Bradfield Scheme

The Bradfield Scheme is an inland irrigation project designed to irrigate and drought-proof much of the Queensland interior, as well as large areas of South Australia. It was devised by Dr John Job Crew Bradfield (1867–1943), a Queensland born civil engineer, who also designed the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Brisbane's Story Bridge. Some people consider the plan to be lacking in scientific justification, excessively expensive, and overly optimistic. There have been no attempts to implement the plan although the plan is frequently raised.

The scheme that Dr Bradfield proposed in 1938 requires large pipes, tunnels, pumps and dams. It involves diverting water from the upper reaches of the Tully, Herbert and Burdekin rivers. These Queensland rivers are fed by the monsoon, and currently flow east to the Coral Sea. The water would enter the Thomson River on the other side of the Great Dividing Range and eventually flow south west to Lake Eyre. An alternative plan was to divert water into the Flinders River.