Murray River

Murray River
River Murray
Lower course of the Murray River at Murray Bridge
Country	Australia
States	New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia
Tributaries
- left	Mitta Mitta River, Kiewa River, Ovens River, Goulburn River, Campaspe River, Loddon River
- right	Swampy Plains River, Murrumbidgee River, Darling River
Cities	Albury, Wodonga, Echuca, Swan Hill, Mildura, Renmark, Murray Bridge
Source	Cowombat Flat
- location	Australian Alps, NSW and Vic
- elevation	1,430 m (4,692 ft)
- coordinates	36°47′46″S 148°11′40″E / 36.79611°S 148.19444°E / -36.79611; 148.19444
Mouth	Murray Mouth
- location	near Goolwa, South Australia
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates	35°33′32″S 138°52′48″E / 35.55889°S 138.88000°E / -35.55889; 138.88000Coordinates: 35°33′32″S 138°52′48″E / 35.55889°S 138.88000°E / -35.55889; 138.88000
Length	2,508 km (1,558 mi)
Basin	1,061,469 km2 (409,835 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	767 m3/s (27,086 cu ft/s)
Map of the course of the Murray River

The Murray River (or River Murray) is Australia's longest river, at 2,508 kilometres (1,558 mi) in length. The Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains, and then meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria as it flows to the northwest into South Australia. It turns south at Morgan for its final 315 kilometres (196 mi), reaching the ocean at Lake Alexandrina.

The water of the Murray flows through several terminal lakes that fluctuate in salinity (and were often fresh until recent decades) including Lake Alexandrina and The Coorong before emptying through the Murray Mouth into the southeastern portion of the Indian Ocean, often referenced on Australian maps as the Southern Ocean, near Goolwa. Despite discharging considerable volumes of water at times, particularly before the advent of largescale river regulation, the mouth has always been comparatively small and shallow.

As of 2010, the Murray River system receives 58 percent of its natural flow. It is perhaps Australia's most important irrigated region, and it is widely known as the food bowl of the nation.

The Murray River forms part of the 3,750 km (2,330 mi) long combined Murray–Darling river system which drains most of inland Victoria, New South Wales, and southern Queensland. Overall the catchment area is one seventh of Australia's total land mass. The Murray carries only a small fraction of the water of comparably-sized rivers in other parts of the world, and with a great annual variability of its flow. In its natural state it has even been known to dry up completely during extreme droughts, although that is extremely rare, with only two or three instances of this occurring since official record keeping began.