The Gudgenby River, a

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 is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the

Murray–Darling basin The Murray–Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, encompassing the drainage basin of the tributaries of the Murray River, Australia's longest river, and the Darling River, a right tributary of ...

, is located in the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

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 ...

Location and features

Formed by the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of Bogong Creek and Middle Creek, the Gudgenby River rises within

Namadgi National Park Namadgi National Park is a protected area in the south-west of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), bordering Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It lies approximately southwest of Canberra, and occupies approximately 46 percent of ...

, below Yankee Hat and Mount Gudgenby, on the south-eastern slopes of the

Brindabella Range The Brindabella Range, commonly called The Brindabellas or The Brindies, is a mountain range located in Australia, on a state and territory border of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The range rises to the west of ...

in the south of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The river flows generally north and north-east, 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

Naas River The Naas River, a perennial stream of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Course The river rises in the southern ranges of Namadgi National Park, south of Ca ...

and

Orroral River Orroral River, a perennial stream of the Murrumbidgee River, Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Course The river rises in the southern ranges of Namadgi National P ...

, before reaching its confluence with the

Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...

, near

Tharwa Tharwa (postcode 2620) is a township within the District of Paddys River, Australian Capital Territory, south of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. At the , Tharwa had a population of 81. The village is located on the banks of the Murr ...

. The river descends over its course. The river catchment contains ecologically significant alpine wetlands. In 2004, ACTEW announced that the creation of a large

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

ming the Gudgenby River, below

Mount Tennent Mount Tennent ( Aboriginal: ') is a mountain with an elevation of in the southern part of the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The Gudgenby River flows at the base of the mountain. Location and features Mount Tennent is named afte ...

, was one of three options being considered as part of the Future Water Options Project to provide improved reliability and increased supply of

potable water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ag ...

for

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

and the ACT. By 2005, the

ACT Government The Government of the Australian Capital Territory, also referred to as the Australian Capital Territory Government or ACT Government, is the executive authority of the Australian Capital Territory, one of the territories of Australia. The lead ...

decided that the creation of the Mount Tennent dam would not proceed, in favour of enlarging the

Cotter Dam The Cotter Dam is a concrete gravity and rockfill embankment dam across the Cotter River, located in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Both the dam and river are named after early settler in the area Garrett Cotter. The impounded Cot ...

Climate

Due to its much higher elevation, the area has a significantly colder climate than Canberra. Gudgenby is where the record low of –14.6 °C for the Australian Capital Territory was held; this was also the lowest recorded temperature for anywhere in Australia outside of the alpine regions—narrowly outdoing Woolbrook. This is especially significant given the Gudgenby site only had twenty years of temperature record; from 1967 to 1988.

References

External links

Southern ACT Catchment Group
website Rivers of the Australian Capital Territory Tributaries of the Murrumbidgee River {{AustralianCapitalTerritory-river-stub

Location and features

Climate

See also

References

External links