The Preston River is a river in the

South West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

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 ...

. The river has a total length of and rises near Goonac siding then flows in a north-westerly direction until discharging into the Leschenault Estuary. The headwaters are inland within the

Darling Range The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to t ...

and run across the Blackwood Plateau and the Swan Coastal Plain. The majority of the river catchment has been cleared for agriculture although some remnant forest vegetation exists at the headwaters. The towns of Donnybrook and Boyanup are on the shores of the Preston River. The major

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 ...

of the river include the Ferguson River and Joshua Creek. Minor tributaries include Thomson Brook, Crooked Brook, Charley Creek, Waterfall Gully, Mininup Brook, Millbrook and Gavin Guly. The Glen Mervyn

Dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

is along the Preston River. The river basin is monitored routinely as a result of

eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...

problems within the Leschenault Inlet. The water quality is fresh in many places and generally low in nutrients although some areas are slightly enriched with

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

. The river is named after , an officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

, who settled in the Swan River Colony after arriving on in 1829.

References

{{Rivers of Western Australia Rivers of the South West region Swan Coastal Plain