Upper Murrumbidgee
Digest of the key info on tracks and stops above Jugiong.
Lower Murrumbidgee
Key Waypoints and Information
The main section of the river. This starts off in the lower inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range but is mostly on the flat expansive alluvial plains of the Riverina that provides fertile agricultural land for many farms. As the river meets the Murray, you are at the boundary of the Riverina and the arid far western areas of NSW.
The average time it takes for water to flow down the Murrumbidgee from Jugiong to the River Murray confluence is approximately 25 days, or 45 km per day.
Key Waypoints
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0 km(466 km)
Jugiong
There is a singular Grade I/II rapid otherwise this section should be fast flowing flat water where the main concern is tree strainers on the outside banks, although a strong swirl in the outside of the right bend 2km from Gundagai was noted on Waterways Guide.
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65.3 km(531 km)
Gundagai
According to the SMH, Gundagai is the iconic Australian country town.
The river flattens out now and the main concerns are snags in low flows or strainers when the river is in flood.
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188.5 km(654 km)
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386.6 km(852 km)
Narrandera
Narrandera is a river town with a rich heritage. It stands on the land of the Wiradjuri nation and was once home to the Nharrangura Clan. There is a Coles and Mitre 10 in town.
- Yanco Creek outflow
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Yanco Creek is one of the main distributaries that channels water off to the Murray River, albeit this is now controlled artificially by a system of weirs. The Yanco Weir is another 2.4 km downstream.
- Yanco Weir
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Note that there is still 12.6 km of river before the Euroly Rd Bridge that leads to Yanco.
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423.4 km(889 km)
Yanco
Yanco is a small country town with a small general store that is 6.2 km north of the river.
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489.1 km(955 km)
Darlington Point
Small town with a variety of small stores
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615.4 km(1,081 km)
Carrathool
Carrathool is a small village 5.2 km north of the bridge along Carrathool Rd. Google suggests Glenda's General Store is permanently closed so you need to be prepared for a 224 km leg between Darlington Point and Hay.
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733.1 km(1,199 km)
Hay
Foodworks and IGA in town.
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836.9 km(1,302 km)
Maude
- Maude Weir (5 GL)
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- Lachlan River
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Rarely flows outside of very high flow periods.
- North Redbank Channel outflow
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This irrigation channel feeds the inland lakes of Pitarpunga and Tin Tin just to name two. In high floods, these will spill over and feed water back into the river via the usually dry Waldara Creek.
The channel is 450 m above Redbank Weir.
- Redbank Weir (5 GL)
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Flow: no flow: -0.48 m, recommended: above 0.1 m
- Uara Creek
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Uara Creek rejoins after separating out 143.4 km upstream.
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1,031.3 km(1,498 km)
Balranald
Sitting on the edge of the Riverina, Balranald is a fairly remote, semi-desert area bordering the arid far west areas of NSW. An IGA in town.
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1,132.8 km(1,598 km)
Murray River
Refer to the Murray River guide if you intend to keep paddling down towards SA, though the first two towns that you could take out from are noted below.
- Boundary Bend (VIC)
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You could organise a ride from the town or even maybe the rest area on Murray Valley Highway, VIC (B400) that is only 9.2 km downstream from the confluence if you are struggling with tired arms!
V/Line's "River Express" bus stops here.
- Robinvale (VIC) / Euston (NSW)
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This final section will likely add 2 or 3 days to your trip if you aim for these towns with the faster flowing waters of the Murray River.
There is an IGA in Robinvale which is the largest of the two towns.
Both V/Line and NSW TrainLink have services departing from Robinvale and / or Euston.
