Moore River is a river 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 t ...
.
Geography
The headwaters of the Moore River lie in the
Perenjori,
Carnamah and
Dalwallinu Shires. The river then drains southwards through
Moora, flows westerly before joining with the Moore River East near Mogumber, then flows in a westerly direction over the Edengerie Cascade, through the northern edge of the Moore River Nature Reserve, then through the Gingin Scarp, discharging into the Indian Ocean at
Guilderton.
[
The river includes a catchment that extends from just south of Three Springs to Guilderton. The catchment has a total area of and is 80% cleared for agriculture.][ The catchment area is used for ]broadacre
Broadacre in Australia is land suitable for farms practicing large-scale crop operations. The key crop segments in this category are as follows:
* oilseeds - canola, sunflowers
* winter and summer cereals - wheat, barley, oats, triticale, sorgh ...
farming but with increasing diversification in horticulture
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
and tree plantations. The river mouth at Guilderton typically closes during the summer months due to insufficient water flow, creating a sandbar.
The river has nine subcatchment areas and has a number of tributaries and lakes along the length of the river. The salinity
Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt (chemistry), salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensio ...
levels in the river catchment vary from brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estua ...
to saline with the exception of Gingin Brook which remains fresh throughout the year.
History
The Aboriginal people referred to the lower part of the river as Garban.63rd Regiment of Foot
The 63rd Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms, it amalgamated with the 96th Regiment of Foot to form the Manchester Regiment in 1881.
History Formation and service in the Seven Years' War
The fo ...
, after his expedition leader George Fletcher Moore
George Fletcher Moore (10 December 1798 – 30 December 1886) was a prominent early settler in colonial Western Australia, and "one fthe key figures in early Western Australia's ruling elite" (Cameron, 2000). He conducted a number of exploring ...
, Advocate-General. The exploratory party comprised Moore, Heffron and an Aboriginal man named Weenat. Heffron was notable for his participation in the Battle of Pinjarra in 1834.
The river is prone to periodic flooding unusually following cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an an ...
s and tropical depressions crossing the coast further north. In 1907, the railway lines between Watheroo and Moora were closed for some time when parts of the track were washed away.
More floods occurred in 1917 when of rain fell in three hours at Mogumber with similar falls in surrounding areas. Moora was once again left underwater and rail services in surrounding areas were suspended. Low-lying areas at other towns such as Arrino
Arrino is a small town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. The town is located between Mingenew and Three Springs on the Midlands Road.
The name of the town is Aboriginal in origin; it is the name of the local springs, thought to ...
, Three Springs and Coorow were also submerged.
In 1932 the river flooded once again following heavy rains in the Midland districts. Railway lines were undermined to a depth of leaving Moora isolated from Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
by both road and rail. The township of Moora was left underwater and portions of the town had to be evacuated. Crops and some stock were lost as result of the floodwaters.
See also
*Moore River National Park
Moore River National Park is a national park in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 95 km north of Perth. The Moore River runs through the park on its way to the Indian Ocean where the township of Guilderton is situated.
The park ...
*Moore River Native Settlement
The Moore River Native Settlement was the name of the now defunct Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal settlement and internment camp located north of Perth and west of Mogumber, Western Australia, Mogumber in Western Australia, near the Source ...
References
External links
includes a map of the lower reaches of the river navigable by canoe
larger zoomable Sunset Coast map
{{Authority control
Rivers of the Wheatbelt region
Moora, Western Australia