There are two rivers named Macdonald River in New South Wales, Australia. See Macdonald River
The Macdonald River in northern New South Wales is the headwater of the Namoi River. It rises east of Niangala on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales. The river then flows generally north west after its confluence with its major tributary, the Cobrabald River, before it passes through the villages of Woolbrook and Bendemeer. The river continues through Warrabah National Park where its name changes to the Namoi River, the Namoi then continues on to Manilla where it meets the Manilla River.
Trout fishing is possible in the waters of the Macdonald River, its creeks and tributaries upstream of the New England Highway road bridge at Bendemeer.
The Namoi River Snapping Turtle or Bell's turtle (Elseya belli) is a species of turtle found only in the upper reaches of the Namoi River, Gwydir River and Macdonald Rivers on the North West Slopes of NSW, Australia. [1]
In 1985 the New England Highway bypassed Bendemeer village by using the newly constructed TA Perry Bridge which crossed the Macdonald River to the south-east of the village.[2]
On 28 and 29 November 2008, torrential rain caused severe flooding in the Macdonald River and led to the area being declared a natural disaster area.[3]