The Paroo River, a series of waterholes, connected in wet weather as a running stream of the Darling catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the South West region of Queensland and Far West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the home of the Paarkantji people.
Paroo is the local Aboriginal word for the bony bream fish, which are common in the river.
The river rises in the gorge country of western Queensland south of the Mariala National Park, and flows generally south and spreads into the vast floodplains of New South Wales, eventually reaching the Paroo overflow lakes. Most commonly, the Paroo River terminates on the floodplain south of Wanaaring; and only reaches the Darling River in the wettest of years, otherwise spilling into the Paroo River Wetlands. The river is joined by forty-three minor tributaries; as it descends 242 metres over its 1,210-kilometre course.
