Complex sentence: In the 19th century, paddle steamers were used on the Murray-Darling Basin to transport produce such as wool and wheat but the water levels are highly unreliable, making the river impassable for large parts of the year.
Split into simpler sentences: In the 19th century, paddle steamers were used on the Murray-Darling Basin to transport produce such as wool and wheat. However, the water levels of the inland waterways are highly unreliable, making the rivers impassable for large parts of the year.