~l atering Inland Australia

By Dro J. J. C. Bradfield

p rin ted from llydge',,

R<> Octob er, 1941

With the Compliments of Elder, Smith & Co., Limited

 W a te:rring Inland Australia
By DR. J~ .... -&. BRADFIELD

i': . 1lic J cvclupmcn~ Au , tr.1lia tltr· win~s of

of i\l u~:;nivc an<l ~lacDonnrlJ Range s where s11cl1 J~un
I dawn <UC btll ltrcJk or <lay. Our
hc:.11111H i.ll lhC'
(0:1:,tal r iver~ an: ,mliurnt:'i~t'<l 3rtd in floud time An outstruuliug coustructio nal eugi-
s ites t."Xi!:I and where a grealcr Jcptll of wal("r
tha n 70 Ccct could be im1>ounJcd and ot lu.-rs wht~re
FOll1C 2U milli on hur,c po,H'f or tlicrcabouts arc
11ecr t{Ji(lt•ly /,:,rowu. for his part in waicr can bt ~torcd to a depth of 100 fee t 3tH.I ove r.
d(•:fi;:11iu~ and 1tup,•rrisi11g comuructiort
lo:il. power rh~t coul<l he J,rought into JJcing by of th,• Sy,lury lltirbor Br idge, J>r. J n this area the evaporation reaches 100 inches
h)dro -dc ~tri c H.:h t.'me~-~d1t_•11Jl'~ that would giH! flracljirl,I lu:r f! outli11c,; a sche me for per annum, ~o a storage of 100 fe et in depth would
con tr ol cf flood-; in th e rin•i:; wiLl1 c1,u::cq11ent I IH• xolutio11 of the 1>rob/e111,of irri• l.t st 12 years if nu rain fclJ, hut th e nvera"'C vcarh·
mitif;tlti,)n ,.r
fluu<l dm:1i.Jic. ~,.:hc1ncs t hat \\Ould gatiul! a,u/ clerclor,iu~ ou r vast iulaud. rainfall of 9 inches and upward s is reliable." 5()()
J!hl! gn ·:n qu:.rn1i1i1•5 of water rur u ::e in ir r igation !u. hi s co,uidered opiuiou th e !c hcmcs square mile :; of irrigated pe r manent pasture could
:11:d elc~tr!c power for imludfiJI purpo::r~ . The lie cuvisn::es are f>racticab le, fiuau- add Ol'er 3,000,000 sl1cc1, to Central Austrnlia and
need for !.ydrn-clectric power should purucularly ciully aurl WJ e11{!it1ceri11;.: JJror1usitio11.<,; "}.. ,,ould sta bili~ c and make m ore certain the p ro.
l1c. k ep t in mind as Au st ruli:. contains only I per- ~u. _11ar_ricular he ,lrnl~ 1oith four g reat \
duc th·ity of th e surrounding ar ea .
irn;:at,011 1c h e 111es i,t Ce11lr:1l A1,$tr a•
(.'Cnt c f tlt e coastal rc :;ources a£ th e world. The wat er sto red in thc~c mou11tain rar.gcs would
lia and rr:i:h llu: l,or11i~tir.i111! of flootl -
Our jnland I lv1:.· rs when in floud flow on until the
u-111t•r:1 from . caa&tnl ri, :cr s lo be used be rain w:uc r fr ee fro1h minerals. An ana]y:,;is of
' '°:1te r is lo st in the sand . The Finke, t he Georgina, l o ,lcce/01> nir st, ·rn Quccnslw,d. To the water in the Farina Raih ..·ay R e:,;crYoir on the
Cul.'lpC"r·:-Creek, 1lie Di:uuantina .:md their tr ilmtarie:! lt Ol,l and tlc,,clot> rhutrolicr, projects lice Sp rin g railway lin e contains onlr 9.2 grains
could hav e their occasional flood wat ers stored for such ns llii s 1111t &l be u11Jerw l..eu. a11d of mineral matter per ga11on; artesian waters l'On-
ir rjgation and domesti~ purpos~. '1'e ha, ·e ri vers currietl out roith iii.'fiou and courage
tain 38 grains and upwards p er gallon, so t here is
of sand ~omc 1,000 milc::i l011g. Th e::e can he no pos sible doubt whatever as to the su itabilit ,. of
cJconcc.l out ant.I rehabilitated tdie11 a:e become water impounded from the :.\1acDonnell and ~lus-
irriµotion minded as the Chine::c became o,·er 4.000 grave Range s for irrigation purposes.
I
yea rs ago.
Sl1innung, th e div ine hu sLandm;:;.n of China, beg-an lie i\J:icO~llnn ell an<l the .\fu~gra, ·e Ran ~es, aLout At Katherin e on the Kath er ine river, a Mr. N ix,>n
00 milt•! apart anJ .:Jl)t•roximatdy parallel to each ha s s larted an irrigation farm . \Vater is pumptd
to n·ign 2832 B.C. 1 arHJ in strurtcd the people in
rltcr c.4,.t anti wc::1 fur a di~t.tnce of 300 mile:; . from the riv er ; 1he soil is rich and, gi,'cn water,
.agriculture and irri g:a1ion . Yu ,\·as rai::eJ to the
'lit:y e 'dose an area oi about 60,000 square miles . cabbages, toma toes, pumpki n s and other Vl'gctahle~,
throne of that connlrv B.C. 2205 for his skill in
'he ·ountr)' be1wecn the se mountain
range.:; is b~naua ~, and paw paws grow to perfeaion .
draining and irrigntin~. Jn tho~e Ja7 s ~l any nue
enginccr5 re ceived the regard th ey merited. A 11 oximatdy 1,.5(0 ft.-ct high; some
peaks ·· are
Ch iac,:-c engineer, I Pin;;. took th e ·p(~:it. of ,:: · X> f..:t:l e.-r.d. others ...11pnJ\;matc b
5,000 . ft:et Diama11l i 11a and Cooper's Creek Sites
Czechuau in hand anJ plannt!d a :;yslem of can3J.s. ubovc ~'-·a level. and .ire tl1t: sources of the Nca!ec:
1111• )la cumlia. rhe .-\lha:;a and Hamilt on an d th-~ . The map of Aus1raiia sho ·ws man y po:sible irriga•
l t was tlit'n uninhahi1cd a, th ere wa s no ,,·atcr.
Fink e Hin·r and it~ tril.1urari es the Hugh and the t 1on schemes large and s mall , a few of which can
T oJay th e Pla in suppo r ts iJ3 million 1woplP-. To
Palmer. only be bri efly touched on, but th ere arc many
make money we must spend money. am! to make
others. •
irri gatio n schemes possible ,re musl constdve zrater (n Ili c :\[u.:gra\ 'C Ranges the i\Iaryatt, Hamil-
SeYeral might)' rivers with their numP.rous sub -
o.nd spewl money in so doing. ton und Stt·vcn ..on Hi \•ers risr. and flo,,· ~outh until
sid ia ry c reeks in flood time water Central Aus-
th ey lofe th cmtelvcs in !h e sand .
trali a-Cooper's Creek, the Diamantina and the
Cost of lula11d Sc Ticmcs B1:lWt·e-11 the r:mgt·~, ~(ount Olga l:.-100 and Ayers Georgina Ri ve rs. and, from the w ~t. the Fink e ,
Some i niand rivers which have occa:.ione<l hl!avy R ock, J.100 feet .1igh ri5c abo,·e ,thC country which Hamilton and ~lulligan River,. A dam across the
floods could l,e dammed where there is a rock)' ha:, a rainfoll aL tinit ~ ..:xcecding 15 inch es per Diamantina Rh·cr at Hunter·s Gor ge south-west of
Lar with earth en lc\ ·ees t:'xtcnding at an angle of :m11u111.whil ..t the a,·crag.c i::; 9 inches and m·er. Winton would im pound an imm cn~c volume of
45 d egrees fan,, ise £rom the clam, each lcvee being: Lak~ .-\milJl'lli i..: fine or a d 1ain of !akes. ja ckpo ts flood wate rs. ~ The coun tr y above th e dam sire is
say 140 mile; long . They would holJ up the flood from which a h,rge amount o[ moisture is eva po r- ·fiat and intersected with num erous creeks . Exten-
wate rs ,,·h en th ey occur ovt:"r an area of 5,000 ~quar c :•1t·d which L.dl'5 as r;Jin in the area between the sive earthen dams and levecs would thus ha\'C to be
mil es some 20 feet deep and over. rnnges: Ay er., ~lock lt:1s a perennial water supply built to preve111 the Aoo dwater from 89win("f around
A dra g lin e calerp illar excavator willt a ten yard 011 it:S ::111nmi1.
the main <lam and escaping clown th e man ~- creeks.
shovel w ould put the material in place for a few Glen llckn Gnrge, Simr,.:on ·s Gap, the Fink e To cor,serve an adequate supply of wat~r aboue
pence per cuhic yard. The river bed would be I:.iv,•r aad 1h,· \ "ullcy of the Palm~, a tributary of the Diamontina Gates is just a maj or engineering
rr hal,ilitalc<l for 100 mile s of its length (say 30 die FinkL· 11.in·r ~tnd Ganger 'Waters, would lie proposition.
fet.·t rfecp). The co~t of dam. lt.'Yees. rd1al1ilitating l-l'UitJl,I~ d:tm ~it1•~. ~alt-1,u:;h and inJigcnous
ri\·er hcd anJ incidental works coul<l he carried out True. much of the water imp ounded \\·oultl
gra-- ::-L'~. mulga. parnk,·llin anti ghu~ t gum!!- Am1ri~h. evapor at e :ind sce 11 away, but thi s water woul,I
for abol•L .tl0.000,000 !lllent wholh· for Au st rJ.lian
Purakcllia i'3 an unitf lH" hcrhO~l' which ~row~ nn not he Jo~t. The seepage water would be .nailable
Jahor and material. Th~ river wouid proUahly have so111lr c-vun1ry in Ct·ntr;tl Am -traliu. It is l1ighly
1u:rmancnt ,,atcr owin~ to tlw wale-r filtering in 35 ~11h-art ts inn water. and the h umidity in the a ir
nulritiou.: and ~11 _:; urcult-at 1hat stork do not requ ire caused by c\ ·aporation would be precipit ated as
ft0m th e sand .
wall.'r \\lu.·o frcdh1J,: on ii. Sa lr hu:cla anJ mulga rain, just where no one o f course cun ~ay positively :
Four such schemes inland would pro\ ·it.lc a "·ater i;rnw in thl~ dry Eircas.
~urface or, say, 20.0CO ~quarc milL',; in so callt!J ~ut humidity in th e ai r in cre a~es dcwfall !lnJ so
d e~ert country as th e flooJ~ camt~. Th e e\·apor:?tiun would ha\ ·e nn ameliorating effect on the '"t"!!etation
-100 ind1 cs per annum-from ..:ucl1a water .:urfarr I 11t~:,.,; gatiou Ncceuary whiCh hot dry ai r certainly doeE not h aYe, -
ceulJ cau~e a full of rain or
,i incl,e,:; o·... 1 )00.000 Sunc}s and a <:omrlrt'ht"n.:i,c im·c:nigation are Another site for an immense ~torage rcEervoir is
~4l!J.rc mi les or tl·•'! dr\" inland. That 1ain :?ftcr req uired 10 tlctcrmin,• lht• mo::-1 511itahle impounJ- at Kullymurra Corge on Coope r s Creek . nea r
rcfr1t.·::hing Llct!\'eget~lio1.t ,w11IJ t:.•\·:t.poralr- ;rnd fa11 in;; ~i1c:s. bul :he pos:>ibilitic$ of n lar,sc irrigation Innamincka in So111h A•u:itralia. \"h ere -;t appear~ J.:5
8!(3in as rain. scheme: ir. tht· Ct'ntr1..· oi Au stra lia are appart·nt. i[ tlvo<lwatcrs could Uc thrown back into Quct"ns·
The _wn1~r n1:r h.n ·,· . 'J
lh· cum·c?·eJ from the rc- land and a fre~hwater lnke appr ox im.itcly 40 mi lc·s
nnm S i, ~•s i11 Cen t ra l rlu# r,, ~ia ~!!n·o,r.s 111 Jill'\."'-.:;. • , ,m c-rclc I 1ncJ clianneli to by JOO mile-, cn·ntetl. Thi:; need s a complete im ·e:-:ti-
J, the £'~1u•nditurc of £-10.fJ00.000 :,II for Au ~- pn :H·nc it h, , m ,;r<'pin:.: in !11,• ~and. The St.:ttc- of garion. Sub.,idia r)' cart l11:n t.bms n11<l lt·,·ccs would
truli,m l.il1o r :uul m a tt·r ial worth \\ hilt: for su<.·h Bikam·r. Ind iu. ha, run a l-,1111 •r,·1c lin ed rana l irllo be n·quired. E,<.q1ora1: on in oa ly 20 J,1y:,i at I i,, rh
,,ater ~rht·111r5? Tiu:.· inlt•rc~t at 31 pt·rcent woulJ 1h,: Thar D,·..at, W m1l,·:; J,,u,:?:.an.I s.t·ttlcd so me pt•r day rr ('lm tlir ~urfo..:c of this i;.rrat bkl.' W(.1ulJ
hr £1. ,Hl<',O()O per annum. \\"hat a ~chcme for P'>~l ~00.000 peo ple on a rainl, ·, ~ arc;1. pro'"id c !-nflicicnt rno i~tur c 1(1 cau:-c 100 point ... of
,,:tr de\t•fop1w·nt \\lien \\Ork "ill l>c nt:rdc tl. H in- ii m)Uld l,,.. JH)c,ihl1 • w '-IMC ill 1!1r 111311)" ~or:;rs rnin to fall oH·r nn nrra u£ :!0.000 5quarc milt•i of
~I i:- (·harJ: 1..
1<-rt.> ·d (it ncrtl n,,t br) is tire probablt! thr run n!T fN"1 1hi" 1Ht'3 or 60,0(}() .;quarf' mi!(".; count r y on rlw lt•cwanl !!-ide of 1hr impounJr1I WRIC"r.
foll of 4 in clics of rain OLt:r 500 .000 square miles o/ ...,.:ra\c Han ~c~. a11J
LLl\\f'f'll 1hi:• .'.\lac lJ1111ndl ;u,d ;\111 To prn,ide ~uffidrnt moi :-tur t." to c:rni.e a foll of
the dr)" ;,Jmrd ll"Ollh th t inlt 'rt'Jt ? ln..:rc.1-.t.!clrainfall impoun ,I errnuS,!li wa1rr If' irrig,11e "' frn .cr ;;vn on e inrh o f rai n over 20.000 t=(Juarc miles, n( ('nuntry
\\n1,:,I cH.;11luJII)" chn11~c dt c climak. Au :=nalia la\'.'k:; · i111I,,• hr.111 oj Austrnli'n 1<ith
.,q_uare miles of co11ntr_1 .,.,ouhl rt'quirc 1ltt.· f'omhu ~tiun of up,, ·nrd"" or twn
rain inla11d (H. ll"l' it luck-. nu,i:-:turr. ""hat a jolt
'.t'.'.l •1R indu:s of ,race r annu a!l1. ·1llf' \\.Jl f'r to Le i111- hun<lrcd 3ml forty million ton s of conl yrarly. Tu
ft•r .111 c!ng-inrcr. and how it \\1luhl develop and p11unJ cd for an irri,;ari"1t .1r1•t1 or 500 ..quare mile -. min r. trun -=po rt au<l burn thi ~ 10 1111agc of r11:d in
}Jopulate inl :m<l :\mtralia ! would he S6 1l1t1u--!ln1Imill1 1 1n ruliic fc·c·I. which inland Au""ll:llia i~ far , for h,·yond Auo;;:1ralia"-. in-
Th e Finke Rin ~r an<l ii.., lriLut:1rir ~ ri..:c in Central \HHilJ rt·1-1rt::1cnt:t dt•pth of \\al r r 70 fee t over un tlu ..trial. trJn ~port and munC'l!Jf)" rc ~ourr.e ~- i1 i-t
Au~lralia l'l' l1cre th(•rc are two range~ or mountain~. arl'a of 30 :-square- m ilt•~- Th •·rr :H(' i;orges in th e ,·,111i,t1lcnt to 600,0C:> ton• of roal d,ily rvr :)00

wurki11:; days each ycur. In inl,rnd Anstrnli.1 th e
sun will do 1his work in 20 days only, without coal,
an<l will work every da)'. If' c l'a11 rc1fr c:.m the arid
j,:/and 1rhcn ,ce hare acquired 1/u: com111onscnse
to store nb o 1Jt• the ground the /loodwaurs which
now sin!. into the sanll and lose themselves, so
than th e sun can gel to wo rk, nnd e\'ap orate the
i.:onscnrcd water . The rainfall nftcr refr eshing the
count ry will \!'t'uporti l c and fall again as rain.
A dnm a1 th e Lnr of Str1.eleck i Creek woultl
amp lify th e walcr s which cou ld he stored from th e
flood:; in the Cooper.
Ko sun •cys hil'wc been made, 50 what the exact
are a and capaci ty of 1hc Kullymurn ~orgc ~chcmc
js, and wh:u it would co~,. no one can say wirh
anr clcgrc(" of ccrrninly . It needs lo be inve stig;ated,
lrnt in mr opinion an expenditure of JO million
pound s shoul<l defray the co s t. The Kullrmurra
sc/,eme is feasible both fi11ancially ar1d /ran, the
~ngin e~ring sta11dpoi11tand though in th e vicinity of
Lake Eyre it 3ppcars a pra c tical prop osition.
O tli cr Cou&crrmliori Site&
Yt t another dam site is on the Georgina Ri\ •er in
the vicini t y of i\Iarion Downs. Thh ; site Jrns im-
mense possihilities. A channel coulJ pr ob ably Le
led into thr ~Julligan Rher and then ce wec.twar<l lo
Lake Carolin e in rhc Simp so n Desert, and Ly the
miracle of irrig:ation crea te an oasis in the ]owest
ra infall country in Australia, furn i~hini; :)tock-
owncrs in Western Queensland with fodder-growing
areas.
In Western Au st ralia th ere are .suitable dam
s iles in the .Ashhurton and Fortescue Riv er country,
and in many ot her streams . The se rh •er s take th e
wa ter from the Hammer sley and Opthalmia rang e~.
in ·which area is situated .Mount Bruce. th~ mo st
c!e, ·ated hmd in \Ve~tcrn Australi~. Th e wat e r
s tored could be used to irrigate ri ch red soil
country in th e coastal region below.
Dr . H ares, Bi sh op of Rockhamplon. has pro,
p osc<l an irrigation !=scl1cmcnear Rockhampton at
Wura on the Def': Ri,T ... H ere 60.000 nc re 5 could
be irrigated. either wi1h water stored by a dam at
'\l;' ura or fr om th e water in 1hc sand . This ar ea
with irrigati on could produce co tton to tho \'l'.llue of
H.2 00.0CO yearly. or flax worth over £3,000,000
a nnually and would settle quite 5.000 people . lf
the raw cotton wrrc ma.nufacturcd into co tton good s
a n d fJ11x int o lin en and paper at Rockhampton it
v:ould add much lo 1hc wealth and sco r es of
rhousa nd:! to the population of the district.
W'atcri:i g Jr1 estcr u Q ,,ec u sln,ul From tlrn Const
The 0oc.flwatcr~ of ~omc of the coa.i::lal riv e rs
whic h now run to waste can be . conscrYed and
111ilisc<l l or irri ga tio n and for J c,·doping the rc-
i:om·cc-::s of the ccnlrc of Au:::tr:tlia.
\Vithin an :uca of al.,0111 17.000 squn.rc miles, 1he
headwat ers of lhc Tully , tl1e llcrbctt, tl11 ! £hm.lckin,
and the Clarke Riv ers ha Ye their oris:in; in thi s
area, on the od1c r side of the Divide, ar c al so th e
headwaters of the Flind ers River. Jn thi s region
the Sto tm King holds sway, flooding the se coas tal
flowing rivers with h~avv mon soonal rnins as the
clouds «lrift in from tlic ocean und hrc.::ik with foir
regula rity against the r-.lain Divide and the Suh-
sidinry Ranges. ft is possihlc to combine and st ore
their flo otl /lu1cs in one or more reser voir,( from
1vh;cJ, a permanent stream. can he f ed to tra verse
Qu ccuslnnd from near llu;;hcndcn to lf'intlor ali
ancl th e Queensland bord er, passing near Lung.
reach and Winton.
A dam acro ss th e Burdekin at H ell's Gate, ahout
15 mile s hclow its con0ucncc with the Clarke River,
is ouc of the mo st imp ortant features of the sc heme.
The Hcll"s Care Gorge is abo ut 2,000 feet wide
and 400 feet de e p. A grnnitc bar runs across th e
Burdekin and the dnm wall could be founded
with o ut difficulty. H ere the combined waters of
the Tully, Herbert and Lipp e r Burdekin would be
stored and pro\ ·ide for a constant str eam of 6,000
cuhic feet per second, after allowing for c\'apora-
tion.
Th e impounded wnters can be taken to the
Main Dividin g Range by aquedu ct and through the
rnnge by a tunnel 36 feet inside diamet er into th e
Flinder s River or one of its tri bu tari es. Here it would
he stored in one or more numerous ~orgcs, and aug-
men ted by the floo<lwatcrs of the Lipper Flind ers.
A perennial stream would flow clown th e Flind e rs
k i,•er past Glcn<lower and. by a cut under the
Nor th e rn Railway , int o irfi gation canals on a re-
habilitated Thomson RiYcr. A constant stream of
fresh water of 6,000 cubi c fee t per second could he
Jed by the se irrigation canals lo where it was rc-
c1uired for stock and irrigati on purpo ses.
On the Flind e rs River a series of large coola-
Mfln ~ (the aboriginal n ~•t , t for a watcr-bn s in) , one
J.clow the other, woul d be es tabli sh ed Lo hold th e
pent-up wat e rs which would be fed int o irrigation
canal;; or.existing ~tre::imi..
Th e cano l to de liver 6.000 cubic feel per second
would r equire to be 150 fee l wide, 20 feet deep,
flowing at rhe rate of 2 miles per ho ur. If the
"·elocity of flow can be increased. the dimen s ions of
the channel will be co:-respo ndingly less . Tn utilise
the 6,000 cribic feet oj n·ater per second from the
coastal rivcr:r for irrisation purpos es is a payable
µrn cti cal sch eme with 110 un certainty .
What a difft>rent '1:'r~tcrn Quccm::land you would
have with such a canal capab le of irrigalinc:
Pase 1'11·0
2,0oo,000 ac re s or cou nlry with four walerings of
6 inches each . \ Vhcn the wat er is floo<led 011 the
are a to J,c i rri ga tc<l, t he wntcr is wantcU 10 soa k
in the soil; it will uol go far, us th e growing crops,
capil1ary attruction and the sun's h ea t will bring
it to the surface for th e Lcnefit of the crops and
much of the wa1er will c,·cntunJly find its way into
tl1c air , ju st as th e rnin wat er docs.
\Valer cvnp oratc<l in land from lar ge storage r e-
scn•oi rs and canals would use up th e heat of th e
s un and te nd to a lowering of th e mean annual
temp erature . The air would become moister and
th ere woulJ be a heavier fall of dew th an t akes
place at present. A good foll of dew nightly ,di!
su pport a useful vegeta ti on . After bein g used for
irrigati on purpo ses, th e water vapor add ed to the
atmosphere each year from the coastal rivers scheme
would r epresent l! inches of rain ov er 60,000
square miles of arid country. In three year5 the
moisture added to the air would repre sent 1¼inches
of rain over 180,000 square miles.
Water f or T,co Jlfillio n Acre•
!,eve explained the Coas tal River Scheme. What
do not definitely kn ow is th e shortest length of
tunnel or p:pe-line lo get the water through th e
Divide, also th e lengths of the dams at th e various
sites . Surveys are now required. The leuels I
hai:c taken and the informatio1• I have gath ered
pro,:e that th e scheme is feasible, but until more
detailed surrcys are made I cannot accurately
<letcm1ine th e cost.
Fe ·,.,., a11d, in most cases, no re cords have been
taken of the dail)' flow of the Herbert, Burd ekin
and Flinders River s. and no estimate of the volum e
of the 0o ods has been made; consequent ly, at
the outset an estimate of th e quan t ity of water
a\'3ilable year by year app eare d almost impossible.
In India, Europe and the United States, the
yearly rainfalls have been re co rd ed over long
periods. Exp erts have made a ~pecial study of the
run-olT based on the yearly rainfall, a nd have de -
duced formulae giving a run-off in inches in ter m~
of th e rainfall in ' inches. I have obtained parti cu -
lars of the r ainfall ove r the areas I h;ave investi -
g::tlPrl from 1he State and Commonw ealth Offices.
and hy using I ltc formula most sui tabl e t o Qur.ens•
Janel condit ions ha1·e mad e estimates of th e probable
amount of wate r off-flowing from the se areas.
These estimates arc on a con~enrativc basis.
In a normal year, over 230,000 million cubi c feet
of noodwaters which now run to waste from tht!
Tully. H e rh erl , Bur dekin and Flind e rs Ri vers could
he stored in rc~c r,·oi rs. After allowi n g for evapora•
tion. s.eepag<'. an<l allowing for riparian ri ghts l ower
down the Tully, Herbert, Burde k in and Flind ers
Pt1c•1'/,rcc

1
Dr. j ::(/
]. C. BRADFIELD'S

INLAND IRRIGATION
SCI-fE/l;JE
MaJ, drawn fur J1,_yd1;,.'s Curtis.
by IC E111crso11

t• .
r .. "~
I
} ~

UNDER
IRRIGATION
THIS AREA WILL BE
SUITABLE FOR THE
RA ISING OF

RICE
COTTON
FLAX · JUTE
MAIZE· WHEA T
TROPICAL FRUITS
TEA· COFFEE
SHEEP AND
 Page Four

Hivcr!'-. a con s 1a111 flm\· into the· Thom-- o n Rivet' :H

Mutrulrnrrn or intn irri~..itinn c·~111al s of 6,000 cul1ii;
fr •.:I 1,c r s,:c<,ntl n,ul,I lw 111ai111aim:d.
Cri rics m:,y ~a) 1hc wall •r is. not available, hut
to JH"m ·idc th e 4.00 0.000 :u: re fl..'cl u f w.itt·r n:quin :s
tJ ru11-uH of 61 in che s only from 1hc calch111cnt urt·a,
u11d di e mon--o,rnal ruin~ nrc mcamr cd in feet. It
j ,;, 11nly t he floud-wutt·rs wlii<-h lhe ~cl1t·111cprop o~cs
to ~lure ; rite n11n11..iinan-off ltoJ1l lht..' catdm11:11[:i
\ \ 1) 11ld Ouw clown t he n·--p,·ctivc ri\t.•r..: as at prc:cnt.
Th e rnoney c xp cralt·d would h e :-11c11t on .:\us-
1rali!l n bbor ,mJ nHttnial. Some 40,000 ton s of
~led plute s \\Oultl he rcquire cJ, to pru dut.:e which
4i0.00 0 tons o f iron ore \\'c\ulJ h,t\ 'C lo Le min e d,
360 1000 t uns of co1.1l for producing cok e fur th e
l,la.:-t•furnace~ and 100,t:ou tuns of 1i111e ::ton c ;
wl1il..: t ~um c 20.000,000 lwgs of ce ment W\tU)d b,~
r1.:qui rcU a:.; well as 4,000.000 cubi1· yanJ-, of c ru shed
JJtl'lal ant.I 2.000.000 t:ubi c y:1rd.,; of sand for mak in g
cont.:retc for the impounding 1c::;erYoir ::. Sun.:!)" a
m:.m ~iz1,:d job!
The :tcheme will cos.l n'>l less than £30,000,COO
sterlin;;. \Vith interc::t during construction. canal !:.
pn·p~ri ng tlic land for irri g:i ti1in, pl~rnting with
pe-rmanl.'nt grus-~c:5, ur.<l otlu:r charges it may total
£-10.000,000 on which the inter es t at 3} 11crcent
would be £1,400.000. Administralion .l:iS,000,
1na inle n,mce and oth e r c.harg'""~ £175.000 \\'OUl<l
hr jug the total annual char ge tu £1.650 ,000 . The
annual sinking fund re quiri:d to liquidate the
capital expendiwre of £40,000.000 in 60 yea rs a t 3l
percent would Le £200.0C0. Total charges
£1.PS0,0C0. -Corg c& au cli as these in
Th e wat er available . 6,000 cubic feet per second.
th e McDonnell R ange• in
i~ !:uDlCienl to cover 2 miJlion at.:res, or 3.2CO square
milc5 , with 2 fee t of wate r per annum . Taking lhe Ce nt ral Australia pro vide
co5l of water at ]0 / · per acre foot or 272.250 gaUon:;, suital,le sites for impound ..
i.e .. .£1 for wa ter ri ghts of 2 feet of water per in g ivater for stora ge and
annum , th e r eve nue would be £2.000.000. It wi ll irrigation.. lllu &trated arc:
thu:; Le seen that the ~chemc would Lie fina ncial a t
top lef t, Simpson"s Gap;
th e oul set.
.top ri,;Tit, \S tanley Chayn;
A/Je c,i ng Climate' Ch ~uge s Tigltt , Cl eft ll elc u Go~e.
Ji is impo r tant 10 im:JOund all water possHJle.
as s uch water would be ad<led to the water re:ources
of Au stralia eithrr as stored water above g round or
a ~ increa:-cd h umi~ity in the 3.ir. Sor=ie of the
impoumled water would Eeep away. st r engthening
th e natural Eprin gs and the sub-arte:iian and artesian
wuLcrs some would l>c used for Uome stic purpoaes
➔ • lo .. •
by man 3nd for driuking p urposes by animals; the
r~main<lcr would be evap orated. either from the
surface of th e stored water or irrigation canals or
----====
=.;..;= ~ ....
',\~~- ~~~~e;;~:;~~-~~
from Jand irrigated. Th e moisture would become

:·:•
0JFIIUI JJ .t.!.0 lil!)
MAPSHOWING
RAINFALL
REVISED TO 1938

l hf, I [W 1r"ht ,1,ld 1,s.:'(yi~':'t gt3olr$ ~~~ ?Dl!"CJ'f.l AOELAI O(

•' Yta~Yll r.;wu,,-:1,~a,#J,y .:,
VVt1trt.AA ."'.;.
/;.,- gt o1,:,,rs ..._1'
,:,e,.,,..t,/(", .Mn1o1
JJ ~,b~ (I ' 0

{
- l.
 Poi;e Fire
the hum i<lily i11 the air. Th e h.ii;he r t l_1c.1empf"_ra-
tur c the r;rcu.tl'r ii;i the amount of hum1d1ty
c.:an Lt ~1orc<l in th e air.
, Thu nJt:r)'i.to
rms ,rnuld become more frequent
wh en 1he inland air is better s uppli ed wilh mois-
ture ·, or, wht"n " ' inds blow OYer from the sc:1, the
a<ldec..l moistur e in the air from off th e occ;m
"Would acgment the jnlan<l moi stur e a~~ nia~ e t~c
prtcipitntio n of the rJ in mor e certain. l he ram w,ll
cnipora te an<l hll again ns ruin. In thio ~•Y t~1e
wn1er c:011
sc nt: J wHI he used O\'cr an d over ngam ,
.:ind moi!:lure in the arit.1 inhmd. will Le augmt: nted
.md n,ai ntain ,,d at such a level that th e rainfall
will slowly at fir.t hut stead ily progrc . ;.
Once Au st ralia ha s c:onsen·ation schemes numcr-
<>U~ amJ compr d1 t:ns hc en ough to make an im-
JJrt ssion ra, ·o rab le to the co untr) ', ameli oration will
become marl:.c<l. The con,·cr sc is Jikcwise tru e .
Drou~hl:J ar c cumulati, ·e in th eir rc'iuhs , and as
Jong as there arc no J>rojects com11lcted th3t are of
6 ufficienl si.ie to combat ~n<l ma ~tcr the drought
conditions th rr will prc, •ail and become empha -
s i!cd ye ar by year.
Sm•ll irrig ation schemes will allow for • lir.,ited
;numLer of inw,·i<luals to thrive along the few
J'i\er:i that are ,reired up: Lut the rl!:st of the coun try
...,,
ill tt01ain s tationary to go backw a rds. Local
J.K'ncfit ·will a cc rue from small schemes, but far
r t achi nc srhcm.c s are rt!quir ed to om dioratt! the
climate. and rcju11enatc. inland Au stralia ..
When the rainfall in Central AuHuii.::. is in-
c iru ~cd, llcwfo.11 will :.t.l:,o increa. ec a n<l b eco me
conEta nt, fo il ero ~ion caused by th e winds will
ccai;:r, a! t he surfac e wi!1 become clad with in•
d1gt-nous veg et ation "'hich will pcot~ct the
.,n d enhanc e its fertility , 1nJ tLe temperature
Le lo•·c red.
Stor~J W• te r A8ect• Clim•le
c\lr. E. T. Qu • ylc, D.A., Commonwealth Metcoro•
lug icaJ Dep2 rtment. fof m:i:ny yt:.a.r15PM/£ t has ;n.
'\'C'6tjgat eJ rhc poe-!:,
ib1iitr o f imp rm ·ing tbc rair.1a1l
e\"tr inland Au stra lia.. and 1c,'f"r:,1.•d1e pc~iHent
<lccline of paH millenni•. Tbroll/!h oe~lc ct other na-
1ioo! b•, ·e r ulneJ th eir h,nds, com ·cnin b tlu·m into
dNert! of drjfting SY.rid. We htwc a new country
till l argely unspoiled, but wh ich i• rapidly
e:erioral inb.
.Mr. Qu ayle gn ·e:o the following fundamental
in C'<>Dnectfonwith our inland f'"4'inf-11.U
:-
1. Pra ctiealJy alJ important inland nins ore of
ropica.1 or igi n.
2. The rain be»ijn, douds, mohtly of higher
hitude than in coatttl diE-t
ric lf) co!uc from &om~~~~ustralia's
northe:r l)' dir ection , ,..
,;;;:ging betwten north· · t rerourcc . New fi~lds bc cL.:on a_head, new ,·lstas
,md nortb. rno/
3. The surf ,f "·indo in fr !JI of rain !lorall
I~· u5ual fr ob't som e ~stc-Y-~)' ire ct ion, thu! / }"' uth thro1Jgh ~orth and Cent r al Au~tral1a g1\'mg
Ee 'nF;: c oucom~ng Horms sOme miles ~outh- • ., at·ce:::~ to __our an<l ~nd s~ called ~es~rt c~ untry and
it f cn .poration areL
4. Jn gc.od y~.s.r s, th ~c tropic.a.] sto rm~ a.re com•
J1arat iu:Jy fr("Qucut and c1ou<l Jir cc~inn~ corrcsponJ -
ingly northcrl) · in direction . .
5. Jn dry !PaN, tropical etc,rm s arc infrequent,
.and the gene ral rlouJ direction WNlerly .
6. Condition s {4,·ori nc. inl and rain i, ori~inatc ov er
ah ~ Pa cific (k,:a .nJ · an<l c1ilM Aut'tralia ,ja the
:nerthern hall of Queen•lau.l.
7. Storm sy:-iems comi ng fr om the wtst bring
rain 10 Victor ia 10 J New Sout h W•lc• if the
upp t r air 0 ,-cr \re~t,ra Queen sland is hun,id,
<,lhcrwi~ th ey are lia ble to die swa y &n<l fail a!
jnh=-iJ uin pr oduc t-I'll, Z\!it::ht trmJ H'raturc-s ( i.e.
mi ni mum) .u e z nl uable indc:x to th ~e upper air
l1umiJitic s.
For hi s rc::-carchc~. Rainfall l mprovcmt.nt
J/unrnn .,fscra-y. :\fr. Qua.;le :'ele-ctcd t,•••\l area. !t in
\ ic-tOJiit arr..! :,;.,uth .\u ~tr.a.lii , t he ti.,..iJ undr:r che
influence of Cr cat L t1.k~. T orrcn::- 1t.11J\ ~1om,-, and
t he Hc ond. a ~trip of country in r.l>rth•¥.·l"'~t Vi ctoria..
Jn th(' formrr e&!-C il hu!-1 Lc-rn rt·ii•li1y ~h o.,.,n
t h.st for a 1>rrietd c,£ tl ~ much I" t \\o yc:1rs .Ct er
thf" p:ud,r ,) lal,,:c... 1uuJ ht~n : ,) mr-\\}111 r,-pleni ..hcil,.\u .::trali :i, Coop e r' s Crrt L: at Kull ymu rra Goq;e,
1hc ar ,·a~ i11 the 1,'t" ,, ( an1l r,1t·n, ling for O\c-r l~
rni! ,-5 fnim tht· lakt':- ht'nrfit r ..l h) :an i1h.·rc-.1;F<"<l mantina. Rher at i i~ p;alt-c :-hn ultl be th orm1fhl y in·
annuitl r:1infJII ,1nyin~ fr 1,m 10 1•rr..cnl h > 20 pe rcent
nh o,·c tltt.' n,·cr a~ e of tLc \\li olr r 1111111ry t"xtrndins: in th e near futurt.
in other , iirrcti ons fr om th e lw.L.1;,;;.
Elahoratin,; up on 111i?1 . t-Uh.,r 1111,m inH·!-- ti1;11
1ion! foll in ou r :\rid crn t rc-, a.: wd l as irrigation
OHr 8 $!rip of ccuntry r>.~cn11in~ fn 1 rn l.el<" HinJ -
marsh in north western Victoria to th e L ceton irri- lrri,:.trt e t,111d Populate
"'luch l;i:\tiou urea in New Sou th \Vale~, rc,·•·ulc:d sharp
incrcu ~es in n.iinfnll to any area s lying ,:;oct11-cast To po pulate anJ dcn·)oJl Au s:rnli;!, we must
6pe1u.f 11101wy lo make mon ey . The money ept.nt
from lukcis or ri ver vul1e)'S cx te n<lius in a non h·
\\ cHc rl y dire ction. Th e di stance ln·lwc-cn th ese woul<l all he for labor and materials of Au , t r alia n
l imit s wa~ 275 miles, th e ele, ·ulion throughout was ori~in . Au~lrali ;. ha 8 2,000 milli on acre s of 1and
hdow 500 ft~et, and the strip muy be con~ idl'f c<l a~ of which u nde r 10 ptrCt!J\l ore ali enated. An c:qx·n•
Jiture of Si - pt'r acre or 500 million pouml i::, in
hc ing remote from th e sea with eimilar ra infolJ
contr ols. well thr.ught out ~d1Cmcs t hr o ughout Au stralia dur-
ing the nt·>.t 40 )cars wou lJ p:rcally increa se the
lie found that the a,erage rain fall of stations
\'alue of v1:r heri1:1ge, an J add th e populati on WI!
!!iouth.east from l akes, river s or irrigated Cllhiva-
need to holJ whut we ha,·e. To do thi :; \\ ' C ~hould
ti 011!! Yaried by as much as plu s 3 inche s o, ·er th ose
endca,&;r tot_ha,·r. a population of 40 mill ions say SO
inl ~CJHJ.:3ed. The ass umed ren~on fo r thi s Clin only
rears hen ce. \Ve must phm how t o get th ese mil-
Le, that increased evaporation induced a greater lion5); cl o~cr settlement 8nd cornmon::cnse in de-
1.1r
ed µi1ation from tht: moisture-laden atmosphere-. ,·eloping ou r priotary and secon t.lo.ry-indu strie s wiil
There are reco rds whi cb show that the country indu ce people to come here. Austr.ilia e•i~ntually
in the lee of Lakes Torr ens and Fromc have always ~J.wuld eas ilr accommOllate 90 million pcopJc, 30
benefited when th e Lake s were carrying water, on per square mile.
ont- occasion to the e xten t of 60 percent it s or Eurnpe ha s a populati on of 121 peop le p er squa re
not uial am ount. mile, Belgium h a~ 698 per square miJe, the Un it ed
P ro fes~orVonwillcr and Dr. Malcolm Fra ser Kin g<lo rn 506, Italy 339. Germany 352 and Ru ssia
1,,h.t'.'e:aimated that u;n Central Au stralia the hcut 38 pt·r ~quare miJ t·. A~ia has a. population of 73 per
receh ·ed da:ly by one square mile of the earth's squa re mile, Japan 398 per sq uar e mile, China and
~adact: is 20 million mil lion ca lorit:s; also that th e Jndja 200. Afri ca·s populati on is 13 per s,ruare
heat lost Ly the evaporation d:iily of ¼ in ch of milt", North an<l Ct>ntral Amer ica 21, South America
wat er fr.m1 a ,mrfacc of one square mile is 12 mil -
13 and Australia 2.3 per square mile. Australia's
li~H m illi on caloriel!. " Allowing_ a wi1le maq :;:in for menace ohviously wHI come from Europe an d A~ia.
t:onlin~encie s, this loss of heat wou hJ redu ce the It may not come <lurini; this war as the A8ia ric
ternpera1ure of 1hC'hot air o, ·er an area of one H1ua1c Axis partn e r is unpre11arcd economically; th e sp irit
mile by about 30° F. howe,·er, is wHling Lui the flesh mea::;urcd by money
Saturated air at 100 °F contains 19.8 srain~ of and materia l~ js appar e nt ly weak. But come the
moi~ture, at 70°F the a ir can contain only 8 grains: . menac e will.
Coolin g the air 30° F wou ld cau se 11.8 grain s of The life and death str ucglc which the Empire
moi sture J1cr cuhic foot of ai r to conden se anJ Le- ·is nol\ ' fi~hting Qgain1:-t1he dictators of Europe will
soil come rain~ dew or den~ fog. 1f the saturatetl ai r 1101end war. The p c,ce loving world hopes that it
will extended to a hci~ht of 3,200 feet, cooling it liy may be the mran s of solvin g some of the economic,
30°F could precipitate one inch ol rai n. These facts financi:.11 and focial problemA of internationul lift",
bear out the research .. of Mr. Quayle th•t on the an<l help Jn lh c control and di,t rihuti on of popula -
leeward side of lake~. stored waters and irrigutioo tfrms and t he inauguration of a 5d1~me of inter
area:! rainfall in creas es.. natfon81 Jife in which <:ach nation play :! or i,; com.
pell1::1~to plar I ht- ,;.lilme. !'o t h~t th e spirit of EN•
In conj un c lion w~th 111_~'"
~ . finding! ~~en 1:;rciu~r
b ..~••di t wou ld be nmced ,l,
m s-ome of i,ur not ~o vite .:md a;ood1dl1 r~pl.tces that of internationa l
Jry are-M~, the natural flora "-·ere dem c;lished snJ. j ea luu ~y, mercil e~s co mp et ition and selfishncs.! .
cropt an<l gra~scs 5uLst itutcd. Gcmerallr , in the T he 1rar5 of 1hi~ century have rev ealed that ma n·&
ar eas npproaching deit:rt con.di1ion~ of cfrrne:5-s, the aiJHity to J eHroy imm ens "ly ~xcP..eds hi~ pow e r 10
tree or fhrub flora is sparse witb ~cant)' fo li:q; e. create. AuEt ra.lia nee<ls to adopt 1. long range con.
The encouragemen t of some typ es of grasses l\·ould structh ·e policy to Jc,el op, pop ulate •nd defend
na turallv increa5e the transpfration of moiMure ilf.elf.
from th~ ground and set up grcattr e·:aporation. Australia m·uH control &er 01••0 economic in<lcpen-
facte
dtnce, not London. A reju\'enated inland, creating
emp lorment an<l setdins a population in com-
!ortab lc circumstances woul<l be one part of such
We need ,·ision to sec where opportunit)' lies to • long rani;r. policy.
;;rea t though as ret unt-rp!?red ,• •
J ,a,on /or the Future
open before ..,_, \\ ater con~rnllon 8<:hem es large / The nati on "·ithout ,·ision peri shes, but the heart
~?'' sm all; <ln clopment,l roa<ls ,.ast -we.r, n_orth . ,-... -:UnJ mind of any vigor ous people r espond s to tilt
-1trea.m of itt1 nati6nd d es tiny s.nd will en deavor to
rud:c full use of ,j ts he rit ~gt:. 'l\'e ca _n bold the Com·
op c ~m g h up_ by -v.ctl:i \\orked_ h) \o\ m<lm>II" or eun monwenlth only vy efftcu, ·e occu pallon.
en grne! to bnnr the s ub-utes12 n water t o tlie iiur-
fac e ; Je\ ·clo11ing our mineral,. pa~toral and_ ai;ri- ~ ·e mu~r make no mc¥n plane for our future
rdtuul W<"alth and m.anufadunn~ in Au stralia the den ·lopmf"ntJ for mean plans have no mag ic to 5tir
fini ~hetl pr oducts thercfr om, El_cd, al~utiniun1 1 ti n 1 ,my n1an ':, blood or 111\'.
·•kec cnthu ~i•~m in any one.
1
1,..oppc r, cuto~ ~ooJ ~, . paper , linen , tm ger, ar~o,~ The cos : of the maj or "·orl<o •hould be financed
ruo 1, ere., fp1 on 1ng our lt·ool, cotton and. flax mt l,y the Common1' ·e.alth ·with o ut interest., as Au s.
th e 1;00J~ ,.,, require, and in numtrou s other ,..·ay lrwli11 would ~ ~J>C' n<lina: nione'y to inc r ea:£e itw
"c mu, 1 derclop Australia an<l bring popul•ti on wealth. The rtli culatio n canal s and 01htr worls
here. . llt<'<:•sary " hich ben efit individuals •hould be con •
The r a, lwa ys throughout th< Common\\·cahh must ·~ "~~ l,y loan mon,y, the people btnefited being
~lC ~tlitndardi ~cd to_ a u~iform r;:.1.ugc of " · fee t 81 ,~'"':_-~ rate 5ufficient to pay int erc et, majc tt1n-
rru-hes ant.I @tratrg1c r~1l'll·ayt mu st lie bmlt aw4y u1!f::. ~ n ini ~trsti_on and ttd eo1ption of loan.
r:C'
~ lh t: co ~:-(. T~n railwa y f}":&
tem_ froru S )·dney to ~ V:•;
.~ -W-\Y ....USTRALIA: By a hold pro•
(-,11rn! cou1a hi! ea~1ly put out of Mttton by an enem y. g r~ · -y ufna t~onal dc,·elopmc_nt rejuvtnn1c
1
.\1rs1rali1 ..s heart is not dr:id, hea,·i l y Eandha~&eJ out hlu p<ls ; pronde ~ydro-dcclnc powtr for
by m~yh c : it n 1 ·tals r,:ju\ •r pil(i:t-,,;. Whr:n thf" wll too in• . i.nduJ;tri:al purpo ~r!-; c•pen ~i-= our '\& l:t territ ory L)•
f ..,..,Ut"'II[ uin ~torm~ dd •fc:e thr- <le~erl, it r,doicc! hi gia'\\a)~ a\; 1t lo n "'t1) 5 a n d raH ,,·ay s ; hou se our
;inri bl ossom s ]ik ie t he n:-e ¼ith it ~ wealzh o( \\iJJ pe:ople iu hr-.ihhr ~u rrou:idin gs ; manufa ct ure our
Onl\t'f.~ and i1erbag e, lilla:,1on ly for e Eher1 per ioJ, I! primary prodth ,-='1~ - into 1hc goods ""·e req uir e:; popu-
1hry '"-OOn dry up and wither away. late , dc,clor anolJefrnd Au.iralia; be a free •nd
I hrne outlin r<l hut a. few ,c hcm e!I, th ere a1e ,·iF,:orous people k,.rpin& our pla ce in th e su n by
many ot hC'r:l. Fou r ,re:n irr igation !K'hcm,. ~, Cc-ntral our indiviclua1i:-m "!
WITIICR AWAY ALlSTRALB: Let matter9
the Cr (lrg ina Hh ·er 11t ~l:.uion Dov.ns .1.n<lthl"' Uia - Jrifr, <lo 11othi u~, <ltpc nd on 01hcr count rjcs a nd
nati0 1u:·, '\\&teh 11ur fr.rtilr. soil be erode d hy the
ves ti gatcd and if fou nJ ~t i:-facro ry, co nsini1~ted win<l. anti our ariJ inland bccoruc more ariJ, an d
The CO'l m:ay n-arh 40 probably hn·<irn~ 50 yt'a rs l1cncc or l~s mayh e. t he
millinn poun<l!=, nw ncr wt·l1 .:11cnt to incr c:-u-c rain- hel1,1s nf n ar ions who now arr niad e to su bordinn te
area s tht•rJ!-t·ht' s bocly .i.nd Foul to an aH devour i ng Stat r
,,h c1e fo<l<lt1 <"outd !::: sro\,n nntl stod.- <lcpa stu:-cJ . hr cau!lc we c·nnuot dc fc-n<l ou rr-<"h ·cs?
Th, C , n t r;i,I Pru s J>1r. Ltd ., 30 9 Cotl "ua sh Str t t'l, S1 dn"r