| Paroo | |
| Name Other: | Paroo Channel, Paroo River Channels |
| Map Size: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map: | Australia New South Wales |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the Paroo River mouth in New South Wales |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Australia |
| Subdivision Type2: | States |
| Subdivision Name2: | Queensland, New South Wales |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | South West Queensland, Far West, New South Wales |
| Length: | 1210km (750miles) |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 15m3/s |
| Source1: | Mariala National Park |
| Source1 Location: | west of Augathella, Queensland |
| Source1 Coordinates: | -26.1322°N 145.1775°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 336m (1,102feet) |
| Mouth: | confluence with the Darling River in wetter seasons |
| Mouth Location: | north of White Cliffs, New South Wales |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -31.5583°N 143.4522°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 94m (308feet) |
| River System: | Darling River catchment, Murray–Darling basin |
| Basin Size: | 60095km2 |
| Custom Label: | Reservoirs |
| Custom Data: | Buckenby Waterhole, Humeburn Waterhole, Corni Paroo Waterhole, Caiwarro Waterhole, Thoulcanna Dam, Talyealye Billabong and Budtha Waterhole |
| Extra: | [1] |
The Paroo River, a series of waterholes, connected in wet weather as a running stream of the Darling catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the South West region of Queensland and Far West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the home of the Paarkantji people.
Paroo is the local Aboriginal word for the bony bream fish, which are common in the river.[2]
The river rises in the gorge country of western Queensland south of the Mariala National Park, and flows generally south and spreads into the vast floodplains of New South Wales, eventually reaching the Paroo overflow lakes. Most commonly, the Paroo River terminates on the floodplain south of Wanaaring; and only reaches the Darling River in the wettest of years,[3] otherwise spilling into the Paroo River Wetlands. The river is joined by forty-three minor tributaries; as it descends over its 1210km (750miles) course.[1]
The Paroo River is the last remaining free-flowing river in the northern part of the Murray-Darling basin, and is impounded by the natural formation of the Buckenby Waterhole, Humeburn Waterhole, Corni Paroo Waterhole, Caiwarro Waterhole, Thoulcanna Dam, Talyealye Billabong and Budtha Waterhole.[1]
The Paroo River wetlands in north-western New South Wales are important for threatened species such as the freckled duck and the Australian painted snipe. The wetlands lie within the Paroo Floodplain and Currawinya Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance, when conditions are suitable, for large numbers of waterbirds.[4]
On 20 September 2007, Malcolm Turnbull, the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, announced that the Paroo River Wetlands in north-west New South Wales would be listed under the Ramsar Convention as wetlands of international importance, making them Australia's 65th Ramsar site.[5]
Henry Lawson described the ephemeral nature of the Paroo River in a poem, "The Paroo 'River'" (1894):
But soon he saw a strip of groundThat crossed the track we followed—
No barer than the surface round
But just a little hollowed.[6]