The Spero River 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 abs ...
located in the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
or
South West
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
region of
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
, Australia.
Course and features
The Spero River rises below Thirkell Hill on an unnamed range within the
Southwest Conservation Area. The river flows generally north by west, joined by the
Pery River and one minor tributary 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 Spero Bay, south east of
Point Hibbs
Point Hibbs is a headland on the south-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. The headland is located south of the most southern point of Macquarie Harbour, and west of the Gordon River. It is the next named feature along the coast south of Cape So ...
, eventually flowing into the
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...
. The river descends over its
course.
[
The river mouth is located on a walking track entitled the ''Hibbs Lagoon to ]Low Rocky Point
The Low Rocky Point is a location on the south west coast of Tasmania and Australia, that is used as a location for weather forecasting. It is almost due west of Hobart, it is south of Point Hibbs and north of South West Cape.
Location and fe ...
'', approximately , 12-days plus, along the south western coast of Tasmania that is considered the most difficult section of the coast. The mouth area has also been subjected to both plans and actual modification of reefs and blockages for navigation of the lower portion of the river. Access to the area in the 1930s was also augmented by tracks from Birchs Inlet
The Birchs Inlet, also spelt Birch's Inlet or Birches Inlet, is a narrow cove or coastal inlet on the south-western side of Macquarie Harbour on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. The inlet is located within the Southwest National Park, part ...
on Macquarie Harbour
Macquarie Harbour is a shallow fjord in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. It is approximately , and has an average depth of , with deeper places up to . It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by the ...
.
Much of the course of the river is isolated with very limited direct contact with the outside world, however a Huon Pine
''Lagarostrobos franklinii'' is a species of conifer native to the wet southwestern corner of Tasmania, Australia. It is often known as the Huon pine or Macquarie pine, although it is actually a podocarp (Podocarpaceae), not a true pine (Pinaceae ...
timber venture in the 1930s and 1940s saw some level of activity in the area.
A small steam ship the ''SS Gundiah'' was specifically bought to service the Spero River timber industry.
The river name is also applied to the cartographic material available from Tasmap Tasmap is the main government authority for the state of Tasmania in Australia for the mapping and management of land information systems for the state.
In earlier decades most Australian mapping departments were known by the common name of the ''L ...
for the area.[
]
See also
* Rivers of Tasmania
This page discusses the rivers and hydrography of the state of Tasmania, Australia.
In the geography of Tasmania, the state is covered with a network of rivers and lake systems. As an island, all rivers eventually empty into the waters that sur ...
References
South West Tasmania
Rivers of Tasmania
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