Werribee River
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2008) |
| Werribee | |
|---|---|
Werribee | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Great Dividing Range |
| • location | Wombat State Forest near Korweinguboora |
| • coordinates | 37°26′S 144°10′E / 37.433°S 144.167°E |
| • elevation | 501 m (1,644 ft) |
Werribee South | |
• coordinates | 37°58′42″S 144°41′40″E / 37.97833°S 144.69444°E |
• elevation | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Length | 110 km (68 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Port Phillip catchment |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Lerderderg River, Toolern Creek |
| National park | Werribee Gorge State Park |
| [3][4] | |
The Werribee River is a
Victoria, Australia. The headwaters of a tributary, the Lerderderg River, are north of Ballan near Daylesford and it flows across the basalt plain, through the suburb of Werribee to enter Port Phillip. A linear park follows the Werribee River along much of its course. In total the Werribee River completes a journey of approximately 110 kilometres (68 mi).[5]
The river flows through the
mouth
of the river, and supplies irrigation needs to the zoo.
The
Tarneit
to the Princes Highway in Werribee.
Etymology
The
Kulin tribesman that accompanied Wedge said the name for the stream was 'Weariby Yallock' (yallock meaning 'stream'). The spelling changed to the present form of Werribee, the original Aboriginal root word meaning spine or backbone.[1]
History
Before the arrival of settlers, the Werribee River was the boundary of the
.In the late 1830s and 1840s, the Werribee River was the scene of conflict between the
Mount Cottrell Massacre – a punitive party led by John Batman[clarification needed
] which came upon a large party of Aboriginal people and indiscriminately shot and killed at least ten, There are accounts of arsenic-laced flour being given to them.
In 1851, a substantial timber bridge was built to cross the Werribee River to replace an earlier wooden bridge. In 1852, this bridge was washed away when the Werribee river flooded.[6]
In August 2004, the Victorian Government pledged A$300,000 (equivalent to A$472,648 in 2022) towards restoring the Werribee River, removing willows choking the river around the township and replacing them with native plants in a habitat restoration project.
Fishing
Werribee River holds fish all along its course, most of which are at the mouth of the river into
southern black bream
.
Features and highlights
Behind the Werribee golf course, the K-Road cliffs are perhaps the most unusual feature of the river, being sometimes described as looking like a river in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.[according to whom?]
Gallery
-
Running through parkland in Ballan -
Under the old Western Highway at Ballan -
A ford across the river west of Bacchus Marsh -
Marking the boundary between Bacchus Marsh and Maddingley -
In flood over Cotrell Street in Werribee
See also
References
- ^ Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages.
- ^ ISBN 0-589-50128-3.
- ^ "Place Details: Werribee River". VICNAMES. Government of Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ "Map of Werribee River, VIC". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- ^ "Werribee River". City of Wyndham.
- Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer. Vol. XI, no. 1785. Victoria, Australia. 25 May 1852. p. 2 (DAILY and MORNING). Retrieved 29 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
Waterways of the Melbourne Water catchment, Victoria, Australia | |
|---|---|
| Rivers |
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| Creeks |
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| Lakes |
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| Drains | Bunyip Main Drain
Wylies Drain |
| Other | |
