Avon River (Gippsland, Victoria)

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.

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
On the Avon River near Stratford.
Avon River (Gippsland, Victoria) is located in Victoria
Avon River (Gippsland, Victoria)
Location of the Avon River mouth in Victoria
EtymologyOriginally called the Avoca; named the Avon by Angus McMillan[1][2][3]
Native name
Location
CountryAustralia
StateVictoria
RegionSouth East Corner (IBRA), South East Coastal Plain (IBRA), West Gippsland
Local government areaWellington
Physical characteristics
SourceMount Wellington, Great Dividing Range
 • locationMiler Spur, Avon Wilderness Park
 • coordinates37°30′38″S 146°51′44″E
 • elevation664 m (2,178 ft)
MouthLake Wellington
 • location
east of Sale; southeast of Stratford
 • coordinates
38°2′57″S 147°16′7″E
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length122 km (76 mi)
Basin features
River systemWest Gippsland catchment
Tributaries 
 • leftTurton River, Valencia Creek, Freestone Creek, Blackall Creek, Perry River
 • rightMount Hump Creek, McColl Creek, Ben Cruachan Creek, Navigation Creek, Nuntin Creek
National parkAvon Wilderness Park
[7][8]

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 Brataualung language, two names have been recorded for the river, Dooyeedang, with no defined meaning;[4][5] and Kutbuntaura-wurk, Kurbuntaura referring to a section of the Brataua clan meaning "fire carriers" who lived on the upper Avon River, and wurk, meaning "land" or "country".[6][10] Kutbuntaura-wurk may therefore be considered a description: 'the land of the Kutbuntaura'.

At one point named the Avoca River by Thomas Mitchell, the river was named the Avon by Angus McMillan in circa 1840.[1][2]

See also

References
  1. Reed, A. W. (1973). Place names of Australia. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 19. ISBN 0-589-50128-3.
  2. Blake, Les (1977). Place names of Victoria. Adelaide: Rigby. p. 294. ISBN 0-7270-0250-3., cited in Bird (2006)
  3. Bird, Eric (12 October 2006). "Place Names on the Coast of Victoria" (PDF). The Australian National Placename Survey (ANPS). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011.
  4. "Avon River: 9616: Traditional Name: Dooyeedang". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 12 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  5. "Avon River: 9616: Traditional Name: Dooyeedang". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  6. "Avon River: 9616: Traditional Name: Kutbuntaura-wurk". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  7. "Avon River: 9616". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 2 May 1966. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  8. "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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  10. Close, David Kyhber (2021). BUCKLEY, BATMAN & MYNDIE: Echoes of the Victorian culture-clash frontier: Sounding 1: Before 1840 and Sounding 2: Dispossession At Melbourne. BookPOD. p. 97-4. ISBN 9780992290405. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
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