Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR) is a national guideline document, data and software suite that can be used for the estimation of design flood characteristics in Australia. This is the 4th edition of ARR, after the 1st edition was released by Engineers Australia in 1958. This edition is published and supported by the Commonwealth of Australia and is an update to the ARR 2016. Geoscience Australia supports ARR as part of its role to provide authoritative, independent information and advice to the Australian Government and other stakeholders to support risk mitigation and community resilience.

ARR is pivotal to the safety and sustainability of Australian infrastructure, communities and the environment. It is an important component in the provision of reliable and robust estimates of flood risk. Consistent use of ARR ensures that development does not occur in high risk areas and that infrastructure is appropriately designed.

How can I keep up to date with ARR updates?

The digital delivery of ARR 2019 allows minor updates to be made immediately, without changes to the edition. Minor updates could include typographical errors or improvements to formatting and figures. When major updates occur, the year will change in the title.

To keep up to date with ARR updates, subscribe to our eNews or follow Geoscience Australia's Twitter account @GeoscienceAus.

Referencing ARR

It is suggested that people refer to the full editions or directly refer to a book or chapter.

The reference for the ARR 2019 is:

Ball J, Babister M, Nathan R, Weeks W, Weinmann E, Retallick M, Testoni I, (Editors), 2019, Australian Rainfall and Runoff: A Guide to Flood Estimation, Commonwealth of Australia

When referencing specific books or chapters of Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR), the following format is recommended:

Nathan, R and Weinmann, E, 2019, Estimation of Very Rare to Extreme Floods, Book 8 in Australian Rainfall and Runoff - A Guide to Flood Estimation, Commonwealth of Australia