The Tarwin 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 ...
of the
West Gippsland
West Gippsland, a region of Gippsland in Victoria, Australia, extends from the southeastern limits of metropolitan Melbourne and Western Port Bay in the west to the Latrobe Valley in the east, and is bounded by the Strzelecki Ranges to the south ...
catchment, located in the
South Gippsland
South Gippsland, a region of Gippsland in Victoria, Australia, is a well-watered region consisting of low, rolling hills descending to the coast in the south and the Latrobe Valley in the north. Low granite hills continue into Wilsons Promon ...
region of the
Australian 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 ...
. The Tarwin River is the primary river system within
South Gippsland Shire
The Shire of South Gippsland is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the south-eastern part of the state. It covers an area of and, in June 2018, had a population of 29,576.
It includes the towns of Leongatha, Korumburra ...
and has a
catchment area
In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...
of approximately , predominantly rural with small pockets of residential land use. It flows south from the
Strzlecki Ranges and discharges in the eastern reaches of
Anderson Inlet
Anderson Inlet (Boonwurrung: ''Toluncan''), sometimes incorrectly referred to as Andersons Inlet, is a shallow and dynamic estuary in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia where the Tarwin River enters Bass Strait. It forms a almost enclosed ...
, a shallow estuary connected to
Bass Strait.
Course and features
Formed by the
confluence of the Tarwin River East Branch that drains the southwestern slopes of the Strzlecki Ranges from an elevation of and the Tarwin River West Branch that drains the southern slopes of the Strzlecki Ranges from a northerly point at an elevation of , the Tarwin River rises near the locale of Tarwin, west of .
The east branch of the river rises below the locale of Dollar, then heads north through Tarwin East and on to before heading south through a valley, breaking out on to cleared farmland north of where the river is up to wide with slow flowing water when not in flood; and then continues south. The west branch of the river rises as a number of tributaries on the southern slopes of the Strzelecki Ranges at the south of
Mount Worth State Park. The western branch of the river flows through mostly steep, cleared farmlands, fed by six 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 drainag ...
as it flows south, east of and towards Meeniyan, generally through flat and rolling farmland.
The two branches then form as the Tarwin River, and flows generally south and then west by south, joined by two minor tributaries, through flat open river flats, passing around Tarwin Lower, flooding many local roads and then flowing into an extensive estuary and reaching its
river mouth, emptying into Andersons Inlet, that flows into Bass Strait, near the township of . The lower reaches of the Tarwin River can be affected by tidal influences. From its highest elevation including the east and west branches of the river, the Tarwin River descends over its combined
course.
[
]
Etymology
In the Australian Aboriginal
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait I ...
Boonwurrung language
The Boonwurrung language, also anglicised as Bunurong, Bun wurrung, and other variant spellings, is an Aboriginal Australian language traditionally spoken by the Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation of central Victoria prior to European s ...
the river is given two names, ''Tarwin'', meaning "thirsty";[ and ''Toulerm'', meaning "gum".][
It is a popular fishing river, with the river running with a species of fish known as "Elephant Fish" every season.
The river was named from an Aboriginal word .][, cited in ]
See also
* List of rivers of Australia
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Rivers of Victoria (Australia)
West Gippsland catchment
Rivers of Gippsland (region)