The Watershed Loop^tm

Connecting the Murray-Darling Basin to the Lake Eyre Basin

Outback NSW Touring Routes

Explorer Captain Charles Sturt (and others) believed there was an inland sea into which the few known rivers of eastern Australia flowed;  this premise was the basis of his 1844-5 expedition, and there is a lot of merit to that belief. The Watershed Loop^tm is an adventure design that shows, in part, the validity of the assumption that specific waterways drained in the interior of Australia.

With Broken Hill as this great adventure's ideal start/finish, the Watershed Loop can also be accessed from the Darling River Run (Menindee), heading south from Tibooburra and Cameron Corner.

Connecting the Darling River to the Corner Country

Overview:

Distance: 1,162 km

Road: Mostly unsealed, maintained roads.

Provisions: Broken Hill, Packsaddle, White Cliffs, Wilcannia, Menindee

Introduction

The Barrier Ranges, sometimes called the Barrier Range, was initially named Stanley's Barrier Range by Sturt in honour of Lord Stanley (British Foreign Minister 1866-68 & 1874-78). Captain Charles Sturt named it due to the perceived barrier it created to Sturt's expedition. More importantly, though, it forms the western extent of the Darling River basin watershed, a subdivision of the Murray-Darling Basin.

The Barrier Ranges comprise

• Coko Range
• Floods Range
• Slate Range
• Robe Range
• Mundi Mundi Range
• Coonbaralba Range
• Mount Darling Range

To the northwest of the watershed is the Bulloo-Bancannia basin, Australia's second-largest endorheic basin (one that retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water) with an area of 98 820 km². (Lake Eyre Basin is the largest endorheic basin)

The basis of this tour, and as the name suggests, is to experience the watersheds that Sturt and others believed existed and formed the theory of the inland sea.

• Murray Darling Basin
  • Paroo River Catchment (Murray-Darling Tributary)
• Bulloo-Bancannia Basin
  • Lake Bancannia
• Lake Eyre Basin
  • Lake Frome

Watershed Loop Route (ORANGE) and Catchments (GREEN)

In 1840, Edward John Eyre was the first European to lay eyes on the 9500-square-kilometre lake, which now bears his name in one of the driest desert regions of South Australia.

Sturt and those who commissioned him did not know there would be an inland sea, which is not the premise of his endeavours. The expedition intended to discover what was beyond the Murray-Darling western catchment as they knew that the Darling Catchment drained to the east. Hence, the watershed beyond Stanley's Barrier Ranges could reveal where the adjacent catchment flowed.

Watershed Elevation Profiles:

The Outback, and this region of Outback NSW, is regarded as a very flat country. Still, when viewing the elevation profile, it is apparent there is indeed elevation across the catchments (that allows the individual basins to work).

Elevation profile of loop route starting/finishing Broken Hill

Of particular note:

• While travelling the 1,165 km Watershed Loop, the net elevation gain/loss is 1895m -1895m, with the highest point being 333m near Mt Gipps Station and the lowest point along the touring route as at Tandou Lake and Redbank Creek (58m). Redbank Creek is a tributary of the Great Darling Anabranch.
• The touring route also passes the highest point of the Barrier Ranges, Mount Robe (459m), to the northeast of Eldee Creek.
• Broken Hill is in the Darling Catchment, part of the MDB, and the touring route crosses into the Lake Frome Catchment (Lake Eyre Basin) near Silverton.
• The Lake Bancannia catchment crosses just north of Mutawinti NP and exits on the section to White Cliffs, where the route enters the Paroo River catchment, part of the Murray-Darling Basin. 

** NOTE: The creeks listed in the following route guide are ephemeral (they flow intermittently after sufficient rain) and included as an insight into the hydrology of the various catchments.

Towns - Parks - Localities:

{slider=About the Darling River}

The Darling River is Australia's most iconic river and, when combined with its longest tributaries, creates Australia's longest waterway stretching from Queensland's Darling Downs across Outback NSW to its meeting with the Murray River at Wentworth in the southwest corner of New South Wales.

Part of the Murray Darling Basin, which covers an area of 1,061,469 square kilometres (14% of the total area of Australia), the Darling River rises from Queensland's Darling Downs and New South Wales's northern rivers region.

The Darling River system is sourced primarily from the subtropical summer rains of South East Queensland (the Darling Downs). By comparison, the Murray River receives its flow from the New South Wales/Victorian alpine region's snowmelt and, as such, is more of a 'boom/bust' with regards to its flow.

Discover the Darling River

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{slider=About Broken Hill}

Broken Hill is a true outback icon, sitting on an iron-rich red landscape under a big Azure sky. Remarkable colours and contrasts are synonymous with Australia's Corner Country (and area radiating out from Cameron Corner, the place where the states of NSW, QLD, and SA meet).

Broken Hill, its name conjures up so much that we identify with Australia. Henry Lawson once stated, "If you know Bourke, you know Australia", an adage that could apply equally to Broken Hill as it does to Bourke (but with a slightly more modern context). While Bourke grew out of the river trade, Broken Hill grew out of mining and iron, where the Big Australian (BHP) was born.

The icon and Heritage Listed Broken Hill has a BIG history with wonderful attractions and unique experiences.

Discover Broken Hill

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{slider=About Mutawintji National Park}

This adventure route also takes Mutawintji National Park with its evocative historic site (guided access only). Mutawintji National Park is one of the most moving and culturally significant areas of New South Wales and should be put towards the top of any visitor wish list. The fantastic sandstone ridges and gorges fill the senses with wonderment and are one of those places where you can feel the cultural significance of the area and the land; and why it is so significant to the indigenous culture.

Discover Mutawintji National Park

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{slider=About White Cliffs}

Many outback towns claim to be 'unique', but White Cliffs is a truly 'must-see' destination. White Cliffs is the oldest Australian opal field, discovered by chance in the 1880s by kangaroo shooters. 

White Cliffs is where the Australian opal industry started, and its population peaked in the late 1890s at around 5,000. It began to decline after WW1 and now boasts a population of around 200.

It is small compared to Lightning Ridge, another Opal mining town, but here most of the living is made underground. An excellent 92km drive along the sealed Opal Miner's Way from Wilcannia will have you in this unique place in no time. For those that like 'the road less travelled' and want to take in Mutawintji National Park and White Cliffs without having to backtrack, this loop (Dry weather gravel only) is a fantastic drive.

Discover White Cliffs

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{slider=About Wilcannia}

Wilcannia, the Darling River town on the Barrier Highway between Cobar and Broken Hill, is a largely undisturbed port on the Darling River. Cross the bridge, drive from Sydney to Broken Hill, and turn either to your right or left when you enter the town. You will be amazed at the richness of the architecture. About one hour's drive (sealed) north of Wilcannia is the opal town of White Cliffs. It's well worth a visit!

Being at the junction of the major east-west highway and the iconic 'Long Paddock' (The Cobb Highway, which runs down to Echuca-Moama on the Murray River), it is an excellent access point for the Darling River Run. Upstream from Wilcannia is Tilpa, and downstream is Menindee and the Menindee Lakes.

Discover Wilcannia

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{slider=About Menindee}

Menindee and the wonderful Menindee Lakes is a beautiful central Darling River destination where you can experience what the Darling River Run touring route offers. An iconic Darling River town an hour southeast of Broken Hill (and Silverton), Menindee is a perfect base to explore the Darling River, the Lakes and one of the best National Parks in Outback NSW, Kinchega National Park.

Discover also that the beautifully penned 'The Man from Snowy River' by Banjo Paterson is an immortal Australian poem; there is a line, "There was Harrison, who made his pile when Pardon won the cup". While many assume it was the famous Melbourne Cup being referred to, it is the Presidents Cup held at Menindee. There is a story to tell and something to learn in most outback towns, and Menindee on the Darling River is no exception.

Discover Menindee

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{slider=About Kinchega National Park}

Kinchega National Park, located in the central Darling about one-hour southeast of Broken Hill, provides wonderful access to the Darling River for birdwatching, historical insights, river camping and fishing. Rich in Indigenous and pastoral history, Kinchega is bounded by the Darling River upstream from Menindee Lakes.

The park provides some of the best access to the Darling River. Kinchega National Park is rich in natural history and is a place that seems designed for nature lovers and photographers. It's also a place to immerse yourself in Aboriginal and European heritage. Sit back, relax and watch the native wildlife, where the red sand reaches up and touches the clear blue sky. The area of Kinchega incorporates half the lakes that make up Menindee Lakes; man-made lakes (originally pondages of the Darling River) feed by the seasonal flow of the Darling River.

Discover Kinchega National Park

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