Bulloo River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bulloo River | |
|---|---|
 Bulloo River in flood at Adavale, Queensland | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Queensland |
| District | Shire of Bulloo |
| City | Adavale, Thargomindah |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Grey Range, Idalia National Park |
| • location | western Queensland |
| • elevation | 290 m (950 ft) |
| Mouth | Bulloo Lake (ephemeral) |
| Length | 600 km (370 mi) |
| Basin size | 75,534 km2 (29,164 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 20 m3/s (710 cu ft/s)(River usually dry) |
The Bulloo River /ˈbʊluː/ BUUL-oo is an isolated drainage system in western Queensland, central Australia. Its floodplain, which extends into northern New South Wales, is an important area for waterbirds when inundated. It comprises most of the Bulloo-Bancannia drainage basin.
The traditional owners of the area are the Kalili people. Kalili (also known as Galali, Kalali, Kunja, Kurnja, Galili, Kullalli, Ngura) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Kalili people. The Kullili language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Paroo Shire and Bulloo Shire, taking in Eulo and extending west towards Thargomindah taking in the properties of Bulloo Downs and Currawinya.[1]
Geography
The Bulloo is the only river in the region not part of either the Murray–Darling basin or the Lake Eyre basin; instead it flows into several ephemeral lakes which are blocked by low hills from reaching the Lake Frome, the Paroo River or the Lake Bancannia systems. In its lowest reaches, which extend to near Tibooburra, New South Wales, is the distributary known as Bella Creek. It is believed that in past wet periods the Bulloo has had connections to Lake Frome because its fish fauna resembles that of the Lake Eyre basin rather than that of the Murray–Darling basin.[2] Several tributaries flow into the Bulloo in its upper reaches, the largest being Blackwater Creek. Ranges of low hills prevent the lower reaches of the Bulloo from receiving significant tributaries.
