The Brockman 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 ...

located in the Wheatbelt region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Course and features

The river rises north of Bindoon Hill and then flows generally in a southerly direction. The river is crossed by the

Great Northern Highway Great Northern Highway is an Australian highway that links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its northernmost port, Wyndham. With a length of almost , it is the longest highway in Australia, with the majority included as part of the ...

near the Bindoon-Moora Road turnoff and flows parallel with the highway as it continues southward. Passing the town of and through Lake Needoonga and Lake Chittering, the highway crosses the river as the river veers eastward. The river then passes and finally discharges into the Avon River near Jumperkine Hill just north of

Walyunga National Park Walyunga National Park is a national park in Western Australia, 35 km northeast of Perth along the Great Northern Highway. The park is situated just behind the Darling Scarp in the Darling Range spread over a steeply sided valley. The Swan- ...

. The river has many smaller

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 ...

including Wootra Brook, Spice Brook, Longbridge Gully, Marbling Brook, and Marda Brook. The river descends over its course. The Brockman has the largest

catchment A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

in the Lower Avon and Upper Swan River catchments. The natural resource base of the river is deteriorating as a result of clearing of natural vegetation which in turn has led to

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...

and salinity. The first European to pass by the river was the surveyor

Francis Thomas Gregory Francis Thomas "Frank" Gregory (19 October 1821 – 23 October 1888) was an Australian explorer and politician. Born in England, he emigrated with his family to Australia as a boy. He was the younger brother of the explorer and politician Augu ...

who named the river in 1853. The river is named after

William Locke Brockman William Locke Brockman (1802 – 28 November 1872) was an early settler in Western Australia, who became a leading pastoralist and stock breeder, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council. Biography Born in Kent, England in 18 ...

who was a pastoralist in the region with large land holdings and a Member of the

Western Australian Legislative Council The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly, the lower house. The two Houses ...

References

Avon River (Western Australia) {{WesternAustralia-river-stub

Course and features

See also

References