The Macquarie River or Wambuul is part of the Macquarie–Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales, Australia.
The river rises in the central highlands of New South Wales near the town of Oberon and travels generally northwest past the towns of Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Narromine, and Warren to the Macquarie Marshes. The Macquarie Marshes then drain into the Darling River via the lower Barwon River.
Lake Burrendong is a large reservoir with capacity of 1,190,000 megalitres located near Wellington which impounds the waters of the Wambuul Macquarie River and its tributaries the Cudgegong River and the Turon River for flood control and irrigation.
From its origin the Wambuul Macquarie River flows for 960 kilometres and drops around 517 metres over its length. Lake Burrendong at 346 metres is the only dam along the length of the river. Windamere dam, on the Cudgegong River, is operated in conjunction with Burrendong.
The following species of fresh water fish can be caught: brown trout, carp, eel-tailed catfish, golden perch, murray cod, rainbow trout, redfin, silver perch, trout cod and yabbies.
