Todd River

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Todd River
The dry riverbed of the Todd River
Origin	MacDonnell Ranges
Basin countries	Australia
Basin area	445 km²

The Todd River is an ephemeral river in the southern Northern Territory, central Australia. It originates in the MacDonnell Ranges, north of the town of Alice Springs. After flowing through Heavitree Gap at Alice Springs, the Todd runs east then southeast into the Simpson Desert, ultimately merging with the Hale River about 240 km southeast of the town. The combined rivers flood out between the dunes a short distance further south.

The indigenous Arrernte people know this river as Lhere Mparntwe (pronounced ler-ra m-barn-twa).

The Todd is in a very arid part of Australia and has zero to very low flow during 95% of the year. When it does flow, it carries a heavy sediment load picked up from the grazing land around the Bond Springs homestead which lend its waters a milky chocolate colour and renders them completely opaque.

[edit] Significance to Alice Springs

The Todd River is integral to the city of Alice Springs, with its CBD built on the edge of the river. A large portion of the Alice Springs municipal area is situated on a flood plain of the Todd River, created by flooding upstream of the east-west barrier created by the Heavitree Range, a local segment of the MacDonnell Ranges.

Todd River during a rare flood event, Wills Terrace Causeway, Alice Springs, 31 March 1988

The Todd runs south through this range at Heavitree Gap along with the main road and rail links connecting Alice Springs to Adelaide. Heavy flows of the Todd can cut road and rail access, and the bottle neck effect of the Gap can cause flooding in many parts of the town.

Heavy rainfalls in the catchment to the north of Alice Springs cause the river to start flowing through the town around 6 to 8 hours later. The river can change from its normal dry bed to a bank-to-bank flow within a matter of 15 minutes, and it is possible to follow the leading edge of the flow as it snakes through town at a walking pace.

The riverbed contains sites and trees sacred to the local Arrente people.

[edit] Recreation and Social Events

The Henley-on-Todd Regatta has been held in Alice Springs annually since 1961. The ironic regatta is held on the dry riverbed, and draws up to 20,000 spectators. Bottomless boats are picked up by the competitors standing within them and running down the course. The regatta carries insurance against the risk of water in the riverbed. The Henley-on-Todd Regatta has once been cancelled, in 1993, due to flooding - the river had too much water for the race. [1]

Other events are held in the dry riverbed, including the closing ceremony for the 2006 Alice Festival.

Camping in the riverbed is illegal, although this law is rarely enforced.

A flow of water in the river is quite an event for the people of Alice Springs, who flock to the causeways and the Telegraph Station to play in the fleeting waters. Although the riverbed is wide and of gentle gradient through the town the opaque waters combined with trees, waterborne and man-made hazards make playing in the flowing river dangerous.

Upstream from Alice Springs the Todd River descends quite rapidly, dropping 100 metres from Junction Waterhole to the Telegraph Station over 8km of River length (5km direct). This is a hilly area, and the river bed is strewn with rocks creating some lively rapids during the short-lived flood events. Many locals are wary of these waters, remembering the death of a local man in 1997 who drowned whilst riding the river on a lilo. Local paddlers have recently taken to kayaking this excellent section of grade 2 to 3 rapids.