Bradfield Scheme
Encyclopedia
The Bradfield Scheme is an inland irrigation
project designed to irrigate and drought
-proof much of the Queensland
interior, as well as large areas of South Australia
. It was devised by Dr John Job Crew Bradfield (1867-1943), a Queensland born civil engineer, who also designed the Sydney Harbour Bridge
and Brisbane's Story Bridge
. Some people consider the plan to be lacking in scientific justification, excessively expensive, and overly optimistic. There have been no attempts to implement the plan although the plan is frequently raised.
The scheme that Dr Bradfield proposed in 1938 requires large pipes
, tunnels, pumps and dams. It involves diverting water from the upper reaches of the Tully
, Herbert
and Burdekin
rivers. These Queensland
rivers are fed by the monsoon, and currently flow east to the Coral Sea
. The water would enter the Thomson River on the other side of the Great Dividing Range
and eventually flow south west to Lake Eyre
. An alternative plan was to divert water into the Flinders River
.
No evidence to support the theory that an inland sea would increase rainfall has ever been produced, nor have any of the other claims been supported.
The extreme evaporation
rate in the interior is another negative determinant. No clear evidence has been provided that the amount of water supplied will exceed the evaporation rate. The reduction in river discharge to the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon may diminish coastal fisheries by reducing the supply of terrestrial organic matter to the coastal and estuarine environment.
In his early seventies, around the year 1940, Bradfield put considerable time and energy into publicizing a plan to irrigate the western districts of Queensland and part of Central Australia
by damming certain coastal rivers and running water-pipes through the Great Dividing Range. Aspects of this scheme, and especially his lack of scientific evidence, were publicly attacked by G. W. Leeper of the school of agricultural science at the University of Melbourne.
who advocated the plan whilst National Party member for the state seat of Flinders during the 1980s and continues to support it as an independent in federal parliament. In February 2007, the then Queensland Premier Peter Beattie urged the Federal Government to look at a modern version, saying it is better to find more water than to cut back on current supplies.
In contrast to this, the scheme is often amongst the policies of a number of minor parties and independent candidates. The website of Adrian Watts states, This scheme was seen during World War II and much of the twentieth century, as an essential step in building a secure and prosperous nation. It was regarded as the next great water engineering project to build after the Snowy Mountains Scheme
. A modified scheme was also strongly supported by Queensland independent senate candidate Selwyn Johnston at the 2007 Australian federal election.
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
project designed to irrigate and drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
-proof much of the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
interior, as well as large areas of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. It was devised by Dr John Job Crew Bradfield (1867-1943), a Queensland born civil engineer, who also designed the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
and Brisbane's Story Bridge
Story Bridge, Brisbane
The Story Bridge is a cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River. Part of Bradfield Highway , it connects Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point. Before the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932 the Government of Queensland asked John Bradfield to design a new bridge in Brisbane...
. Some people consider the plan to be lacking in scientific justification, excessively expensive, and overly optimistic. There have been no attempts to implement the plan although the plan is frequently raised.
The scheme that Dr Bradfield proposed in 1938 requires large pipes
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
, tunnels, pumps and dams. It involves diverting water from the upper reaches of the Tully
Tully River
The Tully River is a river situated within the Cassowary Coast Region of North Queensland, named after William Alcock Tully, Queensland Surveyor-General from 1875-89.The Bruce Highway crosses the river south of Tully...
, Herbert
Herbert River
The Herbert River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The southernmost of Queensland's wet tropics river systems, it is named after Robert George Wyndham Herbert , the first Premier of Queensland...
and Burdekin
Burdekin River
The Burdekin River in Queensland, Australia rises on the western slope of the Seaview Range and flows into the Pacific Ocean at Upstart Bay over 200 km to the southeast of the source. The river was first encountered by Europeans during the expedition led by Ludwig Leichhardt in 1845 and named...
rivers. These Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
rivers are fed by the monsoon, and currently flow east to the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
. The water would enter the Thomson River on the other side of the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
and eventually flow south west to Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
. An alternative plan was to divert water into the Flinders River
Flinders River
The Flinders River is the longest river in Queensland, Australia at about . The river rises in the Burra Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, 110 km northeast of Hughenden and flows in a westerly direction past Hughenden, Richmond and Julia Creek then northwest to the Gulf of Carpentaria...
.
Possible benefits
- Availability of additional fresh water in arid areas.
- Controlling and reducing the flow of northern rivers into the ocean may benefit the Great Barrier ReefGreat Barrier ReefThe Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
as fresh water causes coral bleachingCoral bleachingCoral bleaching is the loss of intracellular endosymbionts through either expulsion or loss of algal pigmentation.The corals that form the structure of the great reef ecosystems of tropical seas depend upon a symbiotic relationship with unicellular flagellate protozoa, called zooxanthellae, that...
, and the excess nutrientNutrientA nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment. They are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to and used as energy...
s in the rivers from coastal farming and development support algal growth that can harm the reef. - The scheme would reduce the massive natural erosionErosionErosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
problems in areas of Central Queensland. - Extra water and vegetationVegetationVegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
in the interior may then produce changes to the climate of AustraliaClimate of AustraliaThe climate of Australia varies widely, but by far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid – 40% of the landmass is covered by sand dunes. Only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil...
. This may increase the rainfall in areas of Southern Queensland and Northern New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. Extra rainfall may drought-proof Eastern Queensland, and thereby improve river inflows to the Murray-Darling River systemMurray-Darling BasinThe Murray-Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, whose name is derived from its two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River. It drains one-seventh of the Australian land mass, and is currently by far the most significant agricultural...
. This in turn may drought-proof much of New South Wales and VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. - The elimination of severe periods of high temperatures in Adelaide during summer, since they are caused largely by the drawing of hot air down through the Eyre basin. A full Lake Eyre would moderate the air temperature in the region by the aborption of sunlight by the water instead of heat radiation from dry land into the air.
- It would provide large areas suitable for the production of algae fuelAlgae fuelAlgae fuel might be an alternative to fossil fuel and uses algae as its source of natural deposits. Several companies and government agencies are funding efforts to reduce capital and operating costs and make algae fuel production commercially viable...
, a type of biofuel. - The catchment area of the Herbert RiverHerbert RiverThe Herbert River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The southernmost of Queensland's wet tropics river systems, it is named after Robert George Wyndham Herbert , the first Premier of Queensland...
holds a population of about 18,000, 75% of whom dwell in the lower flood plain area. Diverting some water from this river would reduce the risk of flood.
No evidence to support the theory that an inland sea would increase rainfall has ever been produced, nor have any of the other claims been supported.
Objections
Bradfield's scheme and others have been criticised because they are not practical. This scheme has been criticised because of the high capital and ongoing running costs which would make the project uneconomic.The extreme evaporation
Evaporation
Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
rate in the interior is another negative determinant. No clear evidence has been provided that the amount of water supplied will exceed the evaporation rate. The reduction in river discharge to the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon may diminish coastal fisheries by reducing the supply of terrestrial organic matter to the coastal and estuarine environment.
In his early seventies, around the year 1940, Bradfield put considerable time and energy into publicizing a plan to irrigate the western districts of Queensland and part of Central Australia
Central Australia
Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...
by damming certain coastal rivers and running water-pipes through the Great Dividing Range. Aspects of this scheme, and especially his lack of scientific evidence, were publicly attacked by G. W. Leeper of the school of agricultural science at the University of Melbourne.
Support
The Bradfield Scheme has not received broad political support from any of the major Australian parties in recent times however it has been pushed by individual politicians such as Bob KatterBob Katter
Robert Carl "Bob" Katter is an Australian federal politician, a member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1993 for the Division of Kennedy, and the leader of Katter's Australian Party...
who advocated the plan whilst National Party member for the state seat of Flinders during the 1980s and continues to support it as an independent in federal parliament. In February 2007, the then Queensland Premier Peter Beattie urged the Federal Government to look at a modern version, saying it is better to find more water than to cut back on current supplies.
In contrast to this, the scheme is often amongst the policies of a number of minor parties and independent candidates. The website of Adrian Watts states, This scheme was seen during World War II and much of the twentieth century, as an essential step in building a secure and prosperous nation. It was regarded as the next great water engineering project to build after the Snowy Mountains Scheme
Snowy Mountains Scheme
The Snowy Mountains scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. It consists of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts and was constructed between 1949 and 1974. The Chief engineer was Sir...
. A modified scheme was also strongly supported by Queensland independent senate candidate Selwyn Johnston at the 2007 Australian federal election.
See also
- Goldfields Water Supply SchemeGoldfields Water Supply SchemeThe Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is a pipeline and dam project which delivers potable water to communities in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, particularly Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie...
- Irrigation in AustraliaIrrigation in AustraliaIrrigation in Australia is a widespread practice to supplement low rainfall levels in Australia with water from other sources to assist in the production of crops or pasture. As the driest inhabited continent, irrigation is required in many areas for production of crops for domestic and export use...
- Ord River Irrigation Scheme
External links
- Watering inland Australia, Document study for secondary students, National Archives of Australia. An associated 14 page PDF includes:
- pg.3) Document 1 - Letter from LBS Reid to Prime Minister Chifley, 26 November 1946.
- pg.5) Document 3 - "Australia's Greatest Menace", extract from address to the Australian Wool Growers Council, 9 June 1943.
- pp. 7-8) Document 5 - Pamphlet: Watering inland Australia, 27 November 1946.
- pg.12) Document 9 - "Standard reply for enquiries on Bradfield's Scheme", Dept of Post-War Reconstruction, c 1945
- pg.13) Document 10 - Letter from S.A. Premier's office to Director-General of Post War Reconstruction, explaining the impracticality of an 'inland sea', 30 April 1945.
- Evaporation would consume a quantity of water about twice the flow of the River Murray.
- A channel from Spencer's Gulf to Lake Eyre would cost about 250,000,000.
- No scientific evidence that an Inland Sea would greatly increase rainfall.
- pg.14) Document 11 - "Suggested Answer" to question-without-notice explaining the impracticality of the Bradfield Scheme, 14 November 1946.
- Estimated costs are too conservative.
- Estimates of water made available are too optimistic.
- No material increase in rainfall is likely to accrue.
- The climate of the regions is unlikely to be materially affected.