The Lerderderg River (known locally as ''The Lerdy'') 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 Port Phillip catchment, located in the Western District region of the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

n 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 ...

Location and features

The Lerderderg River rises below the Blackwood Ranges, part of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

, in the Lerderderg State Forest, near the locality of . The river flows generally south by east in a highly meandering

course Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...

, through the

Lerderderg Gorge The Lerderderg Gorge is in Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Australia and largely within the Lerderderg State Park. The Lerderderg River which emerges from the Great Dividing Range has cut a deep gorge as it winds toward the southern plains. It is ...

within the

Wombat State Forest The Wombat State Forest (locally: Bullarook) is located west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, between Woodend and Daylesford, at the Great Dividing Range. The forest is approximately in size and sits upon Ordovician or Cenozoic sediments. ...

where it is joined by 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 drain ...

The Old River The Old River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the Western District region of the Australian state of Victoria. Location and features The Old River rises below Mount Bullengarook, part of the Blackwood Ranges of ...

and Goodman Creek, before reaching its

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

with the

Werribee River The Werribee River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment that is located on the expansive lowland plain southwest of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The headwaters of a tributary, the Lerderderg River, are north of Ballan near ...

within the

Melton Reservoir Melton may refer to: Places * Melton, Victoria, a satellite city outside Melbourne, Australia ** Electoral district of Melton, the Victorian Legislative Assembly electorate based on Melton ** Melton, Victoria (suburb), a suburb of Melton **Melton ...

, southeast of

Bacchus Marsh Bacchus Marsh ( Wathawurrung: ''Pullerbopulloke'') is an urban centre and suburban locality in Victoria, Australia located approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne and west of Melton at a near equidistance to the major cities ...

. The river descends approximately over its course. A diversion in the river's course, called the

Lerderderg River diversion tunnel The Lerderderg River diversion tunnel, known as The Tunnel, is located on the Lerderderg River approximately 25 km north-west of Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia. The river flows around a spur in a horseshoe bend. The tunnel was driven ...

, located approximately upriver from Bacchus Marsh, was constructed between 1855 and 1870. The tunnel was driven through a

mountain spur A spur is a lateral ridge or tongue of land descending from a hill, mountain or main crest of a ridge. It can also be defined as another hill or mountain range which projects in a lateral direction from a main hill or mountain range. Examples of ...

in a horseshoe bend, diverting the river, and allowing the exposed river bed to be sluiced for alluvial gold. The river is known for the

Picnic Ground, camping, bushwalking, and fishing. In earlier days, gold was mined in the upper reaches, and some of the old mines (considered dangerous to enter) can be seen as you travel along the sluice on the east bank, which previously fed into those mines. The water slowed to a trickle during the severe

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

of 2007. Even when not flowing, there are still a few popular swimming spots along the river, including "Harry's Hole", "Third Hole", and "The Pit", all of which are in the Lerderderg Gorge. The river is traversed by the Western Freeway northeast of Bacchus Marsh.

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Victoria (Australia) Port Phillip and Western Port catchment Rivers of Grampians (region) Bacchus Marsh Western District (Victoria)

Location and features

See also

References