The Macquarie River is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales. It begins in the central highlands of New South Wales near the town of Oberon. The river flows northwest past the towns of Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Narromine, and Warren to the Macquarie Marshes. The Macquarie Marshes then drain into the lower Barwon River and then into the Darling River
Burrendong Dam is a large dam (capacity 1,190,000 Megalitres) near Wellington which holds the waters of the Macquarie River and its tributaries the Cudgegong River and the Turon River to stop floods and provide water for irrigation. The dam made Lake Burrendong.
Geography
The Macquarie River flows for 626 kilometres and drops around 517 metres over its length. Lake Burrendong (346m) is the only dam on the river.
Sources
The Macquarie River starts at White Rock, near Oberon at an elevation of 671m.
Tributaries
Six rivers flow into the Macquarie River: Fish River (670m) Turon River (406m) Cudgegong River (342m) Bell River (285m) Little River (271m) Talbragar River (257m)
There are 19 creeks that flow into the Macquarie River: Winburndale Rivulet (484m) Tambaroora Creek (398m) Pyramul Creek (360m) Curragurra Creek (351m) Triamble Creek (342m) Wuuluman Creek (302m) Wambangalong Creek (265m) Cumboogle Creek (263m) Mogriguy Creek (257m) Whylandra Creek (255m) Coolbaggie Creek (246m) Brummagen Creek (239m) Gin Gin Creek (217m) Greenhide Creek (209m) Bulla Bulla Creek (202m) Five Mile Cowal (187m) Marebone Break (184m) Bulgeraga Creek (179m) Oxley Break (171m). (descending elevation shown in brackets)
Towns along the river
Bathurst
Wellington
Dubbo
Narromine
Warren
Bridge crossings
Old Rail Bridge - Bathurst, is no longer used
New Rail Bridge - Bathurst
Evans Bridge - Bathurst
Denison Bridge - Bathurst, (built 1869-1870) replaced a bridge was washed away by floods in 1867 LH Ford Bridge - Dubbo, Emile Serisier Bridge - Dubbo , low bridge used for heavy vehicles. Prone to flooding Rawsonville Bridge - Dubbo, is a Dare type timber truss bridge, and was completed in 1916 Scabbing Flat Bridge - is a Dare type timber truss bridge, and was completed in 1911 Dundullimal Rail Bridge
Watershed
The Macquarie system covers an area of more than 74,000 square kilometres. Over 72% of land is flat, and 17% is hilly. The rest is steep to mountainous, reaching 900 metres. The east boundary is formed by the Great Dividing Range, from near Oberon in the south to Coolah in the north. A mountain ridge goes north-west from the Great Dividing Range for about 400 kilometres, then the boundary turns north.
From Bathurst, near the start of the river it passes the following geographic areas: the Bathurst Plains, undulating country about 700 metres above sea level surrounded by high tablelands on all sides. This includes a large floodplain around Bathurst the Hill End Plateau where it is joined from the east by the Turon river. The Turon drains a plateau extending from near Portland to Sofala. This area is about 1100 metres above sea level in the south and 700 metres in the north. The area is mainly rugged mountain slopes Burrendong Dam, the Macquarie River is joined from the east by the Cudgegong River. This rises in the hills around Rylstone about 700 metres above sea level. through Wellington and Dubbo, the river is joined by the Bell and Little Rivers. The Bell River rises in flat to undulating country of the Orange plateau, about 900 metres above seal level. The highest point is the extinct volcanic peak of Mount Canobolas which 1,400 metres above sea level. Between Wellington and Dubbo large flat areas are evident. north of Dubbo, the Talbragar River joins the Macquarie. The Talbragar is the most important downstream tributary. This river rises in mountainous country at the junction of the Great Dividing Range and the Warrumbungle Range. The country through which the Talbragar River flows is broad and flat, bordered by undulating hills that become smaller as the river nears Dubbo. north of Dubbo, the river passes through flat plains flowing north-west through Narromine and Warren. A complex series of creeks connecting the Macquarie, Darling and Bogan Rivers. Macquarie Marshes are at the end of the river channel proper. Near Carinda, the Macquarie is joined by the Marthaguy Creek which drains an area 6,500 square kilometres and carries flood water from the Macquarie and Castlereagh Rivers.