Macquarie River

The Macquarie River or Wambuul is part of the Macquarie–Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales, Australia.

The river rises in the central highlands of New South Wales near the town of Oberon and travels generally northwest past the towns of Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Narromine, and Warren to the Macquarie Marshes. The Macquarie Marshes then drain into the Darling River via the lower Barwon River.

Lake Burrendong is a large reservoir with capacity of 1,190,000 megalitres (42,000×10^⁶ cu ft) located near Wellington which impounds the waters of the Wambuul Macquarie River and its tributaries the Cudgegong River and the Turon River for flood control and irrigation.

The Wiradjuri are the people of the three rivers, Wambuul, Kalare (Lachlan) and the Murrumbidjeri (Murrumbidgee). Wambuul means winding river, and included the tributary Fish River. It has also been spelt Wambool.

The river was first documented for the British crown near Bathurst by European explorer, George Evans in 1812, who named the river in honour of Lieutenant-Colonel Lachlan Macquarie, who served as Governor of the Colony of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821.

In December 2021, Wambuul was recognised as an official dual name by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales after support from a local movement and the Bathurst Local Aboriginal Land Council. Either or both names may be used and both are given equal status.

From its origin the Wambuul Macquarie River flows for 960 kilometres (600 mi) and drops around 517 metres (1,696 ft) over its length. Lake Burrendong at 346 metres (1,135 ft) is the only dam along the length of the river. Windamere Dam, on the Cudgegong River, is operated in conjunction with Burrendong.

The Macquarie River starts below the locality of White Rock near Bathurst at an elevation of 671 metres (2,201 ft). It is a combination of two water systems which are the overflow from Chifley Dam which is fed by the Campbells River, and the Fish River which flows into and out of the Oberon Dam.

A number of rivers and creeks flow into the Wambuul Macquarie River, with descending elevation as follows:

The Macquarie system covers an area of more than 74,000 square kilometres (29,000 sq mi). Over 72% of land is flat, with an additional 17% undulating to hilly. The remainder is steep to mountainous, rising progressively to elevations above 900 metres (3,000 ft). To the east the boundary is formed by the Great Dividing Range. This boundary extends from near Oberon in the south to Coolah in the north. A well defined ridge extends north-west from the Great Dividing Range for around 400 kilometres (250 mi), then the boundary turns north.

From Bathurst, near the formation of the river, it passes through the following geographic areas:

• Bathurst Plains, undulating country of 700 metres (2,300 ft) elevation surrounded by high tablelands on all sides. This includes an extensive floodplain around Bathurst
• past Hill End Plateau, where it is joined from the east by the Turon River, the river drains a plateau extending from near Portland to Sofala. The elevation is around 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) in the south and 700 metres (2,300 ft) in the north. This area is predominantly rugged slopes.
• Burrendong Dam, the Macquarie River is joined from the east by the Cudgegong River, which rises in the hills around Rylstone with a general elevation around 700 metres (2,300 ft)
• through Wellington and Dubbo where the river is joined by the Bell and Little Rivers. The Bell River rises in flat to undulating country of the Orange plateau, which has a general elevation of 900 metres (3,000 ft) with the highest point being the extinct volcanic peak of Mount Canobolas at roughly 1,400 metres (4,600 ft). Between Wellington and Dubbo extensive flat areas are evident.
• north of Dubbo, the Talbragar River joins the Macquarie. The Talbragar is the most important downstream tributary. This river rises in mountainous country at the junction of the Great Dividing Range and the Liverpool Range. The country through which the Talbragar River runs is broad and flat, bordered by undulating hills that disperse as the river nears Dubbo.
• north of Dubbo, the river passes through flat plains flowing north-west through Narromine and Warren. A complex series of effluent creeks connect the Macquarie, Darling and Bogan Rivers.
• Macquarie Marshes lie at the end of the river channel proper. Near Carinda, the Macquarie is joined by Marthaguy Creek which drains an area 6,500 square kilometres (2,500 sq mi) and carries spill-over water from the Macquarie and Castlereagh Rivers during floods.

Rainfall varies across the catchment of the Macquarie River. Generally the peaks and tablelands receive higher rainfall due to the shadowing effects of the surrounding ranges. The Great Dividing Range area receives between 750 millimetres (30 in) and 900 millimetres (35 in) annual median rainfall. This is distributed relatively uniformly throughout the year. Where breaks in the Dividing Range allow the intrusion of moist easterly air streams inland, annual median rainfall of 750 millimetres (30 in) or more is experienced further westward. Further north-west in the Castlereagh and middle portions of the Macquarie valleys the annual median rainfall is 300 millimetres (12 in) to 400 millimetres (16 in).

Rainfall can vary dramatically over several years. For example, records show a variation from >200% to <50% of the average annual figure. Evaporation varies from less than 1,000 millimetres (39 in) south-east of Bathurst up to more than 2,000 millimetres (79 in) at Bourke.

The Wiradjuri people are the original inhabitants of the area that includes the Macquarie River catchment. The Wiradjuri knew the river as the Wambool, which means "winding river". The noted Wiradjuri warrior Windradyne came from the upper Macquarie River region, and was fatally wounded from a gun shot after a man hunt was commissioned by the crown in 1829. Near Carinda, between the Macquarie River and Marra Creek, the oldest evidence of bread making in the world (approximately 30,000 years old) was found at an ancient lake known as Cuddie Springs.

The upper reaches of the Macquarie River were first seen by Europeans in 1813 and the river was named in honour of the then Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, Lieutenant-Colonel (later Major-General) Lachlan Macquarie. In 1813 Deputy Surveyor of Lands and explorer, George Evans wrote in his journal:

Two years later Governor Macquarie inspected the country surrounding Bathurst and the Macquarie River and wrote on 10 June 1815, on his return to Government House in Sydney:

During 1817 and 1818, explorer John Oxley was commissioned to explore the course of the Lachlan and Macquarie rivers respectively. Writing in his journal, published in 1820, Oxley described the junction of the two rivers:

By 1828, explorer Charles Sturt was commissioned to ascertain "the limits of the Colony" by following the Macquarie River "for the express purpose of ascertaining the nature and extent of that basin into which the Macquarie was supposed to fall, and whether any connection existed between it and the streams falling westerly". Navigating the marshes (later named in honour of Lachlan Macquarie), Sturt was the first European to visit the Darling River, named in honour of General Ralph Darling.

The Macquarie River catchment is a regulated Water Management Area and includes private irrigation as well as several public irrigation schemes located at Narromine – Trangie, Buddah Lakes, Tenandra, Trangie – Nevertire, Nevertire, and Marthaguy.

The Macquarie River has a history of flooding. Some significant events are listed below. After major floods, water can flow past the Macquarie Marshes and into the Barwon-Darling river system upstream of Brewarrina.

• 1867 – devastating floods wash away the first Denison Bridge at Bathurst and also debris damages Ranken's Bridge
• 1955 – serious flooding of Macquarie River amongst other river systems
• 1979 – heavy flooding of the low lying sections along the river
• 1986 – severe localised flooding in Bathurst
• 1990 – severe localised flooding in Bathurst
• 1998 – there was a large flood that affected the farming of cotton and vegetables. Bathurst was severely affected
• 2010 – November/December saw major flooding of the lower Macquarie River following heavy rainfall events throughout Eastern Australia
• 2016 – August/September saw moderate to major flooding along the entire river.

Recreational activities are popular along the length of the river particularly in the communities it passes by.

• Fishing – The following species of fresh water fish can be caught: brown trout, carp, eel-tailed catfish, golden perch, murray cod, rainbow trout, redfin, silver perch, trout cod and yabbies.
• Lake Burrendong – a large dam very popular with water sports enthusiasts activities include skiing, jet skis, sailing, and general boating.
• Parks – in Bathurst along the bank of the river is Bi-Centennial Park. This park is used for recreation purposes, picnics, events, bicycle riding, etc. In Warren, Macquarie Park, off Burton St, has English-style formal gardens and a monument in honour of Oxley and Sturt who traced the course of the Macquarie River. Oxley camped near Warren in 1818 and is further commemorated in the naming of Oxley Park on the other side of the river. Sturt passed by just to the north-east in 1828 and the bridge over the river is named after him. Hundreds of galahs roost in the red gums at sunset. The adjacent Red River Gum Walk follows the riverbank around to a 500-year-old river gum adjacent the Warren Hole, a natural and permanent waterhole once used for swimming and fishing.

• "Macquarie-Bogan River catchment" (map). Office of Environment and Heritage. Government of New South Wales.
• Daily river reports – NSW Government

• "An anonymous widow" (1902). Bathurst in the 1830s (PDF). Bathurst, Australia: The Bathurst Times.