| Balonne | |
| River | |
 Balonne River, St George, Queensland, 2008
|
|
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| State | Queensland |
| Part of | Darling River |
| Source | Condamine River at Surat. |
| Mouth | Eastern branch splits into Bokhara River (right) and Narran River (left) at Dirranbandi, Western branch becomes Culgoa River |
The Balonne River, part of the Murray-Darling Basin system, is a short but important part of the inland river group of south-eastern Queensland. This river is a continuation of the Condamine River. After flowing through Surat the river flows south south-westerly down through the E.J. Beardmore Dam (Lake Kajarabie).[1]
Passing through St George it continues in the same direction until about 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Dirranbandi to join the Culgoa River. The Culgoa River, a tributary of the Darling River, branches from the right bank of the Balonne River. The eastern side of the branch continues on as the Balonne River through Dirranbandi.
Shortly after flowing through Dirranbandi the river branches into the Bokhara River on the right and the Narran River on the left (eastern) side.[2] These rivers join with the Barwon River west of Brewarrina and become known as the Darling River. The Darling River in turn becomes part of the Murray River. The Murray and the Darling Rivers together form Australia's longest river system, which flows south-westward to reach the sea at Murray Mouth emptying into the Southern Ocean, near Adelaide in South Australia.
The five longest tributaries of the Balonne River are the: Condamine River, Maranoa River, Dogwood Creek, Yuleba Creek and Tartulla Creek.
Contents |
Water storage
E.J. Beardmore Dam was formed by the construction of a weir in 1972 at the junction of the Maranoa and Balonne Rivers.[3] When full the water backs up for 70 km along the Balonne. Downstream from Beardmore Dam is the Jack Taylor Weir, which was built in 1953.[3] On the Balonne tributary, Dogwood Creek there is another weir, the Gill Weir, which can hold 1050 ML.
History
Major Thomas Mitchell crossed the Balonne River on St George's Day, 23 April 1846.
See also
References
- ^ Balonne River Retrieved on 31 January 2009
- ^ "Chisholm, Alec H.". The Australian Encyclopaedia. 1. Sydney: Halstead Press. 1963. pp. 406. Balonne River.
- ^ a b Harrison, Rod; Ernie James, Chris Sully, Bill Classon, Joy Eckermann (2008). Queensland Dams. Bayswater, Victoria: Australian Fishing Network. pp. 155. ISBN 9781865131344.
Coordinates: 29°57′29″S 146°18′28″E / 29.9580555556°S 146.307777778°E
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