The Hopkins 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 ...

of the Glenelg Hopkins catchment, is located in the Western District of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

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 Hopkins River rises below Telegraph Hill near , and flows generally south, joined by twelve tributaries including the

Mount Emu Creek The Mount Emu Creek, (Aboriginal Australian:''Tarnpirr'') a perennial creek of the Glenelg Hopkins catchment, is located in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. Course and features The Mount Emu Creek is a long and small meanderi ...

, before 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 ...

and emptying into

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...

at . The river descends over its course. The river and its tributaries drain much of

Lake Bolac Lake Bolac is a town in the Western District region of Victoria, Australia. The town is on the shores of Lake Bolac, and the Glenelg Highway passes through the town. At the 2021 census, Lake Bolac and the surrounding area had a population of ...

; and north of the river descends over the

Hopkins Falls Hopkins is an English, Welsh and Irish patronymic surname. The English name means "son of Hob". ''Hob'' was a diminutive of ''Robert'', itself deriving from the Germanic warrior name ''Hrod-berht'', translated as "renowned-fame". The Robert s ...

. Together with the

Merri River The Merri River, a perennial river of the Glenelg Hopkins catchment, is located in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the Spring Creek and Drysdale Creek, to the east of Grassmere. ...

, the Hopkins flows through the regional centre of Warrnambool; and the river passes by the end of the

Great Ocean Road The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford. Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and dedicated t ...

near Allansford.

River health

The Hopkins River is in extremely poor health with less than 5% of the river having natural bush and vegetation.

Re-vegetation

The Hopkins River Re-vegetation Project (HRRP) was commenced in 2016 by the Ellerslie Residents Group Inc.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the HRRP project commenced in 2016 in Ellerslie. The Project is located between the Hopkins Highway bridge and the historic bridge.

Phase 2 & 3

Phases 2 & 3 of the project are planned to take place on the eastern bank between the phase 1 site and the Stony Creek Junction.

Etymology

The river was named in 1836 by

Major Thomas Mitchell Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell (15 June 1792 – 5 October 1855), Surveyor (surveying), surveyor and European land exploration of Australia, explorer of Southeastern Australia, was born at Grangemouth in Stirlingshire, Scotland. In 1827 he too ...

after a friend, Sir John Paul Hopkins.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Rivers of Victoria (Australia) Glenelg Hopkins catchment Rivers of Barwon South West (region) Rivers of Gippsland (region) Warrnambool Western District (Victoria)