Barcoo River

Barcoo River
Barcoo River at Tambo, 2012
Map of the Lake Eyre Basin showing Barcoo River
Location
Country	Australia
State	Queensland
City	Blackall, Isisford, Tambo, Queensland
Physical characteristics
Source	Warrego Range
• location	east of Tambo, Central Queensland
Mouth	confluence with the Thomson River
• location	north of Windorah
Basin features
River system	Cooper Creek, Lake Eyre basin

The Barcoo River in western Queensland, Australia rises on the northern slopes of the Warrego Range, flows in a south-westerly direction and unites with the Thomson River to form Cooper Creek. The first European to see the river was Thomas Mitchell in 1846, who named it Victoria River,^[1] believing it to be the same river as that named Victoria River by J. C. Wickham in 1839. It was renamed by Edmund Kennedy after a name supplied by local Aborigines.^[2]

The waters of the river flow towards Lake Eyre in central Australia while those of rivers further east join the Murray-Darling basin and reach the sea in South Australia. The river forms a boundary between outback Australia and the "Far Outback"; legend has it that west of the Barcoo there is very little in the way of civilisation.

Tributaries include the Alice River^[3] Towns situated on the banks of the Barcoo River include Blackall, Isisford, Tambo and Retreat. The southern boundary of Welford National Park is marked by the Barcoo River and Isisford Weir has been constructed on the Barcoo.