows in the lowest 2% recorded since 1968 and the lowest December flows bar 2006 during the Millennium drought. 🙁

Uncertain on the exact dates, but Xavier Anderson and Jason MacQueen seem to have done the Poplars to Tom Groggin mid-Nov 2019 where there was a height of 0.5m and a flow of around 650 ML/day. No mention of any issues due to low flows.

Mike Bremer, et al, journey took just two days, 14 & 15 Dec 2017 with 4 times the flow. Water level of between 0.620m to 0.640m and flow of 908 to 967 ML/day. No mention of the need to drag their inflatable kayaks, other than over occasional boulders.

Rod Wellington, 6 to 12 Jan 2008. Slightly unclear when Rob past Tom Groggin, but his blog suggests a harder time than I had. Water level of between 0.344m to 0.416m and flow of 269 to 367 ML/day at Biggara. While he had a higher flow, it was likely a heavier kayak and load that resulted in significant amounts of dragging.

James Castrission, et al, in 10 to 15 Nov 2001 took 5 days while facing high flows and frigid temperatures as they pack surfed (no floatation device) their way down. Water levels were between 0.944m to 1.180m and flow of 1674 to 2890 ML/day. One of the highest recorded flows, they suggest class 3 rapids.

Kevin Moody, et al, 26 to 29 Jan 1988, on lilos. Water level of between 0.370m to 0.448m and flow of 229 to 349 ML/day. Even with the higher flow of 349 ML/day, they reported the need to drag their lilos on a regular basis, especially above Tin Mine Ck and in the final sections before Tom Groggin.

PercentileFlow (ML/Day)Height (m)Known Trips
Min 370.117
1 1070.199
5 1830.293Alan Davison, 2019
10 2420.352
25 3940.46Kevin Moody, et al 1988; Rod Wellington, 2008
50 7520.627Xavier Anderson and Jason MacQueen, 2019
75 1,5530.875Mike Bremer, et al, 2017
90 2,7611.148James Castrission, et al, 2001
95 3,7861.328
99 6,6011.741
Max22,5233.318
Rough Height Guidelines
Mostly unpaddable under 0.3m, especially the first half that has only a third of the flow compared to below Leather Barrel Ck.
Some difficulty paddling with multiple groundings / snags on shallow boulders. Some dragging on a few rapids.
Mostly enjoyable paddle in mostly small class 1 rapids, with a couple fun class 2 (?) rapids around Leather Barrel Ck.
(?) Minor flood. Likely manageable, but likely take particular care with the log jams that could act as strainers.
(?) Major flood. Likely extremely dangerous with the amount logs in this creek.

These are based only off a small handful of known trips and should only be used as guidelines. No high flow trips were found.

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Murray River Gorge

Level of 0.8m is listed as the minimum level, and 1.0m as a good level on waterwaysguide.org.au and given a class 3/4 grading. The archived Paddle Australia guide recommends 0.8 - 1.8m with the additional note to add 0.35 to the Bigarra readings to estimate the Murray Gorge level.

Most of the previous trip reports seem to have fallen in the 0.4 to 0.8m range as seen at Bigarra, but no indication given on grade. Ro & Josh noted low flows at 0.4 m & 355 ML/Day.

Even never having done any form of rafting / whitewater before, I can safely say the difficulty / grade is not that high at 0.2 m!

Rough Height Guidelines
Likely unpaddable under 0.15m
Paddable with low flows at a lower grade that increases as the flow increases. More portages and dragging required at lower flows
0.45m to 1.5m for class 3/4 whitewater
(?) Minor / moderate flood - check with local guiding companies
(?) Major flood

These are based only off a small handful of known trips and should only be used as guidelines. No high flow trips were found.

PercentileFlow (ML/Day)Height (m)Known Trips
Min 370.117
1 1070.199Alan Davison, 2019
5 1830.293
10 2420.352
25 3940.46Rowen Privett and Josh Smith, 2005; Rod Wellington, 2008; Xavier Anderson and Jason MacQueen, 2019
50 7520.627
75 1,5530.875Mike Bremer, et al, 2017
90 2,7611.148
95 3,7861.328
99 6,6011.741
Max22,5233.318

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Bringenbrong Bridge to Hume Dam

Found less detailed records of this leg even though it is a more commonly done section compared to the upper Murray.

First recorded issues with low flow were from Sarah Davis who started about the same time as me, but skipped the upper section while I was dragging my kayak down from the Poplars. Dates seem to be the 24 to 29 Dec 2019, so this would have had a height of 0.828 to 0.877 m and 570 to 774 ML/Day, flows in the lowest 1% recorded. Digging deeper, Mike Bremer reported some low sections between the Bringenbrong Bridge and Towong back in 23 April 2004, 1.1m and 1440 ML/Day.

Even with limited river data records from Oct 1983, it really shows me how bad this season is with the drought. Hopefully the area gets some badly needed rain before I arrive there in February or March.

Rough Height Guidelines
Some difficult sections with a fair amount of dragging required in many of the shallow rapids.
Mostly enjoyable paddle. Take care with the willow strainers.
(?) Minor flood. Likely manageable, but likely take particular care with any strainers.
(?) Major flood.

These are based only off a small handful of known trips and should only be used as guidelines. No high flow trips were found.

PercentileFlow (ML/Day)Height (m)Known Trips
Min 2190.637
1 7530.896Sarah Davis, 2019
5 1,2191.038Xavier Anderson and Jason MacQueen, 2019
10 1,6961.146Mike Bremer, 2004; Rod Wellington, 2010
25 2,9261.373
50 4,5731.629Dave Cornthwaite, 2009
75 6,5221.901Kevin Moody, 1986; Mike Bremer, 1995; Rowen Privett and Josh Smith, 2005; Peter Wynen & friends, Sept 2006 (?)
90 9,1572.218
95 11,5092.468
99 16,8242.956
Max41,7943.552

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River Distance Table

Distances (KM) Source Limestone Ck Tom Groggin Bringenbrong Bridge Albury Corowa Yarrawonga Barooga Echuca Swan Hill Robinvale Midura Wentworth Renmark Loxton Murray Bridge Lake Alexandrina Southern Ocean Distances (KM)
Source 0 18 67 135 356 466 548 618 821 1131 1395 1622 1676 1940 2021 2407 2459 2503 Source
Limestone Ck 18 0 49 117 338 448 530 600 803 1113 1377 1604 1658 1922 2003 2389 2441 2485 Limestone Ck
Tom Groggin 67 49 0 68 289 399 481 551 754 1064 1328 1555 1609 1873 1954 2340 2392 2436 Tom Groggin
Bringenbrong Bridge 135 117 68 0 221 331 413 483 686 996 1260 1487 1541 1805 1886 2272 2324 2368 Bringenbrong Bridge
Albury 356 338 289 221 0 110 192 262 465 775 1039 1266 1320 1584 1665 2051 2103 2147 Albury
Corowa 466 448 399 331 110 0 82 152 355 665 929 1156 1210 1474 1555 1941 1993 2037 Corowa
Yarrawonga 548 530 481 413 192 82 0 70 273 583 847 1074 1128 1392 1473 1859 1911 1955 Yarrawonga
Barooga 618 600 551 483 262 152 70 0 203 513 777 1004 1058 1322 1403 1789 1841 1885 Barooga
Echuca 821 803 754 686 465 355 273 203 0 310 574 801 855 1119 1200 1586 1638 1682 Echuca
Swan Hill 1131 1113 1064 996 775 665 583 513 310 0 264 491 545 809 890 1276 1328 1372 Swan Hill
Robinvale 1395 1377 1328 1260 1039 929 847 777 574 264 0 227 281 545 626 1012 1064 1108 Robinvale
Midura 1622 1604 1555 1487 1266 1156 1074 1004 801 491 227 0 54 318 399 785 837 881 Midura
Wentworth 1676 1658 1609 1541 1320 1210 1128 1058 855 545 281 54 0 264 345 731 783 827 Wentworth
Renmark 1940 1922 1873 1805 1584 1474 1392 1322 1119 809 545 318 264 0 81 467 519 563 Renmark
Loxton 2021 2003 1954 1886 1665 1555 1473 1403 1200 890 626 399 345 81 0 386 438 482 Loxton
Murray Bridge 2407 2389 2340 2272 2051 1941 1859 1789 1586 1276 1012 785 731 467 386 0 52 96 Murray Bridge
Lake Alexandrina 2459 2441 2392 2324 2103 1993 1911 1841 1638 1328 1064 837 783 519 438 52 0 44 Lake Alexandrina
Southern Ocean 2503 2485 2436 2368 2147 2037 1955 1885 1682 1372 1108 881 827 563 482 96 44 0 Southern Ocean

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Additional Resources

Informational Sites

State Parks

Personal Blogs / Trip Reports

Darling River Trips

Maps

Books & Charts

As well as the online references above, the following books and guides will likely prove invaluable to your planning efforts.

Book cover

Murray River Guide (3rd Ed) Guide

by Ro Privett

How to Kayak the whole Murray River - Source to Sea

More Info

Book cover

Murray-Darling Journeys Historical

by Angela Bremers and Mike Bremers

"Two hundred years of significant rowing and paddling journeys on the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin: 1817 to 2016"

More Info

Book cover

Murray River Charts Charts

by Maureen Wright

Navigation chart of the River Murray from Renmark in South Australia to Yarrawonga in Victoria.

More Info

Book cover

Murray River Pilot Charts

by Baker and Reschke

Covering Goolwa to the SA/NSW border plus the Lower Murray Lakes and Coorong.

More Info

There are also a lot of miscellaneous kayaking books for more information or simply for some inspiration in the books section.

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