From the foot of Peppercorn Hill

I flow, from a boggy heath in 

the Snowy;

I journey by Canberra,

then map my mighty course

past Gundagai and Wagga,

to where the Murray waits. 

My river’s tale is fraught

with a dozen deadly floods,

yet my relentless waters 

bless Riverina farms.

Since the dawn of time I’ve been

Australia’s Big Water —

the Murrumbidgee River,

the life source of my land.

Teacher’s note: The Murrumbidgee is Australia’s second longest river, edging the Darling into third place by a few kilometres. “Murrumbidgee”, in Wiradjuri language, means “Big Water”.  The photograph shows the Murrumbidgee at Wagga Wagga.