Abercrombie River
Abercrombie River, a perennial river that is part of the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the central west of New South Wales, Australia.
Abercrombie River | |
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![]() ![]() Location in New South Wales ![]() ![]() Abercrombie River (Australia) | |
Etymology | named by John Thomas Bigge[1] |
Location | |
Country | Australia |
State | New South Wales |
IBRA | South Eastern Highlands |
District | Central West |
Municipalities | Upper Lachlan, Oberon Shire |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
⁃ location | near Mount Werong village |
⁃ elevation | 1,130 m (3,710 ft) |
2nd source | Lachlan River |
⁃ location | Wyangala Dam |
⁃ coordinates | 33.919976°S 149.025285°E |
⁃ elevation | 375 m (1,230 ft) |
Length | 130 km (81 mi) |
Basin features | |
River system | Murray–Darling basin |
Tributaries | |
⁃ left | Burra Burra Creek, Bolong River, Copperhannia Creek |
⁃ right | Isabella River, Tuena Creek, Meglo Creek, Piesleys Creek |
[2] |
Course
The river rises to the east of the village of Mount Werong and generally flows westward towards its confluence with the Lachlan River at Wyangala Dam near Cowra.[1] The river flows through freehold land as well as the Abercrombie River National Park, and provides habitat for platypus and rakali,[3] dropping 758 metres (2,487 ft) over its course of 130 kilometres (81 mi).[2]
The Abercrombie River is the furthest east of the inland flowing rivers.
History
![](../I/m/Abercrombie_River_2.jpg)
The original inhabitants of the land alongside the river were Australian Aborigines of the Wiradjuri or Gundungara clans, which may have used the river as a trading route.[4]
The first European to discover the watercourse was explorer Charles Throsby on 5 May 1819, during an expedition from Sydney to the central west of New South Wales. The river was named by Commissioner John Thomas Bigge on 22 October 1820.[1]
Alluvial gold was discovered in and along the river in 1851, inspiring a minor gold rush hampered by the ruggedness of the terrain and the periodic depths of the waterway.[5] Early miners recovered up to 3 oz (85 g) of gold a day along the river,[6] and by 1862 between forty and fifty mining parties were at work at Milburne Creek, a minor tributary of the Abercrombie.[7]
The Goulburn-Oberon Road crosses the Abercrombie River in the steep-sided Abercrombie Gorge.
See also
- List of rivers of Australia
- List of rivers of New South Wales (A-K)
- Rivers of New South Wales
References
- "Abercrombie River". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- "Map of Abercrombie River, NSW". Bonzle.com. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- "Abercrombie River National Park". NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Government of New South Wales. July 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2007.
- "Abercrombie River National Park: Culture and History". NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change. Government of New South Wales. 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- "The Wentworth Diggings". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria: Argus Office. 24 September 1851. p. 4. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- "The Gold Fields". The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser. Maitland NSW: Thomas William Tucker and Richard Jones. 1 December 1852. p. 4. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- "New South Wales: The Lachlan". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria: Argus Office. 1 February 1862. p. 7. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
External links
- "Lachlan River catchment" (map). Office of Environment and Heritage. Government of New South Wales.