Our Catchment
The Lower Murray Darling Catchment covers an area of approximately 6.3 million hectares, of which approximately 5% has been cleared for cropping or horticultural purposes.
Remaining native vegetation has been subject to varying amounts of modification (through various land use impacts such as total grazing pressure, fire regimes and management for conservation). The catchment extends from Broken Hill in the north to the Murray River in the south and from the Murray/Murrumbidgee junction to the South Australian border in the west.
It is dominated by a semi-arid climate with highly variable winter dominant rainfall. The population of the Lower Murray Darling Catchment is estimated at 29,000. The catchment incorporates the entire local government areas of Wentworth and Broken Hill City, the majority of the Balranald Shire Council area, a small area administered by the DNR. The catchment includes the tribal country of the Barkindji, Mutthi Mutthi and Ngyiampaa peoples and is rich in cultural heritage including the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area, Lake Victoria and Menindee Lakes.
Landuse includes irrigated and dryland cropping, horticulture, wool and meat production, water storage (Menindee Lakes and Lake Victoria), mining, tourism, recreational fishing, forestry and nature conservation.
Lower Murray Darling Catchment Action Plan .