They went west from Sydney until they reached the Murrumbidgee near the present site of Jugiong and traveled along the river bank as far as the Lachlan River . From there Sturt used a small boat to travel down the river and reached the Murray River on 14 January 14 1830 . In January 1830 Sturt 's party reached the confluence of the Murrumbidgee and a much larger river , which Sturt named the Murray River .