The Murrumbidgee River Valley is located in southern New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory. It contains the third longest river in Australia, starting in the Australian Alps and ending on the semi-arid riverine plains.
The region contains diverse and rich natural environments. Its waterways are a source of water for:
- native plants and animals
- domestic use
- irrigated agriculture production
- tourism and recreational activities
- cultural practices of local First Nations peoples.
To learn more about what we're trying to achieve with water for the environment in the Murrumbidgee River Valley, visit Current priorities.
First Nations peoples and the Murrumbidgee River Valley
The Murrumbidgee River and its wetlands hold significant spiritual and cultural importance for First Nations peoples.
The Wiradjuri are the largest nation in the Murrumbidgee River Valley. Their nation extends from the River Murray in the south, along the Great Dividing Range to Coonabarabran in the north. It also extends west towards Hay.
At the western end of the catchment, the traditional owners of the land are the Nations of:
- Barapa Barapa
- Muthi Muthi
- Nari Nari
- Nyeri Nyeri
- Wadi Wadi
- Wamba Wamba
- Weki Weki.
The mountains at the eastern end of the Murrumbidgee River Valley are the country of the Ngunnawal, Wolgalu, and Ngarigo nations.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout the region. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present, as the Traditional Custodians of the land.
Native plant and animal species
The Murrumbidgee River Valley contains many significant watercourses and wetlands that provide important habitat for a range of species including frogs, fish and waterbirds. This includes internationally listed migratory waterbirds and a range of nationally threatened species like:
- Southern bell frog
- Australasian bittern
- Trout cod
- Murray cod
- Silver perch.
Floodplain and wetland areas feature valuable areas of river red gum forest and woodlands, blackbox woodland, lignum and aquatic plants.
Nationally and internationally significant floodplain and wetlands
The Murrumbidgee region is home to 2 nationally significant areas: the Lower Murrumbidgee River (Lowbidgee) Floodplain and mid-Murrumbidgee Wetlands.
The Lowbidgee Floodplain covers about 200,000 hectares. It includes some of the largest lignum wetlands in NSW and is an important waterbird breeding site.
The mid-Murrumbidgee Wetlands consists of river red gum forest and hundreds of lagoons and billabongs. These wetlands occur along the river between Wagga Wagga and Carrathool.
The Murrumbidgee region is also home to internationally significant wetlands and swamps. This includes the Ginini Flats Wetlands and Fivebough–Tuckerbil Swamps.
Learn more
Visit the Murray–Darling Basin Authority website for more information about the Murrumbidgee River Valley.
To learn about our water holdings in the region, visit Water holdings.