Balonne & Culgoa Rivers
Past the black stump and literally out the Back o' Bourke.
Darling River
This Australian iconic river is formed by the merging of the Barwon and Culgoa Rivers.
As the river is fed by multiple basins in the upper Murray-Darling Basin, flow is more consistent than the other upstream rivers of the system. However, the river has recently run dry for months and even years at a time, making it effectively impassable by boat in many sections.
While some reports suggest that a flow as low as 20 ML/day is enough to traverse the river, a minimal flow of 100 ML/day or 200 ML/day is more realistic. Above 400 ML/day, the trip will be much more enjoyable and personally I would prefer 800 ML/day. Minor flood conditions provide a fantastic and memorable trip, but be careful as some "shortcuts" are actually distributaries!
Carefully assess the flow and speed of the water through the system before any trip. See the planning page for more details.
Key Waypoints
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1,538 km
Darling River Head
The character of the river instantly changes as you enter the Darling. It now has all of the characteristics of a major inland perennial river with broad waters and high banks.
The Darling is most commonly started from Brewarrina (Bre for short) that is 121 km above the head of the river, a 205 km trip to Bourke.
Walgett is the next major town upstream of Bre on the Barwon River, accessible with a 5 km paddle up the Namoi River. Walgett is 407 km above the head of the Darling, and 491 km from Bourke.
My Personal Journey
Great flows for all three trips with some shortcuts but still relatively high banks, especially near the start.
I bypassed the first section of the Darling and took the Little Bogan River instead. I can highly recommended this side trip for anyone repeating this section of the Darling in a very high flow albeit note that there are a couple low bridges to portage and one is fenced.
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1,622 km
Bourke
Flood: minor: 9.5 m, moderate: 11.4 m, major: 12.7 m
Flow: no flow: 3.92 mThe old wharf is a popular spot for kids swimming in the hotter months and the grey nomads in the cooler months.
It is only a short walk to the IGA, with a SPAR store a bit further away. Some crime issues in town.
My Personal Journey
COVID-19 halted my progress at North Bourke in 2020, and it was a relief to be able to paddle past just over a year later.
The water was high, powerful, and fast-flowing, but fairly gentle to paddle with minimal swirls/eddies. Both weirs were washed out, and finding camping spots without having to climb the banks was fairly easy.
The first weir was almost washed out, and the second weir was fully submerged with a minor ripple. Muddy banks chasing the flood and the flow was slower as the water was being banked up from the flood downstream.
I completely bypassed the first weir on a shortcut that made me realize what this high flow would mean. I was able to take multiple shortcuts and detours, including Ryan's Lagoon, Ross Billabong, and Talowla Billabong.
The main stem was in minor to moderate flood, so I had to search a bit harder for dry campsites, sometimes detouring slightly from the main course. The current was fast and very powerful. It did have some turbulence, but nothing too concerning.
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1,825 km
Louth
Catchment: 489,300 sq km
Flood: minor: 8.6 m, moderate: 10 m, major: 12 m
Flow: no flow: 1.21 mShindy's Inn (02 6874 7422) is a pub that serves as a cafe and store. They stock basic supplies and you could possibly be able to organise a food run beforehand.
My Personal Journey
Great paddling conditions on or catching up to the flood peak. Less bank scrambling and less mud. All of the weirs were washed out.
Similar paddling conditions on the main river as upstream. I tried exploring the western creeks but most were dry until Talyawalka Creek that I detoured down. Small fast flowing creek that slowly morphed into a large inland lake before rejoining the Darling.
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1,993 km
Tilpa
Catchment: 502,500 sq km
Flood: minor: 9 m, moderate: 10.5 m, major: 11.5 m
Flow: no flow: 0.18 mTiny town with pub and petrol station, no supplies unless organised beforehand with the owners of the Tilpa Hotel (02 6837 3928). They do a food run about once per week. Another option would be to organise a delivered food parcels, but check with the owners first.
My Personal Journey
Great paddling conditions and easy camping.
After taking a rest day on the riverbank to research and plan, I decided to attempt paddling down the eastern Talyawalka Creek. I had easy paddling and camping conditions on the main river down to the start of Talyawalka Creek.
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2,264 km
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2,569 km
Menindee
Catchment: 569,600 sq km
Flood: minor: 8.5 m, moderate: 9.1 m, major: 9.7 m
Flow: no flow: 2.18 mIn normal flows, water is diverted into Menindee Lakes via Lake Pamamaroo that feeds both Lake Menindee and Lake Cawndilla. A small envirnomental flow is released from Lake Menindee that feeds the lower Darling.
The reach from Weir 32 reaches Main Weir making this section from Lake Wetherell traverable even in no flow conditions.
Darling River Friendly Grocer (08 8091 4288) in town for supplies.
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2,855 km
Pooncarie
Port Pitstop Pooncarie Fuel Stop (03 5029 5267) is the only general store and fuel.
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3,008 km
Ellerslie / Palinyewah
Ellerslie is a small citrus-growing community. Likely no shops etc.
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3,085 km
