Educational resources
Find out about Aboriginal history and nations in Murrundi (the lands and waters of the River Murray).
The Murray-Darling Basin is one of Australia’s most precious resources, providing water for four different states. It’s also one of the world’s driest major river basins.
The Murray-Darling Basin incorporates two major rivers, the Darling and the Murray. The River Murray starts in the Snowy Mountains and winds through New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, ending at the Murray Mouth near Goolwa, where it flows out to the sea. The length of the River Murray is 2,530 km.
Teaching resources
Looking for a great lesson plan or activity to keep your students interested? There are plenty of resources available:
The water cycle in the Murray-Darling Basin
How much water?
When we talk about the river, you'll often see terms like megalitre (ML) and gigalitre (GL). But just how much water is that? Here's a handy comparison, thanks to the NSW Irrigator's Council:
1 Megalitre (ML) = One million litres of water
Approximately 40 per cent of an Olympic size pool. If an Olympic pool is 50m x 25m x 2m = 2500 cubic meters, one cubic meter is one thousand litres (one kilolitre). Therefore it would take 2.5 megalitres to fill an Olympic swimming pool. One megalitre is enough water to cover 1 hectare (100m x 100m) to a depth of 10cm
1 Gigalitre (GL) = One thousand million (or one billion) litres of water
(approx. 400 Olympic size pools)
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is a drowned river valley and is considered a natural harbour. It is 19 km long with an area of 55 km². One Sydney Harbour is approximately 500 gigalitres or 200,000 Olympic size pools.
Ways students can get involved
Help make a difference to your local waterways with:
Landscape SA Murraylands and Riverland runs programs for youth:
- If you're in years 5-6, check out the Young Environmental Leaders Program
- If you're in years 7-12, the River Murray Youth Council is for high school students interested in learning more about their local environment, with heaps of different activities to get involved in
- Students in the South East can become a Weed Warrior and learn all about invasive plants and how to manage them..
The Youth Environment Council South Australia is for years 7-10 students who are provided with a voice in key environmental issues in South Australia. They offer free camps, forums and workshops.
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