Air Creek on the map of Australia. Water map of Australia: rivers and lakes. Large artesian well. Major rivers in Australia

Air (lake)

Lake Eyre (Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre) can hardly be called a lake. Against the background of a scorched landscape near the unsteady dunes of the Simpson Desert, these are rather two huge, but shallow basins in the thirsty heart of Australia.

The lowest point of Lake Eyre is located at a level of 16 meters below the sea - this is the lowest point in Australia.
During the rains, it receives water that runs down the riverbeds from the distant mountains. Most of the water evaporates or goes into the sand. But if the rain was heavy, the water enters Lake Eyre and it seems to explode with life. Plants appear, algae come back to life, birds arrive (ducks, cormorants, gulls).
However, with the cessation of water supply, the lake evaporates very quickly. What remains is a hard salt crust covering the wet silt.

Lake Hillier

Lake Hillier is located in Western Australia on Middle Island. This is the most unusual lake in Australia, the main feature of which is the pink color of the water.

Lake Amadeus (Amadeus)

Amadeus is a drying drainless salt lake.
In hot, arid climates, most of the year it is completely covered with a layer of hardened salt. And only during the rains it is filled with water.
The lake is located in the central part of Australia, 350 km from the city of Ellis Springs. It has an oblong shape with a length of 180 km and a width of 10 km - it is the largest lake in the Northern Territory.

Lake Argyle

It is the second largest artificial lake in Australia and is located near East Camber in Western Australia.
The lake currently irrigates about 150 km2 of agricultural land in the East Kimberia region.

Lake Burley Griffin

One of the iconic sights of Canberra is Lake Burley Griffin, located in the center of the Australian capital. It bears the name of the American architect Walter Burley Griffin, who designed almost all of Canberra.
This rather deep reservoir (up to 18 meters), resembling a rhombus in shape, up to 11 km long and up to 1.2 km wide, is very popular.

Gordon Reservoir

Reservoir on the Gordon River. Created in the early 1970s as a result of the construction of the Gordon Dam. Located in Southwest Tasmania National Park.

Major rivers in Australia

Murray River

The largest river in Australia is the Murray River.
Originates in the Australian Alps. The river, especially in its present state, is shallow, many of its tributaries dry up and are taken apart for irrigation.
the river slowly flows through the rubber forests. Further, the river flows through the desert lands called Mallyland. Here the banks of the river are sometimes overgrown with malli trees, from the eucalyptus species. The course of the river is easy to determine by looking at the political map of Australia. The river forms most of the boundaries between the states of New South Wales and Victoria. Murray flows through Lakes Alexandrina and Victoria (indigenous Australians call it Kinga)
The river flows into the Great Australian Bay of the Pacific Ocean.

Murrumbidgee River

The source of the Murrumbidgee River is in the Eastern Highlands of New South Wales in the Australian Alps, which are part of the Great Dividing Range.
The flow of the river is regulated by the Tantangara dam and also by a system of reservoirs, which limit the natural annual flow of the Murrumbidgee by almost 50%.
the Lochlan River flows into Murrumbidgee, after which the river continues to flow in a south-westerly direction.
In the immediate vicinity of the border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria, the Murrumbidgee flows into the Murray River.

River Darling

A river in southeastern Australia, a right tributary of the Murray. It is the second longest river in Australia.
It originates on the western slopes of the New England Ridge near the city of Bourke, in the lower reaches it flows through the semi-desert.

Loklan River

A river in the central part of the Australian state of New South Wales, a right tributary of the Murrumbidgee River.
The source of the Lochlan River is in the Eastern Highlands of New South Wales.

Cooper Creek

A drying river that flows through the Australian states of Queensland and South Australia.

The source of Cooper Creek (in this place it is called the Barcoo River) is located on the eastern slope of the Warrego Range in Queensland, in the Great Dividing Range.
After crossing the border of Queensland, the river flows through the territory of the state of South Australia, where it flows into Lake Eyre (only during the rainy seasons).

Diamantina River

A river flowing through the Australian states of Queensland and South Australia. The source of the Diamantina is located northwest of Longreach in Queensland, then the river flows in a southwesterly direction through the central regions of the state and flows into the swamp - Goyder's Lagoon, located in the north of the Strzelecki Desert.
During the high season, the river, flowing out of the swamp, merges with the Georgina River and forms the Warburton Creek, which reaches Lake Eyre during the rainy seasons.

Flinders River

The longest river in the Australian state of Queensland.
The source of the Flinders River is located on the southwestern slopes of the Gregory Mountains, which are part of the Great Dividing Range, near the city of Kargun.
eventually flowing into the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The smallest continent of the Earth, despite the fact that a third of the territory is occupied by deserts, is rich in water resources. The rivers and lakes of Australia differ not only in size, but also in hydrological characteristics. Many rivers are fully functional only after heavy torrential rains, and in the southeast a large Murray-Darling hydrological system has formed. Let's go to the ends of the earth and find out which is the largest river in Australia, and what other major rivers are famous for. And we already wrote about the "green continent" in one of our articles.

Longest rivers in Australia:

Murray. 2,508 km

Our list opens with the longest river in Australia called the Murray, which originates in the picturesque landscapes of the Australian Alps.

The total length of the water artery is 2508 m, and it flows into the Great Australian Bay. Many of the Murray's tributaries dry up as a result of natural causes or agricultural activity. But even despite such factors, this is one of the deepest rivers on the mainland.

In the past, great damage to the ecosystem of the river was caused by rabbits, which destroyed the coastal vegetation, and carps, loosening the channel, thereby preventing the growth of algae.

Murrumbidgee. 1485 km

The main tributary of the Murray carries its waters across the expanses of the state of New Wales, flowing through the Namadzhi National Park, which is not far from the Australian capital city of Canberra.

The Tantangara Dam was built on Murrumbidgee, as well as a system of reservoirs of unique beauty, which regulate the main flow of the river.

Such an unusual name was given to the river by local Aboriginal tribes, who lived along its banks in the recent past, and literally in the language of the Wiradjuri tribe, its name means “big water”, or “good place”.

Darling. 1472 km

Together with the Murray, the Darling River constitutes the largest hydrological system in Australia, with a length of 3672 km, and the basin of both rivers covers 14% of the mainland.

With the onset of heavy rains, the river overflows strongly, and its level rises by 9–15 m. Plants characteristic of semi-deserts grow along the banks, and animals typical of the continent are also found, including the Australian echidna, such a funny animal with needles.

The first European who saw the river in 1829 was the famous explorer and traveler Charles Sturt, and he named it in honor of the Governor of New Wales, Ralph Darling.

Did you know that they live in Australia, which cannot be found in other parts of the world ?.

Cooper Creek. 1,410 km

The name already indicates that the river dries up, and it flows through the arid expanses of the states of Queensland and South Australia.

It is famous for the fact that traces of the missing expedition were found on its shores, which included famous travelers Robert Burke and William Wills. Of all the participants in that expedition, only 18-year-old John King survived, who went to the ocean and lived with the natives for a long time.

The water artery is also interesting in that during the period of drought, the water comes down, and the locals collect fish and crayfish along the bottom with ordinary shovels.

Warrego. 1380 km

Mount Ka-Ka-Mundi rises above the expanses of the Carnarvon National Park, and it is on its slope that the source of Warrego is located.

Flowing through the territories of two states, New Wales and Queensland, it flows into the Darling at the small town of Bourke. The source of the river is located at an altitude of 625 m above sea level, and the mouth itself is at a level of 95 m.

The first European to reach its shores was the explorer Thomas Mitchell, who described it in his diary following the expedition of 1845-1846.

Loklan. 1,339 km

In the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range is the source of the Loklan, which, flowing through the territory of New Wales, flows into the Marraibidgee.

In spring and summer, during high water, Loklan becomes navigable, and its waters are actively used by local farmers to irrigate fields. The local Aboriginal tribes call it Capare, and it was first explored in 1815 by George Williams Evans.

In the history of the river, multiple floods have been recorded, and the highest level to which the water rose was noted in 1870, when the level rose to a mark of 15.9 m.

Flinders. 1004 km

From the southern slope of Mount Gregory, the river begins, which is the longest in the state of Queensland, and flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria in two branches.

Captain John Stoke, visiting the river delta, named it in honor of the famous navigator and explorer of the South Seas Matthew Flinders. It is full-flowing during the rains, and during the dry period it practically dries up, aft of the lower reaches.

Europeans settled the river basin in 1864, and today its banks are actively used as pastures and agricultural land.

Gascoigne. 978 km

The river, named after Captain Gascoigne, flows through the expanses of the Western Australian Plateau, and flows into Shark Bay.

The river is wayward, during periods of drought it completely dries up, and from the end of spring floods begin, flooding huge coastal areas. Previously, it was of great economic importance, and today the port of Carnarvon continues to operate on the river.

George Gray, who visited these parts in 1839, explored it and gave the name to the unique waterway.

Diamantina. 941 km

One of the few rivers in the world that flows into a swamp, and this is exactly what the Diamantina is, originating from the town of Longrich.

The climate of the territories through which the river flows is hot and dry, but frosts are sometimes recorded when the thermometer drops to -1.8 ° C. The luxurious Diamantina Park stretches along the banks, with flora and fauna characteristic of this part of the continent.

Such a romantic name was given to the waterway by William Landsborough in honor of the wife of the first governor of Queensland.

Murchison. 780 km

The source of this river is located on the southern slopes of the Robinson Mountains, and, flowing mainly in a westerly direction, the Murchison flows into the waters of the Indian Ocean.

On its way, it changes the direction of the current several times, and the mouth is an amazing estuary, with courageous islands and shallow reservoirs.

George Gray explored it and named the river after the Scottish geologist. The river delta became a popular resort area, and the British founded a tourist camp during the war years, where British and Australian soldiers and officers were trained.

Summarize

So we found out which is the largest river in Australia. Most of the rivers of the continent, as drying up, are marked on maps with a dotted line, and the drying up rivers of Australia are called "creek", while in Asia they are called "uzba", and in Africa they are called "wadis". The editors of TopCafe are expecting interesting comments from you about the rivers of Australia.

Australia, although it is called the "green continent", is actually a very arid continent with an insufficient number of rivers and fresh water. In the hot season, the already low-water rivers completely dry up, and 2-3 large rivers of the continent become noticeably shallow and turn into muddy streams. A few lakes are not fresh at all, but salty, and also significantly decrease during the dry season, sometimes turning into several separate puddles.

The greenest and most abundant regions of the continent are located in the southeast, while in other places precipitation, underground springs and melting ice - everything that feeds rivers and lakes is a rare phenomenon. In some areas it rains less than once a year.

Therefore, the picture of the continental water spaces of Australia can be represented as follows:

• Drying rivers
• Lakes, mostly salty
• Artificial lakes and reservoirs

Rivers of Australia

The longest and most abundant river in Australia, the Murray, flows in the very south of the Australian mainland and flows into Lake Alexandrina, connected through the strait to the Indian Ocean. Murray is fed by Murrumbidgee and Darling, the next largest.

Some of the rivers originate from glaciers in the mountains of the Great Dividing Range, others are collected from rain streams. Today, a dam has been built on the Murrumbidgee River, thanks to which the fresh water of the lake is accumulated in the artificial Yucambin Lake, which makes it possible to eliminate water shortages in adjacent settlements and provide irrigation agriculture in the valleys. The Darling River is formed from rainwater and small rivers flowing into it. Dries up during the dry season.

Rivers, which are formed by precipitation, are characterized by strong differences in water levels. For example, the Lachlan River, a tributary of the Murrumbidgee, is famous for its floods. The maximum level of water rise in it was recorded in 1870, at 16 meters.

In Australia, river navigation is poorly developed. The lower Murray, the Murray tributaries, and the Lachlan River become navigable only in the spring and summer. But low-slung seagoing vessels cannot even enter the Murray Estuary, sandbars hindering passage.

Queensland's longest river, the Flinders, originates in the northern slopes of the Great Dividing Range. In the summer rainy season, it is full of water, for several kilometers navigation opens on it. In winter, despite the confluence of two tributaries, it dries up.

Australian explorers did not have a rich imagination and gave names to rivers, lakes and other geographical objects in honor of their compatriots. For example, two rivers Fitzroy flow in different parts of the mainland. One is in Queensland and drains into the Coral Sea. The other is in the state of Western Australia and flows into the Indian Ocean. Only the first is named after the governor of the state, Charles Fitzroy, and the second in honor of Captain Robert Fitzroy, a member of Charles Darwin's expedition.

Creek rivers

Who, at least a little interested in Australia, drew attention to the often used name "Scream". This word refers to temporary watercourses that do not have a permanent channel and dry up during the drought season. Such "rivers" become full-flowing only during the rainy season. After heavy rainfall, they often overflow and flood the surrounding plains. But due to the hot climate, quickly evaporating, they turn into marshy unconnected lakes or disappear altogether.

lakes of australia

The few Australian lakes can be characterized by three types:

• Natural freshwater lakes
• artificial freshwater lakes
• Salt lakes, some of which have not had water for thousands of years
• Lakes formed from ocean bays

The first largest lake, Eyre, is dry and salty. It is located in the desert. It becomes largest during the rainy season, when it fills up to its maximum size. And in the dry months, on the contrary, the water level drops, and the lowest point becomes the lowest point in the country. They feed Lake Eyre, filled with rainwater from the Queensland River. In the dry season, the lake turns into 2 lakes connected by a narrow strait.

Not far from Eyre is Lake Torrens, which is conditionally considered the second largest. The fact is that in full of its banks it was filled with water for the last time 150 years ago. The water in Torrens is salty with heavily saline soil around it. There are a majority of similar water spaces of different sizes in this country. Some of them have pronounced features, such as Lake Hiller, which is inhabited by living microorganisms that make the water in the lake pink. Or Frome, covered with a crust of salt.

Such scarcity of fresh water forced the Australians to build artificial reservoirs. Western Australia has Lake Argyle, which feeds and waters the surrounding farmland. It is home to rare varieties of local fish, as well as a significant number of crocodiles. Fishing is allowed on the lake. Lake Burley Griffin was built in Canberra, now it adorns the panorama of the city, and large government institutions are built on its banks.

But Tasmania boasts lakes. All of them are freshwater and of natural origin, but some, as a result of the work carried out and the construction of dams, have significantly increased their original size. All lakes are included in the Tasmanian National Parks and Reserves, hiking trails for tourists have been laid to them, fishing is allowed in some.

Aquatic Treasures of Australia

Despite the aridity and scarcity of fresh water, Australia has water reserves. Huge reserves of artesian water are hidden under the firmament of the earth's surface. Underground pools make up almost 1/3 of the area of ​​the entire continent.

Major rivers and lakes in Australia

Largest rivers: Murray - Darling
This system is Australia's main river and lake system. The Murray is the most famous, but it is not a single river. The Murray and Darling are two different rivers: the Darling is a tributary of the Murray.

Other famous rivers in Australia:

The Flinders River (Queensland's longest), the Diamantina and Cooper Creek, which run through western Queensland and eventually empty into Lake Eyre.

Lachlan is a river that flows into the Murrumbidgee River, which in turn flows into the Murray. Lachlan is in fact one of the main irrigation systems in New South Wales.

The Culgoa, Balonne, Warrego and Condamine rivers feed the Darling River.

The Gascoigne River is the longest river in Western Australia.

Goulburn River (Victoria)

Hunter River, which often floods in New South Wales, as well as Clarence and Richmond.

The Dumaresque, McIntyre and Tweed rivers form part of the border between Queensland and New South Wales.

The Bourdekin River forms the main dam in northern Queensland.

Each of Australia's cities and capital are built on the river:

Sydney - Hawkesbury and Parramatta rivers

Melbourne - Yarra

Adelaide - Torrens

Brisbane - Brisbane

Perth - Swan (Swan)

Hobart - Derwent

The capital of the Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, on the Molonglo River

lakes of australia

There are 800 lakes in Australia. The basins of most of them were formed in early geological epochs and are relics. Many of the lakes (Amadies, Frome, Torrens) are filled only during the rainy season, which falls every few years. In normal times, they are dry basins.

Lakes of the Australian Capital Territory

Burley Griffin
An artificial lake in the center of Canberra, the capital of Australia. The construction was completed in 1964, after the Molonglo River between the city center and the Parliamentary Triangle was dammed. The facility is located in the approximate geographic center of the city, and, in accordance with Griffin's original design, was the central point of the capital. Buildings of many central institutions were built on its banks, such as the National Gallery of Australia, the National Museum of Australia, the National Library of Australia, the Australian National University and the High Court of Australia, and the Australian Parliament House is located nearby.

Western Australian lakes

Disappointment
Salt lake in Western Australia. It dries up during the dry months. The lake received its modern name in 1897 and was named so by the traveler Frank Hann, who made a significant contribution to the study of the Pilbara region. Noticing a large number of streams in the study area, he hoped to find a large freshwater lake.

Mackay
One of hundreds of dry lakes scattered across Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Lake Mackay covers approximately 100 kilometers from north to south and from west to east.

hiller
A lake in southwestern Australia, notable for its pink color. The lake is surrounded by sand and eucalyptus forest along the edges. The island and the lake were discovered during the expedition of the British navigator Matthew Flinders in 1802. Captain Flinders is said to have spotted the lake by climbing to the top of the island. For tourists, Lake Hillier is not the most convenient object. Due to the lack of water navigation in the area, the most convenient way to get there is by air, which is beyond the means of most people who want to see an unusual body of water.

Lakes of Queensland

blue lake
Lake in Queensland. Located 44 km east of Brisbane on the island of North Stradbroke. It is located 9 km west of Dunwich. The lake is located in the Blue Lakes National Park. The maximum depth of the lake is about 10 m. Rivers flow from the lake into the Meil ​​swamp.

Ichem
A volcanic lake in the Australian state of Queensland, occupies one of the maars of the Atherton Plateau. Ichem is a former stratovolcano. It was severely destroyed in a powerful explosion 18,750 years ago. The last eruption dates back to 1292.

Kutaraba
A lake in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, within the Great Sandy National Park.

Lakes of the Northern Territory

Amadius
Drying drainless salt lake in the central part of Australia. It is located about 350 km southwest of Alice Springs. The area is about 880 km². Due to the arid climate, Amadius is a completely dry lake for most of the year.

Anbangbang-Billabong
Billabong lake in northern Australia, located between the rocks of Nawurlandja Rock and Naurlangie Rock in the Kakadu National Park of the Northern Territory. The lake is about 2.5 km long and is home to many bird species. In the morning, marsupial wallabies can be observed on the shores.

Lakes of Tasmania

burbury
An artificial lake located in the western part of the island of Tasmania, a little east of the city of Queenstown. It was formed as a result of the construction of the Crotty Dam, which blocked the King River. The area of ​​the lake is 49 square kilometers. Thus, it is the sixth largest natural and artificial reservoir in Tasmania.

great lake
A lake located in the northern part of the Central Highlands of Tasmania. It is a natural lake that has been greatly enlarged by the construction of a dam. The area of ​​the lake is 170 square kilometers. Thus, it is the third largest natural and artificial reservoir in Tasmania.

Dove
A lake located in the north of the Central Highlands of Tasmania. The lake is located at an altitude of 934 m. The lake area is 0.86 km². Dove Lake is located in the northern part of Cradle Mountain Lake St. Clair National Park. This park is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Pedder
Lake located in the southwestern part of the island of Tasmania. Initially, this place was a lake of natural origin with the same name - the "old" lake Pedder. In 1972, as a result of the installation of several dams, a much larger area was flooded, and the lake actually turned into a reservoir - the "new" Lake Pedder.

St. Clair
A lake in the Central Highlands of Tasmania. The maximum depth of the lake is 200 m; thus, it is the deepest lake in Australia. The area of ​​the lake is 30 square kilometers, the height of the water surface is 737 m above sea level. Lake St. Clair is located in the southern part of Cradle Mountain Lake St. Clair National Park.

Lakes of South Australia

alegzandrina
A lake in South Australia adjacent to the coast of the Great Australian Bight, which is part of the Indian Ocean.

Bonnie
Coastal lake in the southeastern part of South Australia. This is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Australia. The lake is located 450 km from Adelaide and 13 km southwest of Millicent. Kanunda National Park is located next to the shore of the lake. For more than 60 years, large volumes of wastewater from neighboring pulp and paper mills have negatively affected the state of the lake.

Gairdner
A large endorheic lake in central South Australia, it is considered the fourth largest salt lake in Australia when flooded. The lake covers more than 160 kilometers in length and 48 kilometers in width with a thickness of salt deposits reaching up to 1.2 meters in some places. It is located west of Lake Torrens, 150 km northwest of Port Augusta and 440 km northwest of Adelaide.

torrens
The second largest saline endorheic rift lake in Australia, in the state of South Australia, located 345 km north of Adelaide. The indicated area of ​​the lake is very conditional, since over the past 150 years it has been completely filled with water only once. Now the lake is part of the Lake Torrens National Park, which requires a special permit to enter.

Frome
A large endorheic lake in the Australian state of South Australia, located east of the Flinders Range. Frome is a large, shallow, drying lake covered with a crust of salt. The lake is about 100 km long and 40 km wide. Most of the lake is below sea level. Area - 2596 km². It occasionally fills with brackish water from dry creeks originating in the Flinders Range, located west of Fromu, or exclusively with water from the Strzelecki Creek in the north.

Air
Dry lake in South Australia. It is located in the center of the vast pool of the same name. Occasionally filled to a level of 9 m below sea level. At the same time, its area is 9500 square meters. km., which makes it the largest lake in Australia. When dry, the lowest point of the lake bottom is at a height of -16 m, which is the lowest point in the country.

Great Artesian Basin:

Also known as "Channel Country", it is one of the largest artesian groundwater basins in the world and is an important source of water for Australian agriculture.

Lake Eyre Basin

The Lake Eyre Basin is the largest endorheic basin in Australia and one of the largest in the world, at approximately 1,200,000 square kilometers, covering approximately one-sixth of the country, is one of the four sub-basins of the Great Artesian Basin.

The rivers here flow on the basis of rainfall, and therefore, isolated reservoirs of water are of vital importance to the local population and wildlife.

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• Read: Nature of Australia; Freshwater bodies of the Earth

Rivers and lakes of Australia

Rivers of Australia

Most of the Australian mainland receives little rainfall, so most of Australia's rivers dry up. And only those that start in the mountains of Eastern Australia, as well as the rivers of Tasmania, have a constant flow all year round.

The Murray River, along with its large tributaries the Darling, Murrumbidgee and Goulburn, is Australia's main river artery. It covers a territory in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia with a total area of ​​about 1073 thousand square meters. km. The Murray River originates in the Snowy Mountains and flows into South Australia into Encounter Bay. The total length of the Murray River is 2575 km, with the lower 970 km navigable but only for small boats. Sandbanks blocking the mouth of the river serve as an obstacle to the entry of sea vessels. The Murrumbidgee tributary, whose length is 1690 km, begins in the Cooma region and flows into the Murray. The main Darling River, which is 2740 km long, flows into the Murray at Wentworth.

Slightly more than half of the mainland has a disconnected flow or belongs to the internal drainage basins. On the Western Plateau, the runoff is disjointed, and the streams existing there function rarely and for a short time, and end in temporary lakes or swamps confined to drainless basins. The Eyre Lake Basin, one of the world's largest inland flow basins, occupies an area of ​​1,143.7 thousand square meters. km and occupies most of the territory of Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia. Such large rivers of this basin as Georgina, Diamantina and Cooper Creek are also interesting. And since they are characterized by very small runoff slopes, most of the time they are real labyrinths of dry intertwining channels, but after heavy rains they fill up and quickly spill over many kilometers wide. Despite this, the waters of these rivers rarely reach Lake Eyre. It is noted that only in 1950 its basin was filled for the first time since the colonization of the mainland by Europeans.

The use of Australian rivers is extremely difficult, since their flow is extremely variable. In addition, sites suitable for dam construction are scarce, especially in the interior, and large reservoirs are needed to ensure a permanent water supply. In addition, in the Australian arid regions, the loss of water to evaporation is very significant, and only in Tasmania is the runoff sufficiently constant in all seasons.

Most of the time, the lakes of Australia are anhydrous basins that are covered with salt-bearing clays. Therefore, in rare times, when they are filled with water, they are silty salty and shallow reservoirs. The largest of them: Lake Eyre, Torrens, Gairdner and Frome are located in South Australia. And there are many such small lakes on the Western Plateau in Western Australia. Numerous brackish or salt water lagoons are located along the southeastern coast of Australia, and they are separated from the sea by sandbars and ridges.

Tasmania is richer in fresh water territory, so it is here that the largest freshwater lakes are located, and some of them, in particular Great Lake Lake, are used for hydroelectric purposes.

Groundwater supply is vital to many rural areas of Australia. Experts have calculated that the total area of ​​basins with fresh groundwater reserves exceeds 3240 thousand square meters. km. However, these waters mostly contain various dissolved solids, which often have a harmful effect on plants when watered, but in many cases this water is suitable for livestock watering.

On the territory of Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales and the Northern Territory there is the world's largest, the so-called Great Artesian Basin, which covers an area of ​​1751.5 thousand square meters. km. Although the groundwater is often very warm and highly mineralized, sheep breeding in this region depends on it. Artesian pools have also been found in Western Australia and southeast Victoria, but on a much smaller scale.