The Bremer River, part of the lower
Murray-Darling catchment
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the ...
, is a river that is located in the
Adelaide Hills region in the Australian state of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
.
Course and features
The Bremer River rises on the eastern side of the
Mount Lofty Ranges
The Mount Lofty Ranges are a range of mountains in the Australian state of South Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east of Adelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called the Adelaide Hills and ...
at an altitude of
[ south of and flows generally south, joined by the Mount Barker Creek and Dawesley Creek, before emptying into Lake Alexandrina at the lower end of the Murray-Darling basin. The river descends over its course.][
The largest town in the catchment area is Mount Barker. Other towns include Nairne and Kanmantoo. Towns on the Bremer River itself include ]Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...
, Callington
Callington ( kw, Kelliwik) is a civil parish and town in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom about north of Saltash and south of Launceston.
Callington parish had a population of 4,783 in 2001, according to the 2001 census. This had inc ...
and Langhorne Creek, where the floodwaters are used to irrigate the local vineyards.
The river is crossed by the Old Princes Highway near Callington.
Etymology
One recorded Aboriginal name for the Bremer River was ''Miochi''.[''Register'' newspaper, 24 October 1840, page 4.] On 31 December 1837 the first European visitor, Robert Cock
Robert Cock (25 May 1801 – 23 March 1871) was one of the first European explorers of the Adelaide region of South Australia following the establishment of the colony in December 1836.
History
Robert was born in Dysart, Fife, Scotland in 1801, ...
, named it the Hindmarsh River, in deference to the first Governor, John Hindmarsh
Rear-Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH (baptised 22 May 1785 – 29 July 1860) was a naval officer and the first Governor of South Australia, from 28 December 1836 to 16 July 1838.
Family
His grandfather William Hindmarsh was a gardener in Con ...
. This led to the following proclamation by the second Governor, George Gawler
Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler, KH, (21 July 1795 – 7 May 1869) was the second Governor of South Australia, at the same time serving as Resident Commissioner, from 17 October 1838 until 15 May 1841.
Biography Early life
Gawler, born on 2 ...
, appearing in the ''South Australian Gazette'', effective 26 June 1839, ‘His Excellency the Governor having observed that to the southward f_Adelaide.html" ;"title="Adelaide.html" ;"title="f Adelaide">f Adelaide">Adelaide.html" ;"title="f Adelaide">f Adelaidethere are two rivers named ‘The Hindmarsh’ – one flowing into Encounter Bay, and the other into Lake Alexandrina – is pleased to direct that the latter river shall in future be named the ‘River Bremer’, in the public maps, in order to avoid confusion in the geographical description of the province.’[''Southern Australian'', 3 July 1839, page 4.] The man so honoured by the renaming was the distinguished British Royal Navy officer James Bremer, who happened to command HMS ''Alligator'', which conveyed Hindmarsh back to England.
See also
*
References
External links
*
Tributaries of the Murray River
Rivers of South Australia
Adelaide Hills
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