Clarence River (New South Wales)

Coordinates: 29°25′32.6″S 153°21′19.4″E / 29.425722°S 153.355389°E / -29.425722; 153.355389
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Clarence River.

Clarence River
Big River
Grafton Bridge across the Clarence River.
EtymologyDuke of Clarence[1]
Native name
Location
Country
Bonalbo
 • elevation252 m (827 ft)
2nd sourceMaryland River
South Pacific Ocean
 • location
near Iluka and Yamba
 • coordinates
29°25′32.6″S 153°21′19.4″E / 29.425722°S 153.355389°E / -29.425722; 153.355389
Length394 km (245 mi)
Basin size22,850 km2 (8,820 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average160 m3/s (5,700 cu ft/s)
 • minimum1 m3/s (35 cu ft/s)
 • maximum20,000 m3/s (710,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftNymboida River, Mann River, Tooloom Creek, Cataract River, Orara River, Esk River
 • rightColdstream River, Timbarra River
River islandsWoodford Island, Chatsworth Island, and Harwood Island
[4]

The Clarence River (

Bonalbo, near Rivertree at the junction of Koreelah Creek and Maryland River, on the watershed that marks the border between New South Wales and Queensland. It flows generally south, south east and north east, and is joined by twenty-four tributaries including Tooloom Creek and the Mann, Nymboida, Cataract, Orara, Coldstream, Timbarra, and Esk rivers. It descends 256 metres (840 ft) over the course of its 394-kilometre (245 mi) length and empties into the Coral Sea in the South Pacific Ocean, between Iluka and Yamba.[4]

On its journey it passes through the towns of

Ulmarra, and Maclean. The river features many large river islands, including Woodford, Chatsworth, Ashby, Warregah and Harwood islands; and Susan Island Nature Reserve
. The river supports a large prawn trawling and fishing industry.

The Clarence River system is an extensive east coast drainage with many tributaries of differing size. The 195km Clarence Canoe and Kayak Trail is the longest mapped whitewater trail in Australia.[citation needed] Its basin is, together with the very similarly-sized Hawkesbury, Australia's largest Pacific watershed south of Bundaberg.[citation needed] The extremely intense rainfalls that typify the North Coast mean, however, that major floods can temporarily raise the flow of the Clarence to 24 feet, as happened in 1890.[5]

Rainfall and climate

The Bruxner Highway crossing the Clarence River at Tabulam.
Grafton Bridge over the Clarence River showing Bascule span
lifted to let shipping through. (Postcard from about 1932; The "Southern Cross" aeroplane has been added to the photograph.)
The Clarence River, as it flows past Susan Island Nature Reserve, near Grafton.

The climate of most of the basin is subtropical (

bushfires after droughts
, as occurred in 1915 and 2000.

Flooding

During Cyclone Oswald, the Clarence was subject to minor flooding, brought about due to the storm's residual effects and associated monsoon trough that passed over parts of Queensland and New South Wales. At Grafton, the river peaked at a new record height of 8.1 metres (27 ft).[6] Two years earlier, the river peaked 7.6 metres (25 ft), forcing the evacuation of 3000 people from their homes.[7] On both occasions, the city's levee was credited with preventing more severe flooding.

The local historical society has published an account of newspaper reports documenting flooding of the river from the late 1800s to 2011.[8]

Catchment land use and industry

Tourism is also a significant industry in the Clarence Valley generating around A$457million per annum and employing around 2500 people.[citation needed] Most of the Clarence basin is heavily forested, with important areas of remnant subtropical and temperate rainforest occurring all along the course. Only in alluvial areas where

sugar cane
in lower-lying areas.

Of particular interest is the small island town of Harwood, where a Sperry New Holland factory and a quaint Bush Pub overlook the Clarence delta. Harwood is also the location of the local sugar mill, the Harwood Sugar Mill built in 1873 and is the oldest Australian mill still operational. The sugar mill is situated on the river due to its importance in transporting sugar cane from farms in the surrounding area in previous times. Harwood is just after the Harwood Bridge on part of Australia's National Highway from Sydney, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour to Brisbane.

The freshwater reaches of the Clarence River support important populations of native freshwater fish including Eastern freshwater cod, an endangered fish species unique to the Clarence River system, and Australian bass.

Etymology

Southgate Ferry

The Indigenous

Yaygir people call it the Ngunitiji.[3] The Aboriginal people from the Tenterfield district used the word neyand, meaning "top" as the name for the headwaters of the river.[1]

The river remained unknown to British authorities until the mid 1830s when escaped convict Richard Craig, who had been living with Aboriginal people in the area, reported its existence. It was initially called the Big River, but this caused confusion as the Gwydir River in northern New South Wales was also colloquially known by this name.[9]

In November 1839 the

William IV, 1st Duke of Clarence and St Andrews.[1]

The local government area of the Clarence Valley Council draws its name from the river and covers the lower half of the river valley.

Crossings

Harwood (Clarence River) Bridge

There are very few fixed crossings of the Clarence River. Going downstream, these include:

  • Bridge over Hootens Rd Bonalbo
  • Bridge at Tabulam, on the Bruxner Highway
  • Ernie Baldwin Bridge, at Yates Crossing (Plain Stations Road, Clarence Way)
  • Bridge at Lilydale near Copmanhurst
  • Rogan Bridge, a bridge that carries the Rogan Bridge Rd
  • Grafton Bridge at Grafton
  • Balun Bindarray Bridge at Grafton
  • Ulmarra-Southgate Ferry at
    Ulmarra
  • Harwood Bridge at Harwood
  • Bluff Point Ferry at Lawrence

Crossings over the south arm of the Clarence River are:

Crossings over the north arm of the Clarence River are:

  • Mororo Bridge at Mororo, New South Wales
  • Warregah Island Bridge, Chatsworth Island, New South Wales
  • Sepentine Channel Bridge at Harwood

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Clarence River". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 29 January 2013. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^
    ISBN 1-875474-24-2
    . Yamba Yesterday, Howland and Lee, Yamba Centenary Committee, 1985
  3. ^ a b c Barry, Derek. "Crossing the Ngunitiji". Woolly Days. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Map of Clarence River". Bonzle.com. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  5. ^ "Historical flood information - Clarence Valley Council". www.clarence.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Thousands isolated as flood threat continues". ABC News. Australia. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  7. ^ Drummond, Andrew (21 January 2011). "People take flood in stride as thoughts turn north". The Age. Australia. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  8. ^ "Publications produced by the Society". Clarence River Historical Society Inc. 2012. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  9. ^ Milliss, Roger (1992). Waterloo Creek. Ringwood: McPhee and Gribble. p. 93.
  10. New South Wales Government Gazette
    . No. 470. New South Wales, Australia. 27 November 1839. p. 1323. Retrieved 13 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.

Further reading

  • Ford, Hazel, ed. (2011). When the rains come down the floods come up: Grafton Floods.
    ISBN 978-0-9775113-3-4
    .

External links

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