The Balonne River, part of the Murray-Darling Basin system, is a short yet significant part of the inland

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

group of

South West Queensland South West Queensland is a remote region in the Australian state of Queensland which covers . The region lies to the south of Central West Queensland and west of the Darling Downs and includes the Maranoa district and parts of the Channel Coun ...

, Australia.

Course and features

The river is a continuation of the

Condamine River The Condamine River, part of the Balonne River, Balonne catchment that is part of the Murray-Darling Basin, drains the northern portion of the Darling Downs, an area of sub-coastal southern Queensland, Australia. The river is approximately 500 k ...

. After flowing through Surat the river flows south south-westerly down through the E.J. Beardmore Dam (Lake Kajarabie). Passing through St George it continues in the same south-west direction, until about north of Dirranbandi, where it branches, with the western branch then being called the

Culgoa River The Culgoa River is a river that is part of the Darling catchment within the Murray–Darling basin and is located in South West Queensland. Course and features The river is a continuation of the western branch of the Balonne River in southe ...

. The eastern branch continues on as the Balonne River through Dirranbandi. Shortly after flowing through Dirranbandi, the Balonne River again branches into the

Bokhara River The Bokhara River, a watercourse that is part of the Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the South Downs region of Queensland, flowing downstream into the north–western slopes of New South Wales, Australia. It f ...

on the west side (the right side when going down stream) and the

Narran River Narran River, a watercourse of the Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Southern Downs district of Queensland and Orana district of New South Wales, Australia. The river rises south west of Dirranbandi, as a ...

on the eastern (left) side. The Narran River flows into

Narran Wetlands The Narran Wetlands, also known as the Narran Lakes, contained within the Narran Lake Nature Reserve, comprise a series of protected ephemeral lakes and swamps fed by the Narran River in the north-west of New South Wales, Australia. The reser ...

. The

joins with the Barwon River west of Brewarrina. The confluence of the Culgoa River (a western branch of the Balonne River) and the Barwon River (which includes a former central branch of the Balonne) forms the start of the

Darling River The Darling River (Paakantyi: ''Baaka'' or ''Barka'') is the third-longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its conflu ence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its long ...

. The Balonne-Condamine

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

is , of which an area of is composed of riverine

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

s and is estuarine wetlands. The five longest tributaries of the Balonne River are the Condamine River, the

Maranoa River The Maranoa River, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is a river situated in South West Queensland, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the west and east branches of the river, the Maranoa River rises on the Consuelo Table ...

, Dogwood Creek, Yuleba Creek and Tartulla Creek. At St George, the river is crossed by the

Andrew Nixon Bridge The Andrew Nixon Bridge is a road bridge over the Balonne River in St George, Queensland, Australia. The bridge, which is part of the Balonne Highway The Balonne Highway, a state highway of Queensland, is the continuation westward of State ...

which carries the

Balonne Highway The Balonne Highway, a state highway of Queensland, is the continuation westward of State Route 49 (Moonie Highway) from the town of St George to its termination at Cunnamulla. There are no large settlements between St George and Cunnamulla. U ...

Water storage

E.J. Beardmore Dam was formed by the construction of a

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

in 1972 at the junction of the Maranoa and Balonne Rivers. When the dam is full the water backs up for along the Balonne. Downstream from Beardmore Dam is the Jack Taylor Weir, which was built in 1953. On the Balonne tributary, Dogwood Creek there is another weir, the Gill Weir, which can hold .

History

Major Thomas Mitchell crossed the Balonne River on St George's Day, 23 April 1846. Mitchell named the river after the

Mandandanji The Mandandanyi are an indigenous Australian people of Queensland. Country The Mandandanji owned of tribal territory, which took in the Maranoa and Balonne rivers north of St. George. Their western extension reached as far Bollon and Wallam ...

word for water or running stream, ''balun'' or ''balonn'' or ''balonne''.

Gallery

Image:BeardmoreDam.jpg, E.J. Beardmore Dam viewed from the downstream side. Image:BeardmoreChannel.jpg, Irrigation channel for

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

fed from E.J. Beardmore Dam. Image:StGeorgeCottonIrrig.jpg, Siphon irrigation of

near St George, Queensland. Image:JackTaylorWeir.jpg, Jack Taylor Weir viewed from downstream side at St George, Queensland.

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Queensland Tributaries of the Darling River South West Queensland

Course and features

Water storage

History

Gallery

See also

References