The river is a continuation of the
Condamine River. After flowing through
Surat the river flows south south-westerly down through the
E.J. Beardmore Dam (Lake Kajarabie). The Narran River flows into
Narran Wetlands. The
Bokhara River joins with the
Barwon River west of
Brewarrina. The confluence of the Culgoa River (a western branch of the Balonne River) and the Barwon River (which includes a former central branch of the Balonne) forms the start of the
Darling River. The Balonne-Condamine
catchment area is , of which an area of is composed of riverine
wetlands and is
estuarine wetlands. The five longest tributaries of the Balonne River are the Condamine River, the
Maranoa River, Dogwood Creek, Yuleba Creek and Tartulla Creek. At St George, the river is crossed by the
Andrew Nixon Bridge which carries the
Balonne Highway.
Water storage E.J. Beardmore Dam was formed by the construction of a
weir in 1972 at the junction of the Maranoa and Balonne Rivers. When the dam is full the water backs up for along the Balonne. Downstream from Beardmore Dam is the
Jack Taylor Weir, which was built in 1953. On the Balonne tributary, Dogwood Creek there is another weir, the
Gill Weir, which can hold . ==History==