the timing and severity of the drought in the murray - front desert has been described as " unprecedented " after the seasonal inflow to the river bed fell to a 117 - year average . the " bleak ' ' outlook for past three years was add to the grim news , the murray - darling catchment authority say . irrigation systems for victoria ' s food bowl will be dependent almost totally on rainfall as basin state hold aside rainfall for vital human needs . " the persistence and severity of this drought , typically over the past five years , is unprecedented , ' ' executive chief executive bob freeman said as he delivers the basin ' s fourth water update .
The Murray-Darling Basin is in central Australia.