Bulloo River

Bulloo River

Infobox River
river_name = Bulloo River
origin = Grey Range, western Queensland (Idalia National Park)
mouth = Bulloo Lake (ephemeral)
basin_countries = Australia
length = 1580 km (981 mi)
elevation = 290m (2600 ft) at source
discharge = 20 m³/s (river usually dry)
watershed = 75,534 km²

The Bulloo River is an isolated drainage system in western Queensland, central Australia. It is the only river in this region "not" part of either the Murray-Darling Basin or the Lake Eyre Basin; instead it flows into a number of ephemeral lakes blocked by low hills from reaching either Lake Frome or the Paroo River. In its very lowest reaches, which extend to near Tibooburra in New South Wales, is a distributary known as Bella Creek. It is believed that in past wet periods the Bulloo has had connections to Lake Frome because its fish fauna resembles the Lake Eyre rather than the Murray-Darling Basin [http://www.desertfishes.org/australia/habitats/rivers/rivergen.shtml] .

There are a number of tributaries that flow into the Bulloo in its upper reaches, the largest being Blackwater Creek. Low ranges prevent the lower reaches of the Bulloo from receiving significant tributaries.

Hydrologically, the Bulloo is very similar to the Darling River and Cooper Creek. It is usually completely dry except for water holes, but during years of strong monsoonal activity in the summer the Bulloo can flood heavily to discharges of more than 1000 m³/s, and annual flows of up to five times the mean [Brown, J. A. H. (John Alexander Henstridge); "Australia's Surface Water Resources". ISBN 0644026170] . In dry years annual rainfall can be as low as 100mm (4 inches) throughout the basin and years of zero runoff are not unknown [Willcocks, Jacqui and Young, Phillip; "Queensland's Rainfall History: Graphs of Rainfall Averages, 1880-1988" ISBN 0724239138] .

Annual rainfall throughout the basin ranges from 330mm (13 inches) in the north to 200mm (8 inches) in the south, with the northward increase being due to higher falls in the summer. In the winter, rainfall is rare throughout the basin, with the average between April and October generally around 115mm (4.5 inches), though on extremely rare occasions such as 1920-1921 and 1956 the river has had a significant flood during the winter. Temperatures in the summer are extreme throughout except during monsoonal activity, with mean maxima around 38°C (100°F) in January and minina around 23°C (74°F). In the winter maxima remain warm, ranging from 20°C (68°F) in the south to 25°C (77°F) in the north, but frosts are not unknown at night.

The Bulloo basin is used almost exclusively for the extensive grazing of sheep and cattle. The only towns within the basin are the former opal mining town of Quilpie and further downstream Thargomindah. There is only one major protected area, Idalia National Park, in th entire basin, located right in the river's headwaters.

Notes


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bulloo — /ˈbʊlu/ (say boolooh) noun a river in south western Qld, rising in the northern part of the Grey Range and flowing into Lake Bulloo. 470 km …  

  • Ashburton River (Australien) — Ashburton River Ashburton River bei NanutarraVorlage:Infobox Fluss/KARTE fehlt …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Burke and Wills expedition — Map of the Burke and Wills expedition In 1860–61, Robert O Hara Burke and William John Wills led an expedition of 19 men with the intention of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a distance of… …   Wikipedia

  • Expedition von Burke und Wills — Robert O’Hara Burke William John Wills (1860) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ludwig Becker — For the aviator, see Ludwig Becker (pilot). Dr Ludwig Becker (1808 – 29 April 1861) was an Australian artist, explorer and naturalist born in Darmstadt, Germany. He was a member of the ill fated Burke and Wills expedition and died, along with his …   Wikipedia

  • Thargomindah, Queensland — The township of Thargomindah is located in south west Queensland, Australia on the Adventure Road, approximately 1100 km west of the state capital, Brisbane, and 200 km west of the town of Cunnamulla. Thargomindah is the administrative center for …   Wikipedia

  • Kullili language — Infobox Language name=Kullili region=Queensland and New South Wales, Australia iso2=aus iso3=zmu familycolor=Australian fam1=Pama Nyungan fam2=Western Queensland group Kullili (also Kullilla or Galali) is an Australian Aboriginal language.The… …   Wikipedia

  • March 2010 Queensland floods — Heavy rain in March 2010 saw much of south western and central Queensland undergo major flooding. The floods saw inundation of the towns of Charleville, Roma, St George and Theodore among others.[1] Major rivers affected include the Balonne River …   Wikipedia

  • Mulga Lands — The Mulga Lands are an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) region of eastern Australia consisting of dry sandy plains scattered with mulga trees. Contents …   Wikipedia

  • Quilpie, Queensland — Quilpie is a town situated in western Queensland, Australia. The town is the administrative centre of the Quilpie Shire Local Government Area.GeographySituated on the banks of the Bulloo River and on the Diamantina Developmental Road, it is 208… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”