Gellibrand River

The Gellibrand River is a perennial river of the Corangamite catchment, located in the Otways region of the Australian state of Victoria.

Gellibrand
()
Gellibrand River is located in Victoria
Gellibrand River
Location of the Gellibrand River mouth in Victoria
EtymologyIn honour of Joseph Gellibrand[1][2]
Native nameBarrat (Gadubanud)[3]
Location
CountryAustralia
StateVictoria
RegionSouth East Coastal Plain (IBRA), The Otways
Local government areaColac Otway Shire
Physical characteristics
SourceOtway Ranges
 • locationnear Upper Gellibrand
 • coordinates38°31′58″S 143°36′27″E
 • elevation356 m (1,168 ft)
MouthBass Strait
 • location
Princetown
 • coordinates
38°42′23″S 143°9′27″E
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length96 km (60 mi)
Basin features
River systemCorangamite catchment
Tributaries 
 • leftCarlisle River
National parksGreat Otway; Port Campbell
[4][5]

Location and features

The Gellibrand River rises in the Otway Ranges in southwest Victoria, near the locality of Upper Gellibrand in the Beech Forest. The river flows in a highly meandering course generally west, and then south by west through the Great Otway National Park and Port Campbell National Park, joined by fourteen tributaries including the Carlisle River, before reaching its river mouth and emptying into the Great Australian Bight, at the locality of Princetown. From its highest point, the river descends 256 metres (840 ft) over its 94-kilometre (58 mi) course.[5]

In its upper reaches, the river is impounded by the West Gellibrand Dam.[5]

Etymology

The river was named after Joseph Gellibrand, a solicitor and colonist from England.[1][2] In 1844 George Allan, a pioneer pastoralist of the Allansford region, recovered what was widely regarded as the remains of Gellibrand near to the river and subsequently named it after him. Gellibrand had previously gone missing in the Otway region on an expedition in 1837.[6]

The local Gadubanud name for the river was Barrat.[3]

See also

References
  1. Blake, Les (1977), Place names of Victoria, Adelaide: Rigby, p. 294, ISBN 0-7270-0250-3
  2. Bird, Eric (12 October 2006). "Place Names on the Coast of Victoria" (PDF) (PDF). Australian National Placename Survey (ANPS). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  3. "MESSRS. GELLIBRAND AND HESSE". The Courier (Hobart). Vol. XVII, no. 976. Tasmania, Australia. 9 August 1844. p. 2. Retrieved 5 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "Gellibrand River: 2966". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 2 May 1966. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  5. "Map of Gellibrand River, VIC". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  6. "THE REMAINS OF MESSRS GELLIBRAND AND HESSE". Geelong Advertiser. Vol. IV, no. 234. Victoria, Australia. 24 June 1844. p. 2 (Morning.). Retrieved 5 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.