DARLING

darling, a river of australia. it rises in queensland and flows into new south wales, forming for a considerable distance the boundary of the two colonies; in its upper reaches it is known as the barwon, but from bourke to its junction on the victorian border with the river murray, it is called the darling. its length is 1160 m., and with its affluents it drains an area of about 200,000 sq. m. during the dry season its course is marked by a series of shallow pools, but during the winter, when it is subject to sudden floods, it is navigable as far as bourke for steamers of light draft. excepting a narrow strip on the banks of the river, the country through which it passes is, for the most part, an arid plain.