The Leigh River (or Waywatcurtan in the indigenous language) is 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 ab ...
of the
Corangamite catchment, located in the
Central Highlands region of the
Australian state of
Victoria.
Location and features
The Leigh River is a major
tributary
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 drainag ...
and catchment of the
Barwon River. Fed by the
Yarrowee River that rises near
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
Within months of Vi ...
, the Yarrowee reaches its
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); ...
to form the Leigh in the vicinity of
Cambrian Hill and
Golden Plains Shire. The Leigh River rises below Mount Mercer and flows generally south, joined by three minor tributaries before reaching its confluence with the Barwon River, southeast of the central business district of . The river descends over its
course
Course may refer to:
Directions or navigation
* Course (navigation), the path of travel
* Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...
.
[
]
Communities and bridge crossings along the river
There are several crossings over the Leigh River, including road, rail and pedestrian. Some additional roads allow passage through shallow sections of the river when the water levels are low.
Etymology
The Wathaurong
The Wathaurong nation, also called the Wathaurung, Wadawurrung and Wadda Wurrung, are an Aboriginal Australian people living in the area near Melbourne, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula in the state of Victoria. They are part of the Kulin ...
Indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples o ...
people named the river ''Waywatcurtan''.[Lonsdale, Joan "Gateway to the West", Inverleigh Progress Association, 1978]
See also
* List of rivers of Victoria
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Rivers of Victoria (Australia)
Corangamite catchment
Rivers of Grampians (region)
Geography of Geelong