They fear that the low population areas along the lower Darling are being sacrificed under the Murray-Darling basin plan and that river authorities are prepared to let their part of the river degrade. Justin argues that governments have chronically mismanaged the Barwon-Darling and the MDBA lacks the authority to enforce the plan. That means they struggle to get suitable water for stock, let alone for their family’s use. Their observations were confirmed by a study by the MDBA, released in March. They say that, since the 1970s, the river has ceased to flow for much longer periods and more often. The McClures and their neighbours have watched the changes in the lower Darling with increasing concern. Photograph: Mike Bowers for Guardian Australia Justin McClure, farmer and grazier from Kallara station on the lower Darling, at the Tilpa pub. It is not an exhaustive exploration, and we urge you to take a real journey through this spectacular part of our wide brown land. With $13bn in funding, the plan attempts to recover water diverted to irrigation and restore flows.įive years in, our leading scientists say the plan is failing to restore the rivers’ health.Ĭome on a journey along the river to investigate what is going wrong with the Murray-Darling basin plan. The Murray-Darling basin plan was introduced in 2012 to tilt the balance back towards the environment. Yet our great river system is under stress. And, for tens of thousands of years, the rivers have provided spiritual and physical sustenance to Indigenous people who live along their banks. The river system also waters important wetlands that provide shelter and breeding grounds to migratory birds and native fish. Winding through four states, the Murray-Darling and its tributaries have turned dry flat plains into some of Australia’s most productive farmland.

When the river runs dry