Explore the Outdoors: Victorian Environments: Inland Waterways

From its source in the Australian Alps, the Murray River twists and turns through alpine grasslands, rugged mountains, and rolling farmland before flowing into Lake Hume. On its way, it passes Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park, Mount Lawson and Mount Granya State Parks and the River Murray Reserve, changing from a clear mountain stream with gravel bars to the iconic Murray River of the floodplains.

The Campaspe River rises south of Woodend in the Central Highlands of Victoria and meets the River Murray at Echuca. Water from the catchment supplies several urban centres, including Bendigo, Echuca, Rochester and Kyneton.Site includes links to other major waterways in the Murray-Darling Basin.

The Murray–Darling Basin is in Australia's south-east. It is a system of interconnected rivers and lakes covering both Victoria and NSW.

Melbourne’s most valuable natural asset is home to a range of beautiful indigenous plants, animals, birds and fish, and is vital to our social and economic wellbeing.

Elemental to Melbourne’s identity, the Yarra River is one of Victoria’s iconic waterways. It has spiritual and cultural significance for Aboriginal communities. To the Wurundjeri people the river, known as Birrarung, was the life source and an important meeting place. And, to many locals, where happy memories of personal pilgrimages, peaceful summer evenings, and days exploring were made.

The Murray River (Ngarrindjeri: Millewa, Yorta Yorta: Dhungala or Tongala) is a river in is Australia's longest river at 2,508 km. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest rivers of Australia (the Murrumbidgee, Darling, Lachlan, Warrego and Paroo Rivers). Together with that of the Murray, the catchments of these rivers form the Murray–Darling basin, which covers about one-seventh the area of Australia. It is widely considered Australia's most important irrigated region.

Water is needed for farming, communities, Indigenous cultural practices, and plants and animals.

The Murray River flows through the twin towns of Echuca and Moama, playing an important role in tourism in the area.

Cobram, Echuca, Tocumwal and Yarrawonga Regional Parks offer a range of opportunities for recreation and relaxation, including camping, fishing, canoeing, picnics and walking (dogs are permitted in Regional Parks but must be kept on a lead) close to those communities.