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| Riverina Plains | |
|---|---|
| Name | Riverina Plains |
| Type | Bioregion |
| Location | New South Wales, Australia |
| Area | ~40,000 km2 |
| Coordinates | 34°S 146°E |
| Major cities | Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Leeton |
| Rivers | Murrumbidgee River, Lachlan River, Murray River |
| Climate | Temperate, semi-arid |
Riverina Plains are an extensive low-lying plain in southern New South Wales characterized by broad floodplains, agricultural mosaics, and remnant woodlands. The region forms a transitional zone between the Great Dividing Range and the Murray-Darling Basin, supporting towns such as Wagga Wagga, Griffith, and Leeton and intersected by major waterways including the Murrumbidgee River, Lachlan River, and the Murray River. Historically central to the livelihoods of Aboriginal nations such as the Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta, the plains have been shaped by colonial policies, irrigation schemes, and conservation initiatives involving agencies like the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Commonwealth of Australia.
The plains occupy a swathe between the Great Dividing Range and the Murray River within the Murray-Darling Basin, bounded by regions including the South West Slopes and the Riverina. Major population centres include Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Leeton, Narrandera, and Hay. Hydrological features are dominated by the Murrumbidgee River system, tributaries such as the Billabong Creek and Yanco Creek, and engineered works like the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and the Burrinjuck Dam. Transport corridors include the Sturt Highway and the Newell Highway, while protected areas such as the Pobblebonk Sanctuary and national parks interface with agricultural land.
Underlying the plains are Cenozoic sediments deposited on older Palaeozoic basement rocks of the Lachlan Fold Belt and the Cobar Basin. Soils range from self-mulching red clays associated with the Cenozoic basalt caps near Griffith to grey vertisols and alluvial loams on floodplains along the Murrumbidgee River and the Lachlan River. Salinity issues derive from ancient saline aquifers and disrupted recharge linked to clearing since colonial settlement, comparable in management challenge to catchment programs in the Murray-Darling Basin Authority remit. Geological mapping has been conducted by the Geoscience Australia and the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
The Riverina Plains exhibit a temperate to semi-arid climate influenced by the Great Dividing Range rain shadow, with mean annual rainfall varying from around 350 mm in western sectors to over 600 mm near the eastern fringe. Climatic drivers include the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, the Indian Ocean Dipole, and occasional cold fronts from the Southern Ocean, affecting seasonal river flows of the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan systems. Temperature extremes have been recorded at sites monitored by the Bureau of Meteorology, with significant drought episodes coinciding with national events such as the Federation Drought and the early 21st-century Millennium Drought.
Vegetation mosaics include remnants of River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) woodlands, Box Gum Grassy Woodlands, and chenopod shrublands supporting fauna like the superb parrot, regent honeyeater, and populations of eastern grey kangaroo. Wetland complexes such as the Narran Lakes and Murrumbidgee wetlands provide habitat for migratory Pacific black duck, eastern curlew, and other waterbirds listed under international agreements including the Ramsar Convention. Biodiversity assessments have been led by institutions such as the Australian National University, the CSIRO, and regional councils, documenting threatened ecological communities and species protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
The plains are the traditional lands of Aboriginal nations including the Wiradjuri, Yorta Yorta, Ngiyampaa, and Wemba-Wemba. Cultural heritage is expressed through songlines, scar trees, ochre sources, and song cycles recorded by researchers from the Institute for Aboriginal Development and archival collections at institutions like the State Library of New South Wales. Contact history involved explorers such as Hamilton Hume and William Hovell and subsequent colonial policies enforced by authorities including the Colonial Secretary of New South Wales and pastoralists associated with overland routes used during the Gold Rushes. Contemporary Indigenous organisations, for example the Wiradjuri Council and native title claimants, work with governments to manage cultural heritage and land rights.
European exploration and settlement accelerated after expeditions by Hume and Hovell and the establishment of squatting runs by pastoralists moving through the Murray-Darling Basin. The introduction of wool production, cereal cropping, and later irrigation transformed landscapes; major 20th-century infrastructure projects include the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, the construction of Burrinjuck Dam, and the Snowy Mountains Scheme's indirect hydrological impacts. Land use patterns were shaped by legislation such as colonial land acts debated in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and implementation by agencies like the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Agriculture dominates regional economics: dryland cropping of wheat and barley, irrigated horticulture including citrus, rice, cotton, and vineyards around Griffith and Leeton. Agribusiness operators include cooperatives and companies linked with markets in Sydney, Melbourne, and export channels through the Port of Melbourne and Port Adelaide. Research and extension services are provided by institutions such as the NSW Department of Primary Industries, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and universities like the Charles Sturt University. Water allocation and trading are regulated within frameworks involving the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and state water agencies.
Conservation efforts balance productive agriculture with protection of remnant woodlands, wetlands, and threatened species through reserves administered by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and catchment management by organisations such as Local Land Services and the Murray–Darling Basin Authority. Programs addressing salinity, soil erosion, and invasive species (e.g., foxes, European rabbit) have been supported by federal initiatives like the Natural Heritage Trust and state programs administered by the NSW Environment Protection Authority. Collaborative models involve Indigenous rangers, regional councils, universities (e.g., University of New South Wales partnerships), and non-government bodies like the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Category:Regions of New South Wales Category:Murray-Darling Basin