Goulburn River

Goulburn Warring (Woiwurrung) Koninner (Yorta Yorta) Gungupna (Yorta Yorta) Gaiyila, (Yorta Yorta) Omio (Woiwurrung) Bayyango (Woiwurrung)
Middle reaches of the Goulburn, near Seymour
Course of the Goulburn River and the major irrigation channel diverted from the river in Victoria
Etymology	In honour of Major Frederick Goulburn, the Colonial Secretary of New South Wales
Location
Country	Australia
State	Victoria
Region	Alpine and Riverine bioregions (IBRA), Victorian Alps, Northern Country/North Central, Southern Riverina
Local government areas	Mansfield, Murrindindi, Mitchell, Strathbogie, Greater Shepparton, Campaspe
Towns and cities	Alexandra, Seymour, Nagambie, Murchison, Shepparton–Mooroopna, Echuca
Physical characteristics
Source	Corn Hill, Victorian Alps, Great Dividing Range
- location	near Woods Point
- coordinates	37°32′13″S 146°11′22″E / 37.53694°S 146.18944°E / -37.53694; 146.18944
- elevation	1,210 m (3,970 ft)
Mouth	joins with the Murray River
- location	near 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)
Length	654 km (406 mi)
Basin size	23,916 km2 (9,234 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	84 m3/s (3,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
River system	Goulburn Broken catchment, Murray-Darling basin
Tributaries
- left	Big River, Rubicon River, Acheron River, Yea River, Sunday Creek (Victoria)
- right	Jamieson River, Howqua River, Delatite River, Seven Creeks, Broken River
National parks	Lower Goulburn National Park

The Goulburn River is a river in Victoria, Australia. It is part of the Murray-Darling basin and flows through the Victorian mountains, central and northern Victoria. The river starts in the Victorian Alps, below a mountain called Corn Hill. It flows for 654 kn (1,211 km/h; 753 mph) and joins the Murray River near the town of Echuca. This makes it the longest river in Victoria.

The river is held back by several dams and reservoirs, including the Eildon Dam, which creates Lake Eildon, as well as the Eildon Pondage, the Goulburn Weir, and Waranga Basin.

Location and features

The river begins near Woods Point, south of Eildon, in the Shire of Mansfield. It flows mostly north and west, passing near towns like Alexandra, Seymour, Nagambie, Murchison, Arcadia Downs, and Shepparton–Mooroopna before meeting the Murray River near Echuca. The Goulburn River has 41 smaller rivers and creeks that flow into it, including the Black, Jamieson, Howqua, Delatite, Big, Rubicon, Acheron, Yea, Broken rivers, and Seven Creeks. Over its long course, the river drops 1,100 m (3,600 ft) in height.

The Goulburn River is not only the longest river in Victoria but also has the most water flow each year. The land around the river is good for farming because the water is used for irrigation. Together with the Upper Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers, the Goulburn provides 45% of the total water flow in the Murray-Darling Basin. In comparison, the Darling basin gives only 31.7% of the water flow in the basin.

River quality

A lot of the water from the river is used for irrigation and water supply, and the river is controlled by many dams and other structures. This has changed the river’s natural environment a lot. In recent years, the area has been very dry, which has made things harder for the plants and animals living in the river.

There was been a lot of debate about building the North–South Pipeline. This pipeline can send 70 gigalitres (15×10^⁹ imp gal; 18×10^⁹ US gal) of water each year to add to Melbourne’s water supply. Some people say this water has been saved by better irrigation systems in the Goulburn river basin, which is part of a project to modernize farming.

In June 2008, the Murray-Darling Basin Commission made a report about the health of the Murray-Darling basin. The Goulburn and Murrumbidgee rivers were both rated as being in very poor condition. The number of fish in both rivers was also very low.

Recreation

The Goulburn River was named a Heritage River in 1992 because of its natural beauty, fun activities, and cultural importance. In June 2010, the Victorian Government made the Lower Goulburn National Park to protect the River Red Gum forests in Victoria. These forests grow along most of the river and have tall trees up to 45 m (148 ft) high that can live for more than 500 years. The trees need floods to survive. They can stay in water for months. When floods happen, their seeds wash to higher ground, where they grow before the next flood. The trees have hollows and broken branches that birds like galahs, cockatoos, cockatiels, and parrots use for nests. Fallen branches give homes to other animals.

People enjoy many activities on the river, such as canoeing, sightseeing, picnics, swimming, and fishing. Fish like Murray Cod, Golden Perch, and Spiny freshwater crayfish live in the lower part of the river. In the upper parts, there are big forests with tall mountain ash trees and other plants. These areas are good for trout fishing.

Name

The river has many names in Aboriginal languages. In the Taungurung language, it is called "Warring", which means "big or large water." Another word is "Bayyango", which means river in general. In the Ngurai-illam Wurrung language, it is called "Omio", but the meaning is not clear. In the Yorta Yorta language, the river has names like "Koninner", meaning "the country where the Murray and Goulburn rivers meet"; "Gungupna", meaning "deep waterholes"; and "Gaiyila", meaning "father of waters."

The river was explored in 1824 by Hamilton Hume and William Hovell. They named it the Goulburn River after Major Frederick Goulburn, the first Colonial Secretary of New South Wales.

References