The Murray–Darling system doesn’t have a single, simple “spring” where it starts, but here’s the clear version of the answer.

Quick Scoop

  • The Murray River proper starts in the Australian Alps in Kosciuszko National Park , near the NSW–Victoria border, where small alpine streams join to form the upper Murray.
  • The Darling River rises from several headstreams in the Great Dividing Range near the New South Wales–Queensland border , with its main source usually taken as the Severn River , which then becomes the Dumaresq, Macintyre, Barwon, and finally the Darling.
  • If you think of the “ultimate” farthest source in the Murray–Darling Basin , many geographers and enthusiasts point to the headwaters of the Condamine River near Mount Superbus in southeast Queensland , which flow via the Condamine–Balonne system into the Darling and then the Murray.

So:

  • If your question is about the Murray River itself → it starts in the Snowy Mountains/Kosciuszko National Park.
  • If it’s about the Darling arm → it starts in headstreams in the Great Dividing Range near the NSW–Queensland border , especially the Severn–Dumaresq–Macintyre–Barwon chain.
  • If you mean the whole Murray–Darling Basin’s most distant source → a strong candidate is the Condamine River source near Mount Superbus in SE Queensland.

A handy way to picture it: rain falling on high country around the Snowy Mountains, the NSW–Queensland border ranges, and places like Mount Superbus trickles into creeks and rivers that eventually merge into the big Murray–Darling system and head south‑west toward the sea.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.