What is the longest river in Australia?
The longest river in Australia is the Murray River. It’s 2,508km long, and runs from the Pilot Wilderness in the Australian Alps to the Coorong in South Australia.
Many of Australia’s great cities are based around a river. Sydney has the Parramatta River feeding into Port Jackson. Brisbane is unmeasurably proud of the Brisbane River. Melbourne has island bars in the middle of the Yarra, Perth offers cruises along the Swan River and Adelaide serves up gondola rides on the Torrens.
But all of these are tiddlers compared to the longest river in Australia – the Mighty Murray. The source of the Murray River is in the pretty much inaccessible Pilot Wilderness, deep in the Australian Alps. Australia’s longest river begins not too far from Mt Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest mountain, in Thredbo. But it may as well be a million miles away unless you’ve got the aid of a very adept helicopter pilot.
The end of the longest river in Australia
The Mouth of the Murray River is in the Coorong lagoon system, near Goolwa and Hindmarsh Island in South Australia. It eventually trickles out into Encounter Bay through a regularly-dredged gap between two peninsulas. On the southern side is the Coorong Beach, the longest beach in Australia.
Between the source and the mouth, the Murray River is 2,508km long. It forms the border between New South Wales and Victoria for much of its length.
It is not just the longest river in Australia, though – five of the next six longest Australian rivers flow into the Murray as well. The Murray-Darling Basin, encompassing these river systems, is where much of Australia’s agriculture happens.
Murray River towns and national parks
There are also plenty of small cities, intriguing towns and national parks along the Murray River – it makes for a good road trip. Settlements that make for good bases on a Murray River road trip include Albury, Echuca, Swan Hill and Mildura.
National parks worth exploring along Australia’s longest river include the Woomargama National Park near Albury, and the Murray Valley National Park near Echuca. This adjoins the Barmah National Park and popular camping spot Ulupna Island near Tocumwal.
Australia’s longest river: Gunbower Island and Hattah Lakes
Further along towards Mildura, top spots include the Gunbower Island Forest Drive in the Gunbower National Park. There’s also the Hattah Lakes in the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park and the pink lakes of the Murray Sunset National Park.
For those contemplating a swim, don’t worry – there are no crocodiles in the Murray River.
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