Local spatial patterns in flow hydraulics generate temporal variations in bedload transport rates. The nature of this local spatial variability changes as larger spatial scales are considered. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that spatial variability in bedload transport is a function of river pattern defined at the reach scale. A high-resolution system-scale DEM, which fuses bathymetric and topographic surveys, is used for two-dimensional hydraulic modelling to predict distributions of flow depth, velocity and shear stress. From this modelling, we predict bedload transport rates in four contiguous reaches with different (meandering, wandering, braided, deltaic) river patterns. Spatial and frequency distributions of bedload transport rate reveal distinct signatures associated with each river pattern. The results enable the real-world variance in the continuum of river patterns and bedload transport to be characterised, with implications for assessing channel change from, for example, anthropogenic modification and restoration.