The Macquarie Valley

The Macquarie River is one of the main inland river systems in NSW.  It starts south of Bathurst where the Fish and Campbell Rivers join, and travels approximately 960km in a mostly NW direction.  The central western cities and towns of Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Narromine and Warren are all situated on the Macquarie River.  The River itself flows into the internationally protected wetlands, The Macquarie Marshes.  Following a major flood event, water can flow through and beyond the Marshes into the Barwon-Darling river system upstream of Brewarrina.

Agricultural Statistics

• 30% of the Macquarie Valley's value of agricultural production comes from irrigation of 1% of the total land.
• Less than 5% of the Australian workforce is employed in agriculture - this 5% must produce food and fibre for around 55 million people.
• Irrigated agriculture contributes $264million to output, about $105million to value adding and employs almost 6000 people in the Macquarie Valley.
• 8 megalitres per hectare is used to grow the average cotton crop.
• 1 megalitre of water= 1 million litres of water

Burrendong Dam and Macquarie River Facts

• The Macquarie Valley covers an area of 73,000 square kilometres.
• Average annual rainfall in the valley is 400mm. In the north west, rainfall is only 350mm.
• The major tributaries in the Macquarie system are the Turon, Cudgegong, Bell, Little and Talbragar Rivers. There are also a number of important effluent streams downstream of Warren including the Gunningbar, Duck, Crooked, Monkeygar, Marrar, Bulgeragar and Gumcowl Creeks.
• The regulated section of the Macquarie system incorporates the Cudgegong River, from Windermere Dam, downstream to the junctions of where the Macquarie River and its effluent creeks meet with the Barwon River.
• There are two major water storages in the Macquarie regulated system.  These are Burrendong Dam and Windermere Dam.
• Warren Weir was constructed in 1896, Gin Gin Weir in 1896 and Dubbo Weir in 1929.
• The Albert Priest Canal was built in 1941 and this supplies the towns of Nyngan and Cobar. The Canal extends from the Gunningbar Creek (near Warren) for 60kms and a further 140kms from Nyngan to Cobar. Nyngan to Cobar is a pipe line.
• Burrendong Dam was completed in 1967; Marebone Weir was built in 1975; Windamere Dam was completed in 1984.
• The Macquarie Marshes were discovered by John Oxley in 1818. They were declared a sanctuary in 1955.
• National Park covers 18,150 hectares within the Macquarie Valley.
• The Macquarie River has always been a small tributary of the Murray Darling Basin contributing less than 5% inflow of the Darling.
• Due to high rainfall plus increased run off from land clearing in the catchment, the average flow of the Macquarie has increased by 89% this century.
• 5% of rainfall in the Burrendong catchment area is captured as runoff into the Dam. The remaining 95% is used in dryland agriculture, forests or nature reserves, evaporation, groundwater recharge etc.
• There have been no new irrigation licences issued since 1979 on regulated streams in the Macquarie Valley and since 1985 in the regulated section of the Cudgegong River.