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Queensland Government
WetlandInfo   —   Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation

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Drainage basins

Murray drainage basin

Access wetland mapping in PDF and KML format by selecting the desired 100K map tile below or download the data via the Queensland Government Information Service.

The below map is for visual representation purposes only. For more detailed mapping, please download the boundary KML.

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Catchment stories info

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Wetland observations

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Wetland extents info metadata

Based on wetland mapping version 6.0

Display areas in

Murray drainage basin wetland area by system 2019
System Area (ha) % wetlands area % total area
Total 14,313 100.0% 12.9%
Total excluding riverine and artificial/highly modified riverine 13,825 96.6% 12.5%
Artificial and highly modified 327 2.3% 0.3%
Intertidal (saltmarsh, saltflats, mangroves) (natural) 8,250 57.6% 7.5%
Intertidal (saltmarsh, saltflats, mangroves) (slightly modified) 0 0.0% 0.0%
Lacustrine (natural) 2 0.0% 0.0%
Lacustrine (slightly modified) 2 0.0% 0.0%
Palustrine (natural) 5,208 36.4% 4.7%
Palustrine (slightly modified) 36 0.3% 0.0%
Riverine 488 3.4% 0.4%
Murray drainage basin wetland area by habitat 2019
Habitat Area (ha) % wetlands area % total area
Total 13,397 100.0% 12.1%
Mangroves - Casuarina 0 0.0% 0.0%
Mangroves - other 7,310 54.6% 6.6%
Salt marsh and salt flats 924 6.9% 0.8%
Arid and semi-arid saline lake 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid floodplain lake 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid other non-floodplain lake 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid non-floodplain clay plan lake 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid permanently inundated lake 0 0.0% 0.0%
Coastal and sub-coastal floodplain lake 0 0.0% 0.0%
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain rock lake 0 0.0% 0.0%
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain sand (window) lake 0 0.0% 0.0%
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain sand (perched) lake 0 0.0% 0.0%
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain soil lake 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid saline swamp 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid floodplain tree swamp 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid floodplain shrub swamp 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid floodplain grass, sedge and herb swamp 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid non-floodplain tree swamp 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid non-floodplain shrub swamp 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid non-floodplain grass, sedge and herb swamp 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid other non-floodplain swamp 0 0.0% 0.0%
Arid and semi-arid Great Artesian Basin fed spring swamp 0 0.0% 0.0%
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain tree (Melaleuca and Eucalypt) swamp 1,455 10.9% 1.3%
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain wet heath swamp 0 0.0% 0.0%
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain grass, sedge, and herb swamp 395 2.9% 0.4%
Coastal and sub-coastal other non-floodplain swamp 4 0.0% 0.0%
Coastal and sub-coastal floodplain tree (Melaleuca and Eucalypt) swamp 2,720 20.3% 2.5%
Coastal and sub-coastal floodplain grass, sedge, and herb swamp 252 1.9% 0.2%
Coastal and sub-coastal floodplain wet heath swamp 74 0.6% 0.1%
Coastal and sub-coastal other floodplain swamp 4 0.0% 0.0%
Coastal and sub-coastal tree (palm) swamp 259 1.9% 0.2%
Unknown - Swamp - Arid and semi-arid 0 0.0% 0.0%
Unknown - Swamp - Coastal and sub-coastal 0 0.0% 0.0%

Disclaimer

Areas do not include marine or estuarine waters but do include estuarine wetland vegetation
(e.g. mangroves and tidal flats).

All statistics are approximate and generated based on data transformed to a customised Albers equal-area projection, thus allowing wetland extent change for different regions of Queensland to be comparable.

Areas may change over time as mapping approaches improve.

Totals may not match the sum of individually displayed figures due to the rounding of displayed figures.

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Wetland extent changes

Murray drainage basin wetland extent change by system
System 2019 area
(ha)
2017 area
(ha)
2013 area
(ha)
2009 area
(ha)
2005 area
(ha)
2001 area
(ha)
pre-clear area
(ha)
2019/pre-clear
percentage
Total 14,313 14,318 14,350 14,354 14,357 14,481 19,687 * 71.0%
Artificial and highly modified 327 327 327 327 327 365 0 n/a
Intertidal (saltmarsh, saltflats, mangroves) (natural) 8,250 8,250 8,250 8,250 8,249 8,249 8,268 99.8%
Intertidal (saltmarsh, saltflats, mangroves) (slightly modified) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a
Lacustrine (natural) 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 100.0%
Lacustrine (slightly modified) 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 n/a
Palustrine (natural) 5,208 5,213 5,249 5,254 5,266 5,349 10,782 48.3%
Palustrine (slightly modified) 36 36 30 30 30 30 0 n/a
Riverine 488 488 490 490 482 485 636 76.7%

* Total 2019/pre-clear percentage excludes artificial and highly modified

Murray drainage basin wetland extent change by habitat
Habitat 2019 area
(ha)
2017 area
(ha)
2013 area
(ha)
2009 area
(ha)
2005 area
(ha)
2001 area
(ha)
Total 13,397 13,401 13,432 13,436 13,447 13,530
Mangroves - Casuarina 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mangroves - other 7,310 7,310 7,310 7,310 7,311 7,311
Salt marsh and salt flats 924 924 924 924 922 922
Arid and semi-arid saline lake 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid floodplain lake 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid other non-floodplain lake 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid non-floodplain clay plan lake 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid permanently inundated lake 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coastal and sub-coastal floodplain lake 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain rock lake 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain sand (window) lake 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain sand (perched) lake 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain soil lake 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid saline swamp 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid floodplain tree swamp 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid floodplain shrub swamp 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid floodplain grass, sedge and herb swamp 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid non-floodplain tree swamp 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid non-floodplain shrub swamp 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid non-floodplain grass, sedge and herb swamp 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid other non-floodplain swamp 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arid and semi-arid Great Artesian Basin fed spring swamp 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain tree (Melaleuca and Eucalypt) swamp 1,455 1,457 1,457 1,462 1,463 1,503
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain wet heath swamp 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coastal and sub-coastal non-floodplain grass, sedge, and herb swamp 395 395 396 396 396 397
Coastal and sub-coastal other non-floodplain swamp 4 4 4 4 4 4
Coastal and sub-coastal floodplain tree (Melaleuca and Eucalypt) swamp 2,720 2,722 2,749 2,748 2,743 2,781
Coastal and sub-coastal floodplain grass, sedge, and herb swamp 252 252 252 253 280 281
Coastal and sub-coastal floodplain wet heath swamp 74 74 74 74 74 74
Coastal and sub-coastal other floodplain swamp 4 4 4 4 3 3
Coastal and sub-coastal tree (palm) swamp 259 260 262 262 251 254
Unknown - Swamp - Arid and semi-arid 0 0 0 0 0 0
Unknown - Swamp - Coastal and sub-coastal 0 0 0 0 0 0

Disclaimer

Areas do not include marine or estuarine waters but do include estuarine wetland vegetation
(e.g. mangroves and tidal flats).

All statistics are approximate and generated based on data transformed to a customised Albers equal-area projection, thus allowing wetland extent change for different regions of Queensland to be comparable.

Areas may change over time as mapping approaches improve.

Totals may not match the sum of individually displayed figures due to the rounding of displayed figures.

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Australian Land Use and Management Classification (ALUMC) metadata

Murray drainage basin land use
ALUMC code and description
Area (ha)
% total area
Total 110,720 100.0%
1.1 Nature conservation 61,649 55.7%
3.3 Cropping 17,317 15.6%
2.1 Grazing native vegetation 8,023 7.2%
1.3 Other minimal use 7,479 6.8%
3.1 Plantation forests 6,228 5.6%
2.2 Production native forests 4,069 3.7%
6.5 Marsh/wetland 2,214 2.0%
5.4 Residential and farm infrastructure 1,295 1.2%
4.4 Irrigated perennial horticulture 812 0.7%
6.3 River 445 0.4%
1.2 Managed resource protection 425 0.4%
5.2 Intensive animal production 322 0.3%
5.5 Services 146 0.1%
3.6 Land in transition 143 0.1%
5.8 Mining 44 0.0%
5.7 Transport and communication 24 0.0%
5.3 Manufacturing and industrial 22 0.0%
6.6 Estuary/coastal waters 21 0.0%
4.5 Irrigated seasonal horticulture 12 0.0%
5.9 Waste treatment and disposal 9 0.0%
4.3 Irrigated cropping 6 0.0%
6.2 Reservoir/dam 5 0.0%
3.4 Perennial horticulture 5 0.0%
5.6 Utilities 3 0.0%
5.1 Intensive horticulture 2 0.0%

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Wildlife

Kingdom
Class
Native Introduced Wetland
indicator
species
Rare or
threatened
species
All
TOTAL 1,726 140 228 67 1,866
Animals 509 13 129 36 522
Mammals 62 5 4 14 67
Birds 282 4 54 13 286
Reptiles 72 0 7 3 72
Amphibians 32 1 13 5 33
Ray-finned fishes 41 3 44 0 44
Insects 20 0 7 1 20
Chromists 2 0 0 0 2
Fungi 94 0 0 0 94
Plants 1,121 127 99 31 1,248

Note: Wildlife statistics are based on information that has been submitted to the DETSI WildNet database and converted to a 10km² grid. The grid information has been intersected with the mapping polygons to determine the species lists. Click here to view the species grid metadata.

Information from WildNet can also be accessed via Wildlife Online and WetlandMaps.

Rare or threatened includes species listed as extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable or conservation dependent under either the Nature Conservation Act or Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act

Disclaimer: While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of this product, the Queensland Government and Australian Government make no representations or warranties about its accuracy, reliability, completeness or suitability for any particular purpose and disclaim all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages (including indirect or consequential damage) and costs which might be incurred as a consequence of reliance on the product, or as a result of the product being inaccurate or incomplete in any way and for any reason.

AreaType-basin

This page should be cited as:

Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland (2013) Murray drainage basin — facts and maps, WetlandInfo website, accessed 15 March 2025. Available at: https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/facts-maps/basin-murray/

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