The Goolwa Barrages comprise five barrage structures in the channels separating Lake Alexandrina from the sea at the mouth of the River Murray and the Coorong in South Australia. They were constructed principally to reduce salinity levels in the lower reaches of the River Murray, Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert, but also to stabilise the river level, for both upstream irrigation and pumping.
Prior to the construction of the barrages, during periods of low river flow, tidal effects and the intrusion of seawater were felt up to 250 kilometres (160 miles) upstream from the mouth of the River Murray, approximately as far inland as the river port at present-day Swan Reach. [1] [2]
From the 1900s, with the advent of large irrigation schemes, landowners along the lower reaches of the river strongly urged for the construction of barrages, primarily to keep the water fresh in the lower reaches of the River Murray, as well as Lake Albert and Lake Alexandrina.
In 1931, the Murray-Darling Basin Commission authorised the construction of five barrages. Work commenced in 1935 and was completed in 1940. South Australia's Engineering and Water Supply Department undertook the project, with costs shared equally by the governments of South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the Commonwealth of Australia.
The system consists of five barrages extending from Sir Richard Peninsula in the west to Pelican Point on the northern side of the mouth of the Coorong in the east, crossing five channels between the mainland and three islands. From west to east, the five barrages are named Goolwa, Mundoo, Boundary Creek, Ewe Island and Tauwitchere. [2]
The Goolwa Barrage connects Sir Richard Peninsula on the mainland 35°31′43″S138°48′29″E / 35.528552°S 138.808077°E with Hindmarsh Island 35°31′24″S138°48′33″E / 35.523210°S 138.809190°E . This barrage includes a lock, which measures 30.5 m by 6.1 m. [2]
The Mundoo Barrage connects Hindmarsh Island with Mundoo Island. [2]
The Boundary Creek Barrage connects Mundoo Island with Ewe Island. [2]
The Ewe Island Barrage connects Ewe Island with Tauwitchere Island. [2]
The Tauwitchere Barrage connects Tauwitchere Island with Pelican Point on the mainland. The lock in this barrage, provided for fishing boats, measures 13.7 m by 3.8 m. [2]
The barrages are listed as a National Engineering Landmark by Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program. [3]
The Murray River is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at 2,508 km (1,558 mi) extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest rivers of Australia. Together with that of the Murray, the catchments of these rivers form the Murray–Darling basin, which covers about one-seventh the area of Australia. It is widely considered Australia's most important irrigated region.
Coorong National Park is a protected area located in South Australia about 156 kilometres (97 mi) south-east of Adelaide, that predominantly covers a coastal lagoon ecosystem officially known as The Coorong and the Younghusband Peninsula on the Coorong's southern side. The western end of the Coorong lagoon is at the Murray Mouth near Hindmarsh Island and the Sir Richard Peninsula, and it extends about 130 kilometres (81 mi) south-eastwards. Road access is from Meningie. The beach on the coastal side of the peninsula, the longest in Australia, is also commonly called The Coorong.
The Murray–Darling Basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, encompassing the drainage basin of the tributaries of the Murray River, Australia's longest river, and the Darling River, a right tributary of the Murray and Australia's third-longest river. The Basin, which includes six of Australia's seven longest rivers and covers around one-seventh of the Australian landmass, is one of the country's most significant agricultural areas providing one-third of Australia's food supply. Located west of the Great Dividing Range, it drains southwest into the Great Australian Bight and spans most of the states of New South Wales and Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, and parts of the states of Queensland and South Australia.
Lake Alexandrina is a coastal freshwater lake located between the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island and Murray and Mallee regions of South Australia, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south-east of Adelaide. The lake adjoins the smaller Lake Albert and a coastal lagoon called The Coorong to its southeast, before draining into the Great Australian Bight via a short, narrow opening known as Murray Mouth.
Lake Albert, also known by its Ngarrindjeri name, Yarli, is a notionally fresh water lake near the mouth of the Murray River in South Australia. It is filled by water flowing in from the larger Lake Alexandrina at its mouth near Narrung. It is separated on the south by the Narrung Peninsula from the salt-water Coorong. The only major town on the lake is Meningie. Lakes Alexandrina and Albert are together known as the Lower Lakes.
Hindmarsh Island is an inland river island located in the lower Murray River near the town of Goolwa, South Australia.
Goolwa, known as The Elbow to early settlers, is an historic river port on the Murray River near the Murray Mouth in South Australia. Goolwa is approximately 85 km (53 mi) south of Adelaide, and is joined by a bridge to Hindmarsh Island.
Murray Mouth is the point at which the River Murray meets the Southern Ocean. The Murray Mouth's location is changeable. Historical records show that the channel out to sea moves along the sand dunes over time. At times of greater river flow and rough seas, the two bodies of water would erode the sand dunes to create a new channel leaving the old one to silt and disappear.
Alexandrina Council is a local government area in the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island region of South Australia. The Alexandrina Council was formed on 1 July 1997 by the amalgamation of the District Council of Port Elliot and Goolwa, the District Council of Strathalbyn and a portion of the District Council of Willunga. The council is divided into five wards: Nangkita Kuitpo, Angas Bremer, Port Elliot Middleton, Strathalbyn and Goolwa Hindmarsh Island.
Currency Creek is a township and locality in South Australia on the western shore of Lake Alexandrina about 6 km north of Goolwa, beside a seasonal stream bearing the same name – Currency Creek – which flows into Lake Alexandrina. The locality includes the headland named Finniss Point which separates the mouths of Currency Creek and the Finniss River.
Coorong is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia which is associated with the lagoon known as the Coorong in the south-east of the state and which overlooks the continental coastline from the mouth of the Murray River about 80 kilometres south-east of the state capital of Adelaide to the immediate north of the town of Kingston SE extending for a distance of at least 140 kilometres (87 mi).
Wellington Weir was a weir proposed for the River Murray several kilometres south of the town of Wellington, South Australia, immediately upstream from where the river enters Lake Alexandrina.
Clayton Bay is a town in South Australia located on Lake Alexandrina and Lower Murray River, part of the lower lakes and Coorong region at the end of the Murray River System. The town is located north of the north-east tip of Hindmarsh Island about 87 kilometres (54 mi) from Adelaide and 30.7 kilometres (19 mi) by road from Goolwa.
The County of Hindmarsh is one of the 49 cadastral counties of South Australia. It was proclaimed by Governor George Grey in 1842 and named for Governor John Hindmarsh.
Goolwa South is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located about 67 kilometres south of the state capital of Adelaide on both on the southern continental coastline and the south-western coast of Lake Alexandrina. It occupies the full extent of the Sir Richard Peninsula, land to the immediate west and part of the Goolwa Channel in the lake system to its north.
Goolwa North is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located about 66 kilometres south of the state capital of Adelaide and 2.5 kilometres northeast of the centre of the municipal seat of Goolwa overlooking the following water bodies in the Murray River system - Currency Creek to the north and the channel known as Goolwa or the Lower Murray to the south-east.
Mundoo Island is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on Mundoo Island and some adjoining water at the southern end of Lake Alexandrina about 87 kilometres (54 mi) south-east of the state capital of Adelaide.
The Finniss River drains part of the east side of Fleurieu Peninsula into Lake Alexandrina in South Australia. It is part of the Murray–Darling basin.
The Goyder Institute for Water Research is a research alliance focused on the identification, development, and adoption of sustainable solutions for managing water in South Australia. Established in 2010 by the South Australian Government, the collaboration includes the Department for Environment and Water (DEW), the CSIRO, Flinders University, the University of Adelaide, and the University of South Australia.