The Murchison River is the second longest river in Western Australia. It flows for about from the southern edge of the Robinson Ranges to the Indian Ocean at Kalbarri. It has a mean annual flow of 217 Gigalitres, although in 2006, the peak year on record, flow was 1806 Gigalitres.
Basin
The Murchison River basin covers an area of about in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It extends about 550 km (340 mi) inland from the Indian Ocean, onto the Yilgarn Plateau. Rain generally only falls in the upper basin during summer cyclones, so for much of the year the Murchison River does not flow, having dry sandy river beds with occasional permanent pools.
The eastern reaches of the basin contain large chains of salt lakes, which flow only following rainfall. The drainage lines from these lakes merge to form the Murchison River about 90 km (56 mi) north north east of Meekatharra, near Peak Hill. From here the river flows west, then south west, then west to the Indian Ocean.
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