Avon River (Gippsland, Victoria)

River in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia

This article is about the river located in the Gippsland region. For the river of the same name located in the Northern Grampians Shire region, see Avon River (Grampians, Victoria). For other rivers named Avon, see River Avon (disambiguation).

Avon

On the Avon River near Stratford.

Location of the Avon River mouth in Victoria

Etymology| Originally called the Avoca; named the Avon by Angus McMillan[1][2][3]
Native name|

* Dooyeedang[4][5] (Kurnai)
* Adige[6] (Kurnai)

Location
Country| Australia
State| Victoria
Region| South East Corner (IBRA), South East Coastal Plain (IBRA), West Gippsland
Local government area| Wellington
Physical characteristics
Source| Mount Wellington, Great Dividing Range
• location| Miler Spur, Avon Wilderness Park
• coordinates| 37°30′38″S 146°51′44″E﻿ / ﻿37.51056°S 146.86222°E﻿ / -37.51056; 146.86222
• elevation| 664 m (2,178 ft)
Mouth| Lake Wellington

• location

| east of Sale; southeast of Stratford

• coordinates

| 38°2′57″S 147°16′7″E﻿ / ﻿38.04917°S 147.26861°E﻿ / -38.04917; 147.26861Coordinates: 38°2′57″S 147°16′7″E﻿ / ﻿38.04917°S 147.26861°E﻿ / -38.04917; 147.26861

• elevation

| 0 m (0 ft)
Length| 122 km (76 mi)
Basin features
River system| West Gippsland catchment
Tributaries|
• left| Turton River, Valencia Creek, Freestone Creek, Blackall Creek, Perry River
• right| Mount Hump Creek, McColl Creek, Ben Cruachan Creek, Navigation Creek, Nuntin Creek
National park| Avon Wilderness Park
[7][8]

The Avon River is a perennial river of the West Gippsland catchment, located in the West Gippsland region, of the Australian state of Victoria. The Avon, forms an important part of the Latrobe sub-catchment, draining the south eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, to form the Gippsland Lakes.

## Location and features[edit]

The Avon River rises on the south eastern slopes of Mount Wellington, below Miller Spur, part of the Great Dividing Range within the Avon Wilderness Park.[9] The rivers flows in a highly meandering course generally south, then east, then south by southeast, joined by ten tributaries including the Turton River and the Perry River, before reaching its mouth to form Lake Wellington east of Sale and southeast of Stratford. Within Lake Wellington, the Avon forms its confluence with the Latrobe River, empties into Bass Strait via the Mitchell River south of Lakes Entrance. The river descends 664 metres (2,178 ft) over its 122-kilometre (76 mi) course.[8]

The upper reaches are contained in the rugged, heavily forested and largely inaccessible, Avon Wilderness Park. The river passes through forested hillsides, then cleared agricultural land. Around Stratford the river has dug a wide channel up to 500 metres (1,600 ft) across, composed mainly of sand banks and pebble banks. The river then forms a boundary for the Macallister Irrigation District, with Nuntin Creek joining 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) downstream of Stratford contributing a large amount of irrigation drainage to the river.

Considerable demand is placed on the Latrobe and Thomson Rivers for supply of Melbourne's water, industrial use in Australia's largest pulp and paper mill and the power industry in the Latrobe Valley, and for irrigation. The Avon escapes any major impoundment or diversion.

The river was important to the indigenous Gunai/Kurnai people, highlighted by Knob Reserve, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Stratford, being part of the Gunai/Kurnai Bataluk Cultural Trail. The trail highlights the places of cultural significance to the first inhabitants across East Gippsland.[citation needed]

## Etymology[edit]

In the Brataualung language, two names have been recorded for the river, Dooyeedang, with no defined meaning;[4][5] and Kutbuntaura-wurk, Kurbuntaura referring to a section of the Brataua clan meaning "fire carriers" who lived on the upper Avon River, and wurk, meaning "land" or "country".[6][10] Kutbuntaura-wurk may therefore be considered a description: 'the land of the Kutbuntaura'.

At one point named the Avoca River by Thomas Mitchell, the river was named the Avon by Angus McMillan in circa 1840.[1][2]

## See also[edit]

* Australia portal
* Water portal

* List of rivers of Victoria

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Reed, A. W. (1973). Place names of Australia. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 19\. ISBN 0-589-50128-3.
2. ^ a b Blake, Les (1977). Place names of Victoria. Adelaide: Rigby. p. 294\. ISBN 0-7270-0250-3., cited in Bird (2006)
3. ^ Bird, Eric (12 October 2006). "Place Names on the Coast of Victoria" (PDF). The Australian National Placename Survey (ANPS). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011.
4. ^ a b "Avon River: 9616: Traditional Name: Dooyeedang". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 12 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
5. ^ a b "Avon River: 9616: Traditional Name: Dooyeedang". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
6. ^ a b "Avon River: 9616: Traditional Name: Kutbuntaura-wurk". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
7. ^ "Avon River: 9616". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 2 May 1966. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
8. ^ a b "Map of Avon River, VIC". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
9. ^ "Alpine National Park: Our Mountain Heritage - around Heyfield, Licola and Dargo in the Wonnangatta - Moroka area" (PDF). Parks Victoria. Government of Victoria. August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
10. ^ Close, David Kyhber (2021). BUCKLEY, BATMAN & MYNDIE: Echoes of the Victorian culture-clash frontier: Sounding 1: Before 1840 and Sounding 2: Dispossession At Melbourne. BookPOD. p. 97-4. ISBN 9780992290405. Retrieved 2 November 2021.

## External links[edit]

* West Gippsland Regional Catchment Strategy (2013 - 2019) (PDF – 4MB). West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority. 2012. ISBN 978-0-9805562-8-5.[permanent dead link]
* "Latrobe Catchment Ecosystem" (PDF). West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2011.

* v
* t
* e

Waterways of the West Gippsland catchment, Victoria, Australia

Rivers|

* Aberfeldy
* Ada (Baw Baw)
* Agnes
* Albert
* Avon (Wellington)
* Barkly
* Caledonia
* Carey
* Darby
* Dolodrook
* Franklin
* Jack (Wellington)
* Jordan
* Latrobe
* Little (Avon)
* Little Toorongo
* Loch
* Macalister
* Moe
* Morwell
* Perry
* Powlett
* Tanjil
* Tarra
* Tarwin
* Thomson
* Tidal
* Toorongo
* Turton
* Tyers
* Wellington

Creeks|

* Banksia
* Barry
* Ben Cruachan
* Bennison
* Berrys
* Blackall
* Boggy (Wellington)
* Bruthen
* Coalition
* Eaglehawk
* Fiddlers
* Fish
* Flynns
* Foster
* Freestone
* Glenmaggie
* Merrimans
* Middle (Latrobe)
* Monkey
* Narracan
* Nine Mile (South Gippsland)
* Rainbow
* Rintoul
* Screw
* Shady (Baw Baw)
* Traralgon
* Waterhole
* Wilkur
* Valencia

Lakes|

* Blue Rock Lake
* Lake Glenmaggie
* Gippsland Lakes
* Lake Coleman
* Lake Reeve
* Lake Wellington
* Thomson Reservoir

Other|

* Thomson River Diversion Tunnel

* Rivers of Victoria
* Lakes of Victoria
* West Gippsland catchment

* v
* t
* e

Rivers of Victoria

Rivers that flow towards the coast

| Tasman Sea / Bass Strait|

| East Gippsland catchment|

* Ada (East Gippsland)
* Arte
* Back
* Lake Barracoota
* Bemm
* Bendoc
* Benedore
* Berrima
* Betka
* Big (Brodribb)
* Bonang
* Brodribb
* Buchan
* Cann
* Cann River East
* Combienbar
* Lake Corringle
* Crooked
* Lake Curlip
* Dargo
* Deddick
* Delegate
* Dry
* Errinundra
* Genoa
* Gippsland Lakes
* Lake King
* Lake Victoria (East Gippsland)
* Goolengook
* Hartland
* Humffray
* Ingeegoodbee
* Jack (East Gippsland)
* Little (Moroka)
* Little (Snowy River NP)
* Little (Sydenham Inlet)
* Little (Tambo)
* Little Arte
* Little Dargo
* Little Goolengook
* Little Yalmy
* McKenzie
* Mitchell
* Moroka
* Mueller
* Murrindal
* Nicholson
* Queensborough
* Red
* Rich
* Rocky
* Rodger
* Saint Patricks
* Snowy
* Suggan Buggan
* Tambo
* Thurra
* Timbarra
* Lake Tyers
* Wallagaraugh
* Wentworth
* Wingan
* Wongungarra
* Wonnangatta
* Yalmy
* Yeerung

|

West Gippsland catchment|

* Aberfeldy
* Ada (Baw Baw)
* Agnes
* Albert
* Avon (Wellington)
* Barkly
* Caledonia
* Carey
* Darby
* Dolodrook
* Franklin
* Gippsland Lakes
* Lake Coleman
* Lake Reeve
* Lake Wellington
* Lake Glenmaggie
* Jack (Wellington)
* Jordan
* Latrobe
* Little (Avon)
* Little Toorongo
* Loch
* Macalister
* Moe
* Morwell
* Perry
* Powlett
* Tanjil
* Tarra
* Tarwin
* Thomson
* Thomson Reservoir
* Tidal
* Toorongo
* Turton
* Tyers
* Wellington

Melbourne Water catchment|

* Bass
* Bunyip
* Dandenong
* Don
* Lang Lang
* Lerderderg
* Little (Greater Geelong)
* Little Bass
* Little Lang Lang
* Little Yarra
* Maribyrnong
* O'Shannassy
* Patterson
* Plenty
* Tarago
* The Old
* Watts
* Werribee
* Yarra

Corangamite catchment|

* Aire
* Anglesea
* Barham
* Barwon
* Calder
* Carlisle
* Lake Connewarre
* Lake Corangamite
* Cumberland
* Curdies
* Elliott
* Erskine
* Ford
* Geary
* Gellibrand
* Grey
* Johanna
* Kennet
* Leigh
* Little Aire
* Lake Martin
* Moorabool
* Parker
* St George
* Sherbrook
* Woady Yaloak
* Wye
* Yarrowee

Great Australian Bight|

| Glenelg Hopkins catchment|

* Lake Bolac
* Lake Burrumbeet
* Chetwynd
* Crawford
* Dundas
* Eumeralla
* Fitzroy
* Glenelg
* Hopkins
* Merri
* Moyne
* Shaw
* Stokes
* Surrey
* Wando
* Wannon

|

Rivers of the Murray–Darling basin

| North–East catchment|

* Big (Mitta Mitta)
* Buckland
* Buffalo
* Bundara
* Catherine
* Cobungra
* Dandongadale
* Dart
* Lake Dartmouth
* Gibbo
* Lake Hume
* Kiewa
* King
* Mitta Mitta
* Murray
* Ovens
* Rose
* Victoria

|

Goulburn Broken catchment|

* Acheron
* Big (Goulburn)
* Black
* Broken
* Delatite
* Lake Eildon
* Goulburn
* Goulburn Weir
* Howqua
* Jamieson
* Little (Cathedral Range)
* Little Rubicon
* Murray
* Murrindindi
* Royston
* Rubicon
* Steavenson
* Taggerty
* Taponga
* Torbreck
* Yea

North–Central catchment|

* Avoca
* Campaspe
* Cairn Curran Reservoir
* Coliban
* Lake Eppalock
* Laanecoorie Reservoir
* Little Coliban
* Little Murray
* Loddon
* Murray

Mallee catchment|

* Lindsay
* Murray

Rivers that drain inland

| North–Central catchment|

* Avon (Grampians)
* Lake Buloke
* Richardson

|

Wimmera catchment|

* Lake Albacutya
* Lake Hindmarsh
* MacKenzie
* Wimmera

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