Goulburn River

Coordinates: 36°6′11″S 144°49′47″E / 36.10306°S 144.82972°E / -36.10306; 144.82972
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the New South Wales river, see Goulburn River (New South Wales).

Goulburn
Echuca
Physical characteristics
SourceCorn Hill, Victorian Alps, Great Dividing Range
 • locationnear Woods Point
 • coordinates37°32′13″S 146°11′22″E / 37.53694°S 146.18944°E / -37.53694; 146.18944
 • elevation1,210 m (3,970 ft)
Echuca
 • coordinates
36°6′11″S 144°49′47″E / 36.10306°S 144.82972°E / -36.10306; 144.82972
 • elevation
100 m (330 ft)
Length654 km (406 mi)
Basin size23,916 km2 (9,234 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average84 m3/s (3,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Broken River
National parksLower Goulburn National Park
[8]

The Goulburn River, a major inland

Waranga Basin
.

Location and features

Goulburn River near its source at Woods Point, 2012

The river rises below Corn Hill on the southwestern slopes of the Victorian Alps, south of

course.[8]

In addition to being the longest river in Victoria, the Goulburn also has the highest discharge and the highest annual flow of any river in Victoria. The area surrounding the river is very productive as a result of irrigated agriculture.[10] The Goulburn (Along with the Upper Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers) accounts for 45% of the Murray-Darling Basin's total runoff. By contrast, the Darling basin contributes just 31.7% of the basin's total runoff.[11]

River quality

Much of the flow is extracted, and the river is very heavily regulated, which has strongly affected the river's ecosystem. With recent years[

Murray-Darling basin, with the Goulburn and Murrumbidgee rivers both rated in a very poor condition in the Murray-Darling basin with fish stocks in both rivers were also rated as extremely poor.[12]

Recreation

The lower course of the Goulburn River at Murchison, 2009

The Goulburn Heritage River was declared in 1992 in recognition of its unique natural, recreational, scenic and cultural values. In June 2010, the

River Red Gum forests in Victoria. Red River Gum forests line the Goulburn River for most of its length, reaching up to 45 metres (148 ft) in height and live more than 500 years. The trees need periods of flooding and can survive inundation for months. Their seeds are washed onto higher ground during a flood and germinate and grow before the next flood reaches them. Hollows and broken branches provide nesting for galahs, cockatoos, cockatiels and various parrots, while fallen branches provide habitat for other animals.[13]

Additional activities on the river include canoeing, sightseeing and picnicking, swimming, and fishing, with

freshwater crayfish found in the lower reaches of the river.[13] In the upper reaches, there are extensive forests of very tall mountain ash and mixed species and may be described as typical trout streams.[14]

Etymology

In the Aboriginal

Taungurung language, the river has several names: Warring, meaning "big or large water";[2] Bayyango, where Thomas Mitchell noted that this word appeared to be a generic word for river,[7] and (also in the Ngurai-illam Wurrung dialect/language) Omio with no clearly defined meaning.[6] In the Yorta Yorta language, the river has several names: Koninner, meaning "the country at the junction of the Murray and Goulburn rivers;[3] Gungupna, with gupna meaning "deep waterholes";[4] and Gaiyila, meaning "father of waters".[5]

Hamilton Hume and William Hovell explored the area in 1824, naming the Goulburn River in honour of Major Frederick Goulburn, the first Colonial Secretary of New South Wales.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Goulburn River: 2003: Historical Information". Vicnames. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Goulburn River: 3776: Historical Information: Warring". 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Goulburn River: 3771: Historical Information: Koninner". 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Goulburn River: 3774: Historical Information: Gungupna". 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Goulburn River: 3773: Historical Information: Gaiyila". 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Goulburn River: 3775: Historical Information: Omio". 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Goulburn River: 3772: Historical Information: Bayyango". 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Map of Goulburn River". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  9. Victorian Government
    . Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Food Production in the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District". Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Surface water in the Basin | Murray-Darling Basin Authority". Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  12. ^ Sustainable Rivers Audit (PDF). Murray-Darling Basin Commission. June 2008. pp. 14, 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
  13. ^
    Victorian Government
    . June 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  14. Victorian Government. 28 January 2014. Archived from the original
    on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Goulburn River.
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