The Henty River is a
perennial river
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...
in the
West Coast region of
Tasmania
Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
, Australia. The river generally lies north of and south of .
Location and features
Formed by the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of the Dobson and Newton Creeks, the river rises below Lake Newton on the western slopes of the
Tyndall Range, northwest of
Mount Tyndall, part of the
West Coast Range
The West Coast Range is a mountain range located in the West Coast, Tasmania, West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
The range lies to the west and north of the main parts of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.
The range has h ...
of Tasmania.
The river flows generally south by west and then west, joined by eight
tributaries
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' 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 into which the ...
.
: Bottle Creek
: Lost Creek
: Malcolm Creek
: McCutcheom's Creek
:
Tully
:
Yolande
:
Badger
Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...
The
mouth
A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...
emptying into the
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...
at Henty Dunes.
The river descends over its
course.
[
In the area known as the Upper Henty at the river's headwaters is the Henty Gold Mine. Its upper reaches were some of the last sites of dam making by the ]Hydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania, formerly the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC), is a Tasmanian Government business enterprise which is the main electricity generator in Tasmania, Australia. Originally oriented towards hydro-electricity, owing to Tasmania's dr ...
in its long history of regulating flow of Tasmanian rivers.
The river catchment has two areas of high ground. One is known as the ''Professor Plateau'', west of the ''Professor Range'' to the north of the river, and the other ''Misery Flat'', which is high ground between the Tully River and Lost Creek.
The river basin is adjacent to the West Coast Range and the Lake Margaret areas, argued as having up to four separate periods of glaciation.Zeehan Highway
Zeehan Highway (also known as the Queenstown-Zeehan road) is a road between Zeehan, Tasmania, Zeehan and Queenstown, Tasmania, Queenstown in Western Tasmania.
Where it leaves the valley in which Queenstown lies, it is the junction with the Quee ...
. A former bridge that carried the Strahan-Zeehan Railway, very close to the coast and Ocean Beach, has since been demolished.
Recreation uses
During October and November, the Henty River is a location for sea run trout
Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...
.
Picnic spots are available beside the river at either the Strahan to Zeehan highway, or the Zeehan Highway.
See also
*
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
West Coast Council details
{{Western Tasmania , state=autocollapse
Rivers of Tasmania
West Coast Range