Goodradigbee River

The Goodradigbee River rises below Mount Morgan on the northern side of the Snowy Mountains, at around 1,650 m, and flows generally north-west for about 105 km through the Brindabella Valley before joining the Murrumbidgee River at Lake Burrinjuck. Its name is said to mean “water running over rocks” — a fitting description for a river that spends much of its course tumbling through steep, rocky, forested country in New South Wales.

Description

The river flows through the Brindabella Valley, sitting below the western ridgeline of the Brindabella Range, gathering flow from around fifteen minor tributaries including Brindabella Creek and Flea Creek along the way. It passes through the small settlement of Brindabella itself before continuing north-west toward Wee Jasper and its eventual confluence with the Murrumbidgee at Lake Burrinjuck.

Habitat and ecological role

The Goodradigbee runs through largely forested, mountainous catchment on the western side of the Brindabella Range, part of the broader Murrumbidgee system within the Murray–Darling Basin. Like the Cotter on the other side of the range, it supports a trout fishery, with stretches accessible to anglers in season.

Whitewater paddling

This river holds some of the best whitewater paddling in the ACT/NSW region, in my opinion, with sections suited to every level from beginner to advanced. The best-known stretch, McDonalds to Flea Creek, is an advanced section of continuous grade 3/4+ whitewater — relentless, technical, and one of the standout advanced runs anywhere near Canberra. If you’re building toward bigger water, this is the run to aim for.

Position in this vault

The Goodradigbee River runs through Wet sclerophyll foest much of its course and drains the western flank of the Brindabella Ranges running through the Brindabella Valley on the New South Wales side — the mirror-image counterpart to the Cotter River on he ACT side of the range.