Summary heading

Drought at Burrinjuck Dam, Murrumbidgee - 1968

Descriptive note

In 1968 a wide area of south-eastern Australia was severely afflicted by the worst drought and hottest summer on record. Rich grazing pastures that produced Australia’s best wool and beef became dustbowls of bare red earth. Thousands of head of stock were moved to other areas on agistment while thousands more died of starvation and thirst in the paddocks and on the stock routes. Major rivers ceased to flow, dams were emptied and southern cities had heavy domestic water restrictions. This was the scene at the big Burrinjuck Dam, main source of water for the vast fruit and vegetable-growing Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. At this stage it held only three per cent of its storage capacity of 837,000 acre-ft of water. The 40-miles long lake-bed was a crazed pattern of dried-out mud, uncovered for the first time since it was submerged in 1927. The cracks were two to three feet deep and moved when walked upon. Up to 150ft depth of water covered the lake-bed two years previously. (368) AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION SERVICE PHOTOGRAPH by W Pedersen. Pastoral-Drought L69804