Avon River (Gippsland, Victoria)

This article is about the river located in the Gippsland region. For the river of the same name located in the Northern Grampians Shire region, see Avon River (Grampians, Victoria). For other rivers named Avon, see River Avon (disambiguation).
Avon (Dooyeedang,[1][2]
Kutbuntaura-wurk[3])
River[4]
On the Avon River near Stratford.
Name origin: Originally called the Avoca; named the Avon by Angus McMillan[5][6][7]
Country Australia
State Victoria
Regions South East Corner (IBRA), South East Coastal Plain (IBRA), West Gippsland
Local government area Wellington
Part of West Gippsland catchment
Tributaries
 - left Turton River, Valencia Creek, Freestone Creek, Blackall Creek, Perry River
 - right Mount Hump Creek, McColl Creek, Ben Cruachan Creek, Navigation Creek, Nuntin Creek
Landmarks Avon Wilderness Park, Gippsland Lakes
Source Mount Wellington, Great Dividing Range
 - location Miler Spur, Avon Wilderness Park
 - elevation 664 m (2,178 ft)
 - coordinates 37°30′38″S 146°51′44″E / 37.51056°S 146.86222°E / -37.51056; 146.86222
Mouth Lake Wellington
 - location east of Sale; southeast of Stratford
 - elevation 0 m (0 ft)
 - coordinates 38°2′57″S 147°16′7″E / 38.04917°S 147.26861°E / -38.04917; 147.26861Coordinates: 38°2′57″S 147°16′7″E / 38.04917°S 147.26861°E / -38.04917; 147.26861
Length 122 km (76 mi)
National park Avon Wilderness Park
Location of the Avon River mouth in Victoria
Wikimedia Commons: Avon River (Gippsland, Victoria)
[4][8]

The Avon River is a perennial river of the West Gippsland catchment, located in the West Gippsland region, of the Australian state of Victoria. The Avon, forms an important part of the Latrobe sub-catchment, draining the south eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, to form the Gippsland Lakes.

Location and features

The Avon River rises on the south eastern slopes of Mount Wellington, below Miller Spur, part of the Great Dividing Range within the Avon Wilderness Park.[9] The rivers flows in a highly meandering course generally south, then east, then south by southeast, joined by ten tributaries including the Turton River and the Perry River, before reaching its mouth to form Lake Wellington east of Sale and southeast of Stratford. Within Lake Wellington, the Avon forms its confluence with the Latrobe River, empties into Bass Strait via the Mitchell River south of Lakes Entrance. The river descends 664 metres (2,178 ft) over its 122-kilometre (76 mi) course.[8]

The upper reaches are contained in the rugged, heavily forested and largely inaccessible, Avon Wilderness Park. The river passes through forested hillsides, then cleared agricultural land. Around Stratford the river has dug a wide channel up to 500 metres (1,600 ft) across, composed mainly of sand banks and pebble banks. The river then forms a boundary for the Macallister Irrigation District, with Nuntin Creek joining 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) downstream of Stratford contributing a large amount of irrigation drainage to the river.

Considerable demand is placed on the Latrobe and Thomson Rivers for supply of Melbourne's water, industrial use in Australia's largest pulp and paper mill and the power industry in the Latrobe Valley, and for irrigation. The Avon escapes any major impoundment or diversion.

The river was important to the indigenous Gunai/Kurnai people, highlighted by Knob Reserve, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Stratford, being part of the Gunai/Kurnai Bataluk Cultural Trail. The trail highlights the places of cultural significance to the first inhabitants across East Gippsland.

Etymology

In the Australian Aboriginal Brataualung language the river is given two names, Dooyeedang, with no defined meaning;[1][2] and Kutbuntaura-wurk, meaning "fire carriers" and wurk, meaning "land" or "country".[3]

Originally named the Avoca River by Thomas Mitchell, the river was named the Avon by Angus McMillan in circa 1840.[5][6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Avon River: 9616: Traditional Name: Dooyeedang". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Avon River: 9616: Traditional Name: Dooyeedang". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Avon River: 9616: Traditional Name: Kutbuntaura-wurk". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Avon River: 9616". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 2 May 1966. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  5. 1 2 Reed, A. W. (1973). Place names of Australia. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 19. ISBN 0-589-50128-3.
  6. 1 2 Blake, Les (1977). Place names of Victoria. Adelaide: Rigby. p. 294. ISBN 0-7270-0250-3., cited in Bird (2006)
  7. ↑ Bird, Eric (12 October 2006). "Place Names on the Coast of Victoria". The Australian National Placename Survey (ANPS). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Map of Avon River, VIC". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  9. ↑ "Alpine National Park: Our Mountain Heritage - around Heyfield, Licola and Dargo in the Wonnangatta - Moroka area" (PDF). Parks Victoria. Government of Victoria. August 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2014.

External links

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