Australia's longest river, the backbone of the Murray-Darling system that waters the driest inhabited continent.
Length
2,508 km
Source
Australian Alps
Mouth
Southern Ocean (South Australia)
Continent
Oceania
Countries
Australia
Did you know?
The Murray-Darling basin produces a huge share of Australia's food, yet the river sometimes barely reaches the sea.
Little-known fact
Paddle-steamers once worked the Murray like the Mississippi, and a few still carry tourists today.
Highlights
- Australia's longest river
- Backbone of the Murray-Darling basin
- Once plied by paddle-steamers
Life in the Murray
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Wels catfish
A monstrous European catfish that can top 2.5 m and has learned to beach itself to catch pigeons.
Waterbirds
Common kingfisher
A dazzling blue-and-orange dart that plunges from a perch to spear fish in an instant.
Grey heron
A patient, statue-still angler that stalks the shallows of rivers and lakes across the Old World.
Mallard
The familiar green-headed dabbling duck — ancestor of most domestic ducks — found on waters worldwide.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here