The King River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
in the
Great Southern 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 ...
.
Description
The river rises east of the town of
Redmond and then flows for approximately and along with the
Kalgan River
The Kalgan River is a river in the Great Southern (Western Australia), Great Southern region of Western Australia.
Geography
The river is long and, along with the King River (Western Australia), King River, drains into Oyster Harbour. The l ...
drains into
Oyster Harbour
Oyster Harbour is a permanently open estuary, north of King George Sound, which covers an area of near Albany, Western Australia. The harbour is used to shelter a fishing fleet carrying out commercial fishing and the farming of oysters and mus ...
and finally
King George Sound
King George Sound ( nys , Menang Koort) is a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use ...
north east of
Albany.
The land along the river is estimated as being 83% cleared yet the water quality is generally healthy fresh water. The salinity level of the King River at discharge is 800 mg/L.
History
The river was named after an early explorer of the
Australian and
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...
n coasts,
Phillip Parker King
Rear Admiral Phillip Parker King, FRS, RN (13 December 1791 – 26 February 1856) was an early explorer of the Australian and Patagonian coasts.
Early life and education
King was born on Norfolk Island, to Philip Gidley King and Ann ...
, by
Thomas Braidwood Wilson
Thomas Braidwood Wilson FRGS (bapt. 29 April 1792 – 11 November 1843) was an Australian surgeon and explorer. He was baptised in Kirknewton, West Lothian, Scotland, the son of James, and Catherine Boak.
Sea voyages
Wilson studied at Edinbur ...
while exploring the region in December 1829.
The estuarine zone of the river is from the mouth to upstream to where Mill Brook joins the river.
The area around
Lower King was a known haunt for sealers in 1831.
It was settled later in the 1830s but the townsite was not gazetted until 1959.
The Lower King River Bridge was constructed in 1898 and washed away during a storm in 1900. Both the upper and lower bridges were damaged during storms in 1902. In 1944 and 1947 parts of the lower bridge collapsed and rebuilt.
[
In January 2019 the Upper King Bridge was burned by a deliberately lit fire causing 300,000 in damage.]
Tributaries
The main tributary of the King River is Mill Brook which joins the King about north-west of the Upper King Bridge.
References
Further reading
* Muirden, Peter: Pen, Luke and Marnie Leybourne (2003) Stream and catchment hydrology in South West Western Australia Perth, W.A. Dept. of Environment. Department of Environment river restoration, 1442-6919 ; report no. RR19
* Pen, Luke J.(1999) Managing our rivers : a guide to the nature and management of the streams of south-west Western Australia (editor, June Hutchison) East Perth, W.A. : Water and Rivers Commission.
External links
Rivers of the Great Southern region
Albany, Western Australia
{{WesternAustralia-river-stub