Water in the Darling

Submitted: Thursday, Aug 02, 2018 at 07:34
ThreadID: 137068 Views:3079 Replies:2 FollowUps:7
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Hi everyone, We are doing a short Darling Run for a couple of weeks starting next week at Louth and then down to Menindee Lakes. Can anybody tell me if it is worth taking the kayak (purely recreational - no speed or excitement involved!). I have been keeping an eye on river levels but without knowing if levels are always taken at weirs or not and not quite grasping what a gigalitres looks like on the bed of a wide river, I need someone who has been up there lately.
Whatever the result it must be so hard for the landholders at the moment so it's a bit of a first world question.
No matter what, it's Louth races first stop!
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Reply By: Nomadic Navara - Thursday, Aug 02, 2018 at 08:23

Thursday, Aug 02, 2018 at 08:23
Have a look at this site. The situation does not look good. The level at Bourke looks good but remember that is behind a weir. I think that would also apply at Menindee and Wilcannia.
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Reply By: Pepper - Thursday, Aug 02, 2018 at 08:53

Thursday, Aug 02, 2018 at 08:53
We drove the darling river end of april from bourke to menindee etc .

The river then was not flowing but was isolated shallow pools with a few exceptions..

You could stay at kidmans camp at north bourke good river with steamboat cruises ,also free camping available along the river.

You could kayac at pooncarie great tiny town with great cheap camping area and boat ramp.

Also copy hollow at menindee is a large lake with great camping at the waters edge .

We stayed at paika station close to balranald , it has its own large lake that you can camp next to with or without power and toilets and showers , they only allow a handfull of campers at one time ,a really great experience in our view.

All the best.
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Follow Up By: RMD - Thursday, Aug 02, 2018 at 09:01

Thursday, Aug 02, 2018 at 09:01
Because of the drought and the water withheld by the Cotton Pickin' so called farmers in Qld, there isn't much water to be had anywhere.

Broken Hill is getting a 300km pipeline from Mildura area, 1/2 fininished at the moment, because the Menindee Lakes can't supply much at all via the Darling system.

No canoeing 'cos of cotton and lack of action by successive governments who don't look after the water environment or regulate usage in Qld.
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Follow Up By: Gbc.. - Thursday, Aug 02, 2018 at 12:50

Thursday, Aug 02, 2018 at 12:50
This isn't as easy as blaming QLD. The only people before the courts for stealing water out of the Darling catchment are from much closer around Brewarrina, Bourke, Moree and Gilgandra. Water management in both states is poor, but pointing the finger over the border is pretty pathetic especially when NSW grows 70% of this country's cotton which is irrigated entirely out of the Murray Darling catchment.
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Follow Up By: Kilcowera Station Stay - Friday, Aug 03, 2018 at 06:34

Friday, Aug 03, 2018 at 06:34
And droughts are generally caused by a lack of rain.
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Follow Up By: GarryR - Friday, Aug 03, 2018 at 06:46

Friday, Aug 03, 2018 at 06:46
I stayed at Bindara and Trilby Stations only a month ago, and only pools at Bindara Station just south of Minindee. Trilby was not much better, and to see all the billabongs dried out is just disheartening
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Follow Up By: 9900Eagle - Friday, Aug 03, 2018 at 12:34

Friday, Aug 03, 2018 at 12:34
I think one person here needs to have a look at the huge turkey nests along the Darling in NSW to see where the water goes. Both NSW and Qld are guilty of not complying with water allocations.

Qld in the last couple of months has just released water into the Dumeresq river at Texas to help the Darling.

COTTON should never have been grown in Australia as we just don't have the water.

This is what is wrong and quote "Cotton growers almost doubled their irrigation water use efficiency from 1.1 bales/megalitre in 2000-01 to 1.9 bales/megalitre in 2009-10 and it takes about 8 megalitres a hectare to grow a crop.

Where has all the water gone, not hard to see where.
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Follow Up By: Member - bigbadbubba - Tuesday, Sep 11, 2018 at 21:06

Tuesday, Sep 11, 2018 at 21:06
Thanks everyone for the info. Decided not to take the kayak. There was quite a bit of water at Trilby, Dunlop, Nelia Gaari, Coach & Horses but access down the banks of the river would have been pretty dicey to get the kayak down. There was good water at Copi Hollow and Pamamaroo both of which would have been good to kayak. They were just about to drain Pamamaroo into Copi for the Broken Hill back up supply. My favourite places along that stretch were Nelia Gaari and Pamamaroo. Again thanks for the input.
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Follow Up By: Gbc.. - Wednesday, Sep 12, 2018 at 05:36

Wednesday, Sep 12, 2018 at 05:36
Nelia Gaari is my favorite station along there too. Glad you liked the run.
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