Major Rivers Database

Prescribed New South Wales watercourses for determining riparian buffer strip widths

Introduction

The purpose of these listings of stream names is to assist CMA officers and stakeholders when assessing requirements for default riparian buffer distances when negotiating a PVP. The listings are organised by CMA in the following order:

1. Border Rivers/Gwydir
2. Namoi
3. Central West
4. Lachlan

5. Murrumbidgee
6. Murray
7. Western
8. Lower Murray-Darling

9. Northern Rivers
10. Hunter/Central Rivers
11. Hawkesbury-Nepean
12. Sydney Metro
13. Southern Rivers

The listings for each CMA are divided into sub-groupings of rivers and their tributaries and effluents. An alphabetical sequence is used in each sub-group. Major rivers are listed in a separate table on the next page. Where major rivers flow through more than one CMA area the listed tributaries and effluents have not been spilt up between them. This applies only in the inland rivers, specifically:

Tributaries and effluents of the Barwon River are largely in Western CMA but some are also in Border Rivers/Gwydir CMA. The master list for the Barwon River is currently included under Western CMA and the listing for Border Rivers/Gwydir CMA cross references to it.

Tributaries and effluents of the Darling River are largely in Western CMA but some are also in Lower Murray-Darling CMA. The master list for the Darling River is currently included under Western CMA and the listing for Lower Murray-Darling CMA cross references to it.

Tributaries and effluents of the Murray River are largely in Murray CMA but some are also in Lower Murray-Darling CMA. The master list for the Murray River is currently included under Murray CMA and the listing for Lower Murray-Darling CMA cross references to it.

Tributaries and effluents of the Bogan River are largely in Central West CMA but some are also in Western CMA. The master list for the Bogan River is currently included under Central West CMA and the listing for Western CMA cross references to it.

The listings are based on the booklet "Restrictions on the removal of trees on NSW watercourses" (RestrictionsOnTheRemovalOTreesOnNSWwatercourses.pdf, 1.3MB). However, the booklet contains some listings considered anomalous in the current context (eg some small coastal streams draining directly to the sea, such as Dora Creek, are listed as "major" streams in the booklet, equivalent to the Clarence River). To resolve this, all coastal streams listed as "major" in the booklet with a catchment area less than 1,000km² have been reclassified as "minor" for current purposes. All inland streams listed as "major" that are not one of the main rivers have also been reclassified as "minor". The categorisation of the remainder of the streams listed as "major" has been retained, which includes the main Intersecting Streams (ie the Birrie, Bokhara, Culgoa, Narran, Paroo and Warrego Rivers). The stream names used in the lists are those that applied in 1977 when the original list was compiled. The names used are those approved by the Geographical Names Board or shown on topographic maps or the cadastral (county and parish) maps published by the New South Wales Government.

" (RestrictionsOnTheRemovalOTreesOnNSWwatercourses.pdf, 1.3MB). However, the booklet contains some listings considered anomalous in the current context (eg some small coastal streams draining directly to the sea, such as Dora Creek, are listed as "major" streams in the booklet, equivalent to the Clarence River). To resolve this, all coastal streams listed as "major" in the booklet with a catchment area less than 1,000km have been reclassified as "minor" for current purposes. All inland streams listed as "major" that are not one of the main rivers have also been reclassified as "minor". The categorisation of the remainder of the streams listed as "major" has been retained, which includes the main Intersecting Streams (ie the Birrie, Bokhara, Culgoa, Narran, Paroo and Warrego Rivers). The stream names used in the lists are those that applied in 1977 when the original list was compiled. The names used are those approved by the Geographical Names Board or shown on topographic maps or the cadastral (county and parish) maps published by the New South Wales Government." (RestrictionsOnTheRemovalOTreesOnNSWwatercourses.pdf, 1.3MB). However, the booklet contains some listings considered anomalous in the current context (eg some small coastal streams draining directly to the sea, such as Dora Creek, are listed as "major" streams in the booklet, equivalent to the Clarence River). To resolve this, all coastal streams listed as "major" in the booklet with a catchment area less than 1,000km have been reclassified as "minor" for current purposes. All inland streams listed as "major" that are not one of the main rivers have also been reclassified as "minor". The categorisation of the remainder of the streams listed as "major" has been retained, which includes the main Intersecting Streams (ie the Birrie, Bokhara, Culgoa, Narran, Paroo and Warrego Rivers). The stream names used in the lists are those that applied in 1977 when the original list was compiled. The names used are those approved by the Geographical Names Board or shown on topographic maps or the cadastral (county and parish) maps published by the New South Wales Government.

The listings for each CMA are divided into sub-groupings of major rivers and their tributaries.

Major rivers are indicated in UPPER CASE.

Tributaries are listed in alphabetical order.

Major rivers

Inland rivers	Coastal rivers
BARWON RIVER from the confluence of the Macintyre River and Weir River (Qld) near Mungindi and extending to its confluence with the Culgoa River	BELLINGER RIVER
BIRRIE RIVER	CLARENCE RIVER
BOKHARA RIVER	HASTINGS RIVER (Hastings River and Mooraback Creek)
CULGOA RIVER	MACLEAY RIVER (Macleay River and Muddy River)
DUMARESQ RIVER from the confluence of the Dumaresq or Severn River (Qld) and Tenterfield Creek and extending to its confluence with Macintyre River	NAMBUCCA RIVER
MACINTYRE RIVER from its source near Glencoe to its confluence with the Weir River (Qld) near Mungindi	RICHMOND RIVER
DARLING RIVER from its confluence with the Culgoa River to its junction with the Murray River	TWEED RIVER (TWEED RIVER and SOUTH ARM OF TWEED RIVER)
GWYDIR RIVER (GWYDIR RIVER, GOONAL BRANCH of GWYDIR RIVER [Part], BIG LEATHER WATERCOURSE [Part], BALLONE CREEK [Part], BUNDARRA or GWYDIR RIVER)	HUNTER RIVER
	KARUAH RIVER
NAMOI RIVER from its source to its junction with the Barwon River at Walgett	MANNING RIVER
BOGAN RIVER from its source to its junction with the Barwon River	HAWKESBURY RIVER
CASTLEREAGH RIVER from its source to its junction with the Macquarie River	GEORGES RIVER
MACQUARIE OR WAMMERAWA RIVER from its source to its junction with the Barwon River	BEGA RIVER
LACHLAN RIVER from its source to its junction with the Murrumbidgee River	CLYDE RIVER
MURRUMBIDGEE RIVER from its source to its junction with the Murray River	MORUYA RIVER (Deua or Moruya River)
MURRAY RIVER from its source to the South Australian border	SHOALHAVEN RIVER
NARRAN RIVER	SNOWY RIVER
PAROO RIVER	TOWAMBA RIVER
WARREGO RIVER	TUROSS RIVER (Tuross River and Dolondundale or Tools Creek)

BORDER RIVERS/GWYDIR CMA

BARWON RIVER from the confluence of the Macintyre River and Weir River (Qld) near Mungindi and extending to its confluence with the Culgoa River, together with tributaries and effluents of the Barwon River that lie partly or wholly within the area of the Border Rivers/ Gwydir CMA.

Tributaries of the Barwon are listed under Western CMA

DUMARESQ RIVER and the following tributaries and effluents of Dumaresq River from the confluence of the Dumaresq or Severn River (Qld) and Tenterfield Creek and extending to its confluence with Macintyre River:

Bald Rock Creek
Bark Hut Creek
Beardy River
Black Creek
Black Swamp Creek
Bluff River
Bow Creek
Campbells Creek
Camp Creek
Carpet Snake Creek
Catarrh Creek
Deepwater Creek
Deepwater River
Gipsies Creek
Glen or Robertsons Creek
Highland Home Creek
Little Oakey Creek
Mole River
Morah Creek
Oakey Creek
Pyes Creek
Rocky Creek
Silent Grove Creek
Spring Creek
Sugarloaf Creek
Swamp Oak Creek
Tenterfield Creek
Vegetable Creek
Washpool Creek