in Victoria, though locks in weirs have to be negotiated * * * One such weir is at the New South Wales outback town of Wentworth, where the Darling River joins the Murray * * * The bustling city of Echuca in Victoria claims to be the paddlesteamer capital of Australia, with the biggest operating fleet of these boats, many of them restored 19th century vessels. Nowadays they carry tourists rather than rural production The Murray's wildlife: probably the most notable and majestic are the Australian pelicans. But there are many other species, too. In some areas near the river, the threatened southern hairy-nosed wombat has its complex systems of burrows. The wombat in the photograph is at a riverside rehabilitation centre, where injured, sick and orphaned wombats are cared for. A crepuscular or twilight animal, it's rarely seen in daylight From the left, a male darter dries his wings, just a few metres from his brood of three in their nest in a tree overhanging the water's edge. A great egret waits for a meal in the shallows, a yellow-billed spoonbill waits similarly on a branch over the water, and a great cormorant perches on a snag A whistling kite waits for prey; a Pacific black duck comes close to the camera, probably expecting a meal; a Regent parrot, another river resident, one that's endangered because of loss of habitat (this one is a captive specimen); a pair of galahs perches high in a riverside tree; another cockatoo, a