The Mehi River is a perennial watercourse that is part of the Barwon 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 ...

, located in the Orana district 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. The river rises from the

Gwydir River Gwydir River (locally wɑe̯də, a major inland perennial river of the Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands, North West Slopes, and Orana districts of New South Wales, Australia. Th ...

west of

Pallamallawa Pallamallawa or "Pally" is a small rural village approximately 30 kilometres east of Moree, in north-western New South Wales, Australia. It is on the banks of the Gwydir River, two kilometres north of the Gwydir Highway between Inverel ...

, and flows generally west and west-southwest, joined by eight minor

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 drainag ...

, before reaching its confluence with the Barwon River near

Collarenebri Collarenebri is a town in north western New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Walgett Shire Local Government Area and is situated on the Barwon River approximately northeast of Walgett and south west of Mungindi on the Gwydir Highway. ...

. It descends over its course.

History

The river which branches off at the Tareelaroi Weir was previously known as the Gwydir River or Meei River. The

Geographical Names Board of New South Wales The Geographical Names Board of New South Wales, a statutory authority of the Department of Customer Service in the Government of New South Wales, is the official body for naming and recording details of places and geographical names in the s ...

officially named Mehi as the tributary of the Gwydir River in 1975 ending years of confusion over the naming of this section. In 1889 a timber bridge was erected over the Mehi River at Moree. Another bridge was built over Mehi River, Moree in April 1960. A bridge over the Mehi River, west of Moree, was completed in December 1995. A total of four bridges cross the Mehi River in Moree; two of these bridges are low-level and subject to flooding. The area adjoining the river has numerous attractive riverside parks, golf links and reserves. The Mehi River jetty at Moree is a popular spot for water sports. During 2008 plans were drawn up to install a fish passage at Moree which will open up a "freeway" for native fish between

Copeton Dam Copeton Dam is a major clay core and rock fill embankment dam with nine radial gates and a gated concrete chute spillway across the Gwydir River upstream of Bingara in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose incl ...

and Collarenebri. The Barwon River-Gwydir Catchment Management Authority has provided $175,000 to Moree Plains Shire Council to install a fish passage at the Moree Town Weir. The Mehi River and the Carole and Gil Gil creeks have been channelised to assist with delivery of water to the irrigation industry. Native fish that are found in the Gwydir-Mehi river system include

bony bream Bony bream ''Nematalosa erebi'' are a widespread and common, small to medium-sized Australian freshwater fish often found in large shoals throughout much of northern and central Australia, and the Murray-Darling basin. Description A deep bodied, ...

, Murray cod, spangled perch,

golden perch The golden perch (''Macquaria ambigua'') is a medium-sized, yellow or gold-coloured species of Australian freshwater fish found primarily in the Murray-Darling River system, though a subspecies is found in the Lake Eyre-Cooper Creek system, an ...

, which are often known as yellowbelly and eel-tailed

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

Flooding

Moree has been flooded regularly over the years by the Mehi River. Recent major flooding reached a peak of , on 27 November 2011, on the Moree gauge, the 4th highest flood in the history of Moree. The highest ever flood was in February 1955 where the Mehi River reached a peak of which left 800 buildings in northern Moree with flooding above floor level. The

Gwydir Highway Gwydir Highway is a state highway in northern New South Wales, Australia. The highway was named after the Gwydir River, which in turn was named after a locale in Wales. Route Gwydir Highway traverses the New England region from the inland pla ...

, too is subject to flooding of the Gwydir and Mehi Rivers (the highway is actually on an island in the middle of these two rivers near

). Moree can also become isolated by road and rail when floods are high enough. Such was the case in the February 1971 floods when Moree was isolated for two weeks. Vast agricultural areas in the Mehi River floodplain become flooded in large floods. Some areas remained underwater for days, and in some cases, as long as a couple of weeks costing farmers thousands of dollars in ruined crops.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 29, 34, 00, S, 149, 30, 00, E, type:river_region:AU-NSW, display=title Rivers of New South Wales Murray-Darling basin Newell Highway

History

Flooding

See also

References

External links