The Suggan Buggan 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 abse ...

of the

Snowy River The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the ...

catchment, located in the

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

region of the Australian state 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 ...

Course and features

Formed by the confluence of the Berrima River and the Freestone Creek, the Suggan Buggan River rises in a remote alpine wilderness area within the

Alpine National Park The Alpine National Park is a national park located in the Central Highlands and Alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. The national park is located northeast of Melbourne. It is the largest National Park in Victoria, and covers much of the hig ...

, south of the Black-Allan Line that forms part of the state border between

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 ...

and Victoria. The river flows generally southeast by south through the locality of Suggan Buggan, joined by the Ingeegoodbee River and two 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 Snowy River in the

Shire of East Gippsland The Shire of East Gippsland is a local government area in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, located in the eastern part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 46,818. It includes the towns of Bairnsdale, Benambra ...

, north of the

Snowy River National Park The Snowy River National Park is a national park located in the alpine and East Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia. The national park is situated approximately northeast of Melbourne and southwest of Canberra, south of the Black-Allan ...

. The river descends over its course. The river is traversed by the Snowy River Road (C608).

Recreational activity

Bush walks in the area lead to Mount Stradbroke at and Mount Cobberas at . Many parts of the river are inaccessible during winter months.

Etymology

The river's name is derived from the Aboriginal phrase ''bukkan bukkan'', referring to "bags made from grass".

History

Aboriginal history

The traditional custodians of the land surrounding the Suggan Buggan river are the

Australian Aboriginal Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait I ...

Bidawal and Nindi-Ngudjam Ngarigu Monero peoples.

European history

The first run in the district was taken up by William Woodhouse in 1843 who passed it on to Scottish-born Australian

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...

and

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

Benjamin Boyd Benjamin Boyd (21 August 180115 October 1851) was a Scottish entrepreneur who became a major shipowner, banker, grazier, politician and slaver, exploiting South Sea Islander labour in the British colony of New South Wales. Boyd became one ...

in 1845. The property was transferred to Edward O'Rourke in 1858 who had travelled south from the Monaro plains with his young family. He stayed for 25 years before moving south to Wulgulmerang, which began its life as another O'Rourke station, and then west to the Omeo station at Benambra. O'Rourke used local Murray pines to build the first permanent home in the area. The O'Rourke's ownership ended in 1902 when the property was sold to John Churchill Rogers.

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control Rivers of Victoria (Australia) East Gippsland catchment Rivers of Gippsland (region) Snowy River