Loddon River

Coordinates: 35°33′4.7″S 143°53′0.5″E / 35.551306°S 143.883472°E / -35.551306; 143.883472
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the river in Victoria, Australia. For the river in Tasmania, see
Loddon River (Tasmania). For the river in the United Kingdom, see River Loddon
.

Loddon
Victoria
EtymologyAfter River Loddon[1]
Native name
Location
CountryAustralia
State
Kerang
Physical characteristics
SourceGreat Dividing Range
 • locationMusk
 • coordinates37°24′19.5″S 144°14′31.5″E / 37.405417°S 144.242083°E / -37.405417; 144.242083
 • elevation638 m (2,093 ft)
MouthLittle Murray River
 • location
Kerang
 • coordinates
35°33′4.7″S 143°53′0.5″E / 35.551306°S 143.883472°E / -35.551306; 143.883472
 • elevation
71 m (233 ft)
Length392 km (244 mi)
Basin size15,320 km2 (5,920 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average8 m3/s (280 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Murray-Darling basin
Tributaries 
 • leftMiddleton Creek, Tarilta Creek, Larni Barramal Yaluk (Jim Crow Creek), Joyces Creek, Boundary Gully, Tullaroop Creek, Bet Bet Creek, Bullabul Creek, Hope Creek, Sheepwash Creek
 • rightMuckleford Creek, Bradford Creek, Little Creek (Loddon), Serpentine Creek, Sangus Creek, Twelve Mile Creek (Loddon), Bannacher Creek
Nature reserveUpper Loddon Flore Reserve
[4]

The Loddon River, an inland river of the north–central catchment, part of the

Victoria. The headwaters of the Loddon River rise on the northern slopes of the Great Dividing Range east of Daylesford and descend to flow north into the Little Murray River, near Swan Hill. The river is impounded by the Cairn Curran and Laanecoorie
reservoirs.

Location and features

Vaughan Springs
Bridgewater

The Loddon River is the second longest river in Victoria after the

course.[4]

An anabranch of the Loddon River may be found in the upper reaches of the river.[5]

The river rises below

waterskiing, swimming and fishing are popular recreational pursuits.[4][6]

The river then passes

Waranga Western Channel. Downstream from Loddon Weir the river averages 7 to 14 metres (23 to 46 ft) wide, and up to 26 metres (85 ft) wide at certain points, with a bank height of around 3 metres (9.8 ft).[7] Approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Kerang water flows are increased due to water entering from the Macorna Channel, and the higher flows are maintained for the next 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) of river up to the Kerang Weir.[7] The final stretch of the river flows through saltbush and black box forest. The river ends at its confluence with the Little Murray River at Benjeroop, near Swan Hill.[4]

Tributaries

Tributaries to the left of the river include:

Tributaries to the right of the river include:

  • Muckleford Creek
  • Bradford Creek
  • Little Creek
  • Serpentine Creek
  • Sangus Creek
  • Twelve Mile Creek
  • Bannacher Creek

River crossings

The river is crossed by the Daylesford-Malmsbury Road at Glenlyon; the Drummond-Vaughan Forest Road crosses the river at three locations and the Porcupine Ridge Road crosses near the

Eaglehawk-Inglewood railway line. A further road crossing is encountered at Bridgewater-Serpentine Road, to the south of Serpentine.[4]

Road crossings between Serpentine and Loddon weirs include Lagoona Road, Borung-Hurstwood Road, Ellerslie Road, Majors Line Road, Boort-Pyramid Road, Boort-Yando Road, Canary Island-Leaghur Road, Appin South Road, Hewitt Road and Wood Lane. In Kerang the river is crossed by the Old Kerang Road,

Yungera railway line. After Kerang the river is crossed by West Road, O'Donoghues Bridge Road, Baulch Road and the Wells Bridge which carries the Lake Charm Road.[4]

Naming

The Loddon River was named by Thomas Mitchell in 1836 after the River Loddon in the English counties of Berkshire and Hampshire.[1]

As the river is relatively long,

Wembawemba language, the name for the river is Woppoon, with no clearly defined meaning. In the Djadjawurrung and the Barababaraba languages, the name for the river is Gunbungwerro, with werro and wurru meaning "lips" or "mouth". In the Gannawarra and Barababaraba languages, the name for the river is Mudyin gadjin, meaning "[he] picked up water".[2][3][9]

Recreational pursuits

When reasonable water levels flow, the Mill Rapid downstream of the Calder Hwy bridge provides technical whitewater kayaking of Grade 3 standard featuring a short fast run. Access is usually via local roads on the west bank. Upstream of the Calder Hwy bridge kayakers and canoeists will have a pleasant paddling experience but may have to share the river with swimmers, fishers, and waterskiers.

At Bridgewater there is a designated 3.2-kilometre (2.0 mi) general waterskiing area, a 950-metre (3,120 ft) slalom and ski jump area. Waterskiing events held in this area include the Australian Masters in January, the pre-Moomba tournament in February and the Bridgewater Ski Club Tournament.[10] Additionally, a 90-metre (300 ft) swimming area is designated at the Flour Mill Weir.[10]

Fish found between Bridgewater to Serpentine include Murray cod and golden perch. The water downstream from the Loddon Weir can range between 5 and 7 metres (16 and 23 ft) deep and provides fishing opportunities for redfin, golden perch, silver perch, carp and to a lesser extent Murray cod. A vertical slot fishway was constructed next to the Kerang Weir in 2008. The main fish species in the river's lower reaches are redfin, golden perch and Murray cod.[7]

There are

motor boats and sailing. At the Loddon Weir there is road access which enables boats to be launched from the bank.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Mitchell, Thomas (1838). Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia. Vol. 2. London: Boone., entry for 8 July 1836
  2. ^
    Government of Victoria
    . Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b Clark, Ian; Heydon, Toby (2011). "Loddon River: Traditional Names". Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Map of Loddon River, VIC". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  5. ^ "Anabranch Loddon River (VIC)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  6. Victorian Government
    . Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  7. ^
    Victorian Government. Archived from the original
    on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  8. ^ Kirkham, Rochelle (11 May 2023). "Jim Crow Creek officially renamed Larni Barramal Yaluk". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  9. ISBN 0-7319-0608-X
    .
  10. ^ a b "Information Statement: Operation of Loddon River at Bridgewater" (PDF) (PDF). Shire of Loddon. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2010.

External links

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