The Clyde River ( Dhurga: ''Bhundoo'') is an open intermediate tide dominated drowned valley estuary, or

perennial river A perennial stream is a stream that has continuous flow of surface water throughout the year in at least parts of its catchment during seasons of normal rainfall, Water Supply Paper 494. as opposed to one whose flow is intermittent. In the abs ...

that flows into the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...

Batemans Bay Batemans Bay is a town on the South Coast region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Batemans Bay is administered by the Eurobodalla Shire council. The town is situated on the shores of an estuary formed where the Clyde River meets the ...

, located in the

South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Course and features

The Clyde River rises below Kangaroo Hill in the

Budawang Range The Budawang Range, commonly called The Budawangs, a rugged mountain range within the Budawang National Park and the Morton National Park, are part of a spur off the Great Dividing Range and are located in the South Coast region of New South W ...

, part of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

, within

Budawang National Park Budawang National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, located approximately southwest of Sydney and north of Batemans Bay. It contains part of the Budawang Mountain Range. Budawang National Park is named after Mount Budaw ...

, south of the locality of

Sassafras ''Sassafras'' is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.Wolfe, Jack A. & Wehr, Wesley C. 1987. The sassafras is an ornamental tree. "Middle Eoc ...

, and flows generally southwards parallel to the east coast, joined by nine

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

including the Bimberamala, Yadboro, and Buckenbowra rivers, before turning east and reaching its

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

of the Tasman Sea at

. The river descends over its course. The lower reaches of the Clyde River form a substantial estuary up to from its mouth which is navigable by small vessels to Nelligen, with a tidal ebb of up to . The coastal estuary covers a catchment area of and contains approximately of water over an estimated surface area of ; and at an average depth of . The river is one of the last major rivers in eastern Australia that has not been dammed. Porters Creek, a tributary of one of the Clyde's tributaries, Pigeon House Creek, is dammed by the Porters Creek Dam, which supplies water to coastal towns. In its upper reaches, the river forms within the

; while in its lower reaches, the river flows through the

Clyde River National Park Clyde River is a national park in south-eastern New South Wales ( Australia) between Batemans Bay and Nelligen. It includes 9 km of river frontage to the Clyde River, bounded on three sides by the Clyde River and on the northeast by the ...

. Water quality of the basin is very good. The upper catchment is heavily timbered (state forests and national parks); there is a small amount of logging in the Yadboro State Forest. There are no polluting industries in its catchment, nor any sewage outflows, and thus the river has a reputation for the cleanest, least polluted waters of any major river in eastern Australia.

History and naming

Batemans Bay Bridge Post Construction Northern Foreshore July 2022

The region was first occupied by the

Walbunja The Walbunja, also spelt Walbanga and Walbunga, are an Aboriginal Australian people of New South Wales, part of the Yuin nation. Language The Walbunja language may be a dialect of Dhurga. Country Walbunja Country covers a region from Cape Dro ...

people from the

Yuin The Yuin nation, also spelt Djuwin, is a group of Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal peoples from the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales. All Yuin people share ancestors who spoke, as their first language, ...

nation. Their name for the river, ''Bhundoo'', means "Deep Water". The river was given the name ''Clyde River'' after the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, by Lieutenant Robert Johnston, who navigated the river aboard the cutter ''Snapper'' on 1 December 1821.

Crossings

The river crossings, from its headwaters to its river mouth, include: * Yadboro Flats bridge, from Yadboro Road to Western Distributor Road, downstream from the junction with Yadboro River * Clyde Ridge Road bridge * Shallow Crossing, on The River Road, a concrete causeway/ford, at the tidal limit of the Clyde estuary * Nelligen bridge, on the Kings Highway *

bridge, on the

Princes Highway Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...

. The old steel truss bridge has been replaced by a new, higher bridge with two lanes for traffic in each direction. The new bridge formally opened on 27 March 2021, after which the old bridge was dismantled. The new bridge is designed to ease traffic congestion and delays caused by the limitations of the old bridge, which only had one narrow lane in each direction. In addition, the old bridge had a central section which is raised to allow tall watercraft to pass underneath. This meant regular delays for local and holiday traffic which was frequently backed up for several kilometres as a result.

Gallery

Nelligen, NSW Early Morning Mist, Panorama, 25.9.2008.jpg, Early morning mist on the Clyde River at Nelligen, 2008. CountryTown0020.jpg, The Clyde River, looking upstream from

towards the

, 2009. 20080706 011 Clyde.JPG, At Shallow Crossing, the River Road crosses the Clyde River at a concrete ford. NelliganWharf.jpg, Wharf at Nelligen formerly used by the

Illawarra Steam Navigation Company The ''Illawarra Steam Navigation Company'' was a shipping company that serviced the south coast of New South Wales, Australia from 1858 to the early 1950s. It was formed through the amalgamation of the General Steam Navigation Company, the Kiam ...

References

External links