Molonglo River

river, Australia

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The Molonglo River is a tributary of the Murrumbidgee River, which flows through the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in Australia. The Molonglo River runs through the center of Canberra, where it has been dammed to create Lake Burley Griffin, a significant landscape feature in the city. Smaller tributaries of the Molonglo have also been dammed to form ornamental lakes that help manage drainage in urban areas of Canberra. The Molonglo River's drainage basin is part of the larger Murrumbidgee River system, which is a major tributary of the Murray River.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Australian Capital Territory
Drainage and soils
Another major tributary is the Molonglo River, which runs through the centre of the city, where it is dammed to form Lake Burley Griffin, one of the major landscape design features in the centre of Canberra. Smaller tributaries have been dammed to form ornamental lakes that serve also as basins…
Read More
Another major tributary is the Molonglo River, which runs through the centre of the city, where it is dammed to form Lake Burley Griffin, one of the major landscape design features in the centre of Canberra. Smaller tributaries have been dammed to form ornamental lakes that serve also as basins…
Read More