Murray River

The Murray River, at 2,508 kilometers, is Australia's longest river. The Murray River begins in the Asutralian Alps' Great Dividing Range, runs across the country's south-east, and empties into the Indian Ocean near Adelaide.

The Mitta Mitta River (160km), the Kiewa River (100km), the Murrumbidgee River (1,486km), the Goulburn River (654km), and the Darling River are all major tributaries (1,545km).

The river has a long history, since indigenous peoples have relied on it for food for millennia. The river was also culturally significant to the aboriginal people that lived in the river's basin. The story of a hunter hunting a Murray cod and cutting out the river was a popular one among the tribes. European explorers found the river in 1824, and it has since been used for transportation, agriculture, and water supply.

Today, the Murray River is home to dams, locks, and weirs used to manage water levels during droughts and floods, as well as hydropower plants. The annual canoe race, for example, is a major social and recreational event in River Murray. Murray cod, perch, catfish, western carp gudgeon, and trout cod are among the aquatic wildlife found in the river. Turtles, koalas, pelicans, Gray kangaroos, and lizards are among the other wildlife found in the river's basin. Increased saline levels, climate change, and over-extraction of water have all had a severe influence on the river.

State: New South Wales/South Australia

Length: 2,508 km