Mortlock River

Mortlock
River
Name origin: Henry Mortlock Ommanney, a surveyor
Country	Australia
State	Western Australia
Region	Wheatbelt
Part of	Avon River
Source
- location	near Belmunging
- elevation	249 m (817 ft)
- coordinates	31°51′48″S 117°9′2″E / 31.86333°S 117.15056°E
Mouth	Avon River
- location	west of Northam
- elevation	146 m (479 ft)
- coordinates	31°38′41″S 116°40′20″E / 31.64472°S 116.67222°ECoordinates: 31°38′41″S 116°40′20″E / 31.64472°S 116.67222°E
Length	81 km (50 mi)
Basin	16,800 km^2 (6,487 sq mi)
Discharge	for mouth
- average	17,800,000 m^3/s (628,601,068 cu ft/s)
[1][2]

The Mortlock River is a perennial river located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia.

Course and features

The headwaters of the river rise near Belmunging then flow in a northerly direction, crossed by the Goldfields Road and continuing in a north-westerly direction to finally flow parallel to the Northam York Road and crossed by the Great Eastern Highway. There river is joined by three minor tributaries; Mortlock River North, Mortlock River East and Meenaar South Creek. The river discharges into the Avon River, just west of Northam. The Mortlock descends 103 metres (338 ft) over its 81-kilometre (50 mi) course.^[1]

The river was named after the surveyor Henry Mortlock Ommanney in the 1830s. Ommanney was the first European to discover the river during an expedition through the area in 1835.^[3]

The river is saline and delivers the most salt (approximately 91 tonnes (90 long tons) per year) into the Avon River.

See also

• List of rivers in Western Australia

References

1. "Map of Mortlock River, WA". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
2. "Avon River Basin Natural Resource Management Plan" (PDF). 2004. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
3. Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of river names". Archived from the original on 2015-02-16. Retrieved 1 September 2011.