--- title: "Upper Murray River Photography — Alpine to Inland NSW" description: "Photography along the Upper Murray — river communities, alpine headwaters and the rich natural history of Australia's most important inland waterway." url: "https://reddustsnow.com.au/stock-editorial/australia/upper-murray" date: "2026-07-09T17:49:42+00:00" language: "en-AU" --- # Upper Murray Photography · Australia## Photographs of the Upper Murray Images of Australian Rivers This gallery presents photographs of the Upper Murray — the headwaters region of Australia's longest river, from the twin cities of Albury–Wodonga on the NSW–Victorian border up through the spectacular Lake Hume catchment to the Murray's alpine origins near Mount Kosciuszko. The upper Murray catchment covers just 2% of the basin area yet provides around 17% of its water. ![As the sun rises over the hills of the upper Murray River, a tree on the banks of Lake Hume is silhouetted against the early morning cloud. Upper Murray, Victoria, Australia](https://reddustsnow.com.au/images/2024/sigplus/australia/upper-murray/_DSC3958.jpg)As the sun rises over the hills of the upper Murray River, a tree on the banks of Lake Hume is silhouetted against the early morning cloud. Upper Murray, Victoria, Australia. The twin towns of Albury–Wodonga straddle the Victorian/New South Wales border, with the mighty [Murray River](https://reddustsnow.com.au/reportage/australia/murray-river "The Murray River forms the border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia") (Australia's longest river) separating the two. The two centres are home to over 100,000 residents and service the rich agricultural area spanning the upper Murray and the Riverina. The River Murray is Australia's longest river, running a course of 2,500 km from near Mount Kosciuszko in the Australian Alps to the Southern Ocean at Goolwa, in South Australia. The catchment description of the River Murray covers three sections — upper, central, and lower. The upper River Murray catchment takes in the headwaters of the Murray and its many tributaries, extending about 300 km to the Hume Dam. Located in New South Wales and Victoria, the catchment covers about 2% of the basin area. Still, it provides about 17% of the water. {slider=Lake Hume} ## Lake Hume Lake Hume, the 20,000-hectare body of water that resulted from the damming of the Mitta Mitta and Murray rivers near Albury, was a project that took seven years to build and when finished in 1936 was the largest dam in the southern hemisphere and one of the biggest in the world. To say it is a huge body of water is an understatement — water retained upstream through both the Murray and Mitta Mitta rivers stretches over 40 kilometres, and it is a haven for water sports, fishing, and camping. As early as the 1860s, landholders of the Riverina had discussed flood mitigation options, but it wasn't until the early 1900s that work began on a solution to better manage the seasonal flows of the Murray and Mitta Mitta rivers. In 1919, work started on damming the Murray River just downstream from its junction with the Mitta Mitta. The Hume dam, completed in 1936, was the biggest in the southern hemisphere at the time, and the resultant reservoir retained water extending 40 km upstream from the dam and covered 20,000+ hectares. Originally designed to hold 1,500 Gigalitres, Lake Hume's capacity was doubled in the late 1950s to capitalise on the increased flow that resulted from the Snowy Hydro Scheme; the increase was primarily due to the tunnelled diversion of the Snowy River to the western side of the Great Dividing Range. Lake Hume, which was named in honour of the explorer Hamilton Hume, is currently at around 40% capacity and while it may look good, it is considered low — but a lot better than the <10% of a few years back. {/slider} ## Frequently Asked Questions Where is the Upper Murray?The Upper Murray refers to the headwaters section of the Murray River, extending from near Mount Kosciuszko in the Australian Alps down approximately 300 km to the Hume Dam near Albury–Wodonga on the NSW–Victorian border. It is the most elevated and alpine section of Australia's longest river system. What does this Upper Murray photography gallery show?The gallery captures the landscapes and atmosphere of the upper Murray catchment — the stillness of Lake Hume at dawn, the river's alpine character, the rural scenes around Albury–Wodonga, and the tall timber country of the river's headwaters. What is Lake Hume?Lake Hume is the large reservoir created by the Hume Dam on the Murray River near Albury–Wodonga, completed in 1936. At the time it was the largest dam in the southern hemisphere. The lake covers 20,000+ hectares and is a major destination for water sports, fishing, and camping. It was named after the explorer Hamilton Hume. Can I buy prints of these Upper Murray photographs?Yes. Fine-art prints and wall art from this gallery are available at the [Red Dust Snow wall art store](https://wallart.reddustsnow.com "Red Dust Snow Wall Art Store"). Prints are available in a range of sizes and media. What is the Snowy Hydro Scheme's connection to Lake Hume?The Snowy Hydro Scheme, completed in stages from the 1950s onwards, tunnelled water from the Snowy River to the western side of the Great Dividing Range, increasing flows into the Murray system. This extra inflow was a key reason Lake Hume's capacity was doubled in the late 1950s from 1,500 Gigalitres to its current capacity. ## Explore More Australian River Photography Follow the Murray from its alpine origins all the way to the outback — and discover the Darling River, the Corner Country, and beyond. [Murray River Gallery](https://reddustsnow.com.au/reportage/australia/murray-river) [Darling River Gallery](https://reddustsnow.com.au/reportage/australia/darling-river) [Murray River Wall Art](https://wallart.reddustsnow.com) ## Schema ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ImageGallery", "@id": "https://reddustsnow.com.au/reportage/australia/upper-murray#gallery", "name": "Photographs of the Upper Murray", "description": "A photography gallery of the Upper Murray — the headwaters section of Australia's longest river, from the twin cities of Albury–Wodonga through the Lake Hume catchment to the alpine origins near Mount Kosciuszko.", "url": "https://reddustsnow.com.au/reportage/australia/upper-murray", "inLanguage": "en-AU", "creator": { "@id": "https://reddustsnow.com.au/#/schema/Person/simon" }, "copyrightHolder": { "@id": "https://reddustsnow.com.au/#/schema/Person/simon" }, "publisher": { "@id": "https://reddustsnow.com.au/#/schema/Organization/base" }, "about": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Upper Murray, NSW/Victoria, Australia" }, "image": "https://reddustsnow.com.au/images/2024/sigplus/australia/upper-murray/_DSC3958.jpg", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://reddustsnow.com.au/#/schema/WebSite/base" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://reddustsnow.com.au/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Reportage", "item": "https://reddustsnow.com.au/reportage" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Australia", "item": "https://reddustsnow.com.au/reportage/australia" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Upper Murray", "item": "https://reddustsnow.com.au/reportage/australia/upper-murray" } ] }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Where is the Upper Murray?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The Upper Murray refers to the headwaters section of the Murray River, extending from near Mount Kosciuszko in the Australian Alps down approximately 300 km to the Hume Dam near Albury–Wodonga on the NSW–Victorian border. 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