Rivers of Tasmania
This page discusses the rivers and hydrography of the state of Tasmania, Australia.
In the geography of Tasmania, the state is covered with a network of rivers and lake systems. As an island, all rivers eventually empty into the waters that surround Tasmania. There are four main river systems:[1]
- In the south, the Derwent flows from the Central Highlands past Hobart, to the sea at Storm Bay;
- In the west, the Gordon River takes the waters of Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder and is joined by the Franklin River before flowing into Macquarie Harbour;
- Flowing eastwards and to the south, the Huon River has its headwaters at Scotts Peak Dam on Lake Pedder, and reaches the sea in D'Entrecasteaux Channel; and
- Flowing from the north-east, the South Esk, the state's longest river, joins the North Esk at Launceston to create the Tamar.
Compared to the rest of Australia,[2] Tasmania has a very high proportion of wild or undisturbed rivers.[3][4]
Catchment areas[edit]
Major catchments of Tasmania are linked to the major rivers, the most notable being the Derwent. Catchments by region are:
South west region[edit]
West coast region[edit]
Major rivers[edit]
The following rivers are the longest river systems, by length.[1]
| Order | River name | Length | Region(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| km | mi | |||
| 1 | South Esk | 252 | 157 | Midlands |
| 2 | Derwent | 215 | 134 | Central Highlands |
| 3 | Arthur | 189 | 117 | West Coast |
| 4 | Gordon | 186 | 116 | Central Highlands; South-west; Western |
| 5 | Huon | 169 | 105 | South-west |
| 6 | Mersey | 158 | 98 | North-west |
| 7 | Franklin | 129 | 80 | Central Highlands; West Coast |
| 8 | North Esk | 97 | 60 | Northern |
| 9 | Pieman | 38 | 24 | West Coast |
River topography[edit]
Rivers that flow towards the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean[edit]
D'Entrecasteaux (Derwent) sub-catchment[edit] |
D'Entrecasteaux (Huon) sub-catchment[edit] |
Rivers with no defined sub-catchment[edit]
|
Rivers that flow towards the Southern Ocean[edit]
Gordon–Franklin sub-catchment[edit] |
Pieman River sub-catchment[edit] |
Davey River sub-catchment[edit]Henty River sub-catchment[edit]King River sub-catchment[edit]Old River sub-catchment[edit]Wanderer River sub-catchment[edit] |
Rivers with no defined sub-catchment[edit]
|
Rivers that flow north, towards Bass Strait[edit]
Esk–Tamar catchment[edit] |
Arthur River sub-catchment[edit]Inglis River sub-catchment[edit]
|
Forth River sub-catchment[edit]Mersey River sub-catchment[edit]Cam River sub-catchment[edit]
|
Rivers with no defined sub-catchment[edit]
|
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "1384.6 - Statistics - Tasmania, 2008". Bureau of Statistics. Australian Government. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Identified Natural Rivers - National" (Map). Australia's Natural Lands and Rivers. Department of the Environment, Australian Government. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Identified Natural Rivers - Tasmania" (Map). Australia's Natural Lands and Rivers. Department of the Environment, Australian Government. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Undisturbed rivers - Tasmania" (Map). Australian Heritage Commission. Department of the Environment, Australian Government; Department of Primary Industries, Water and Energy and Forest Tasmania, Tasmanian Government. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
