King River, Victoria
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The King River, 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 North-East Murray catchment of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the
alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...
and Hume regions 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 ...
, Australia. It flows from the northwestern slopes of the
Alpine National Park The Alpine National Park is a national park located in the Central Highlands and Alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. The national park is located northeast of Melbourne. It is the largest National Park in Victoria, and covers much of the hig ...
in the
Australian Alps The Australian Alps is a mountain range in southeast Australia. It comprises an interim Australian bioregion,0042-5184 However, the moth has also been a biovector of arsenic, transporting it from lowland feeding sites over long distances int ...
, through the
King Valley The King Valley, or King River Valley is a wine-producing and agricultural region centred on the King River between Wangaratta and the Alpine National Park in the North East Victoria zone of the Australian state of Victoria. There are a numbe ...
, and joining with the
Ovens River The Ovens River, a perennial river of the north-east Murray catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the alpine and Hume regions of the Australian state of Victoria. Location and features Formed by the confluence of the East a ...
at the rural city of
Wangaratta Wangaratta ( ) is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city had an estimated urban population of 19,318 at June 2018. Wangaratta has recorded a population growth rate of almost 1% annually ...
.


Location and features

The King River rises below Mount Buggery, within Mansfield Shire, at an elevation exceeding above sea level. The river flows generally north by northwest, most of its course through remote parts of the Alpine and
Mount Buffalo Mount Buffalo is a mountain plateau of the Australian Alps and is within the Mount Buffalo National Park in Victoria, Australia. It is located approximately northeast of Melbourne. It is noted for its dramatic scenery. The summit of the highes ...
national parks, and then descending into the King Valley, joined by eight minor tributaries, before reaching its confluence with the Ovens River at Wangaratta. The river descends over its course. The river is impounded by the William Hovell Dam to form Lake William Hovell, that provides water for approximately for irrigated crops, vineyards and grazing properties along the King River from
Cheshunt Cheshunt ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London on the River Lea and Lee Navigation. It contains a section of the Lee Valley Park, including much of the River Lee Country Park. To the north lies Broxbourne and Wormley, ...
to Wangaratta. A small hydro-electric generator is driven by the river's outflow from the dam, with an average annual output of .


Etymology

The river was given its English name by
Hamilton Hume Hamilton Hume (19 June 1797 – 19 April 1873) was an early explorer of the present-day Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria. In 1824, along with William Hovell, Hume participated in an expedition that first took an overland rout ...
and
William Hovell William Hilton Hovell (26 April 1786 – 9 November 1875) was an English explorer of Australia. With Hamilton Hume, he made an 1824 overland expedition from Sydney to Port Phillip (near the site of present-day Melbourne), and later explored the ...
, explorers of the region, in honour of Captain
Philip Gidley King Captain Philip Gidley King (23 April 1758 – 3 September 1808) was a British politician who was the third Governor of New South Wales. When the First Fleet arrived in January 1788, King was detailed to colonise Norfolk Island for defence ...
, the third Governor of New South Wales, in office from 1800 to 1806. 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 ...
Waywurru language, the river is named ''Poodumbeyer'', with no defined meaning.


Recreation

Kayaking enthusiasts access the river for the many level 2 and level 3 rapids. In 2008 the site for the Victorian and Australian Downriver Championships.


See also

* List of rivers of Victoria


References


External links

{{Authority control Rivers of Victoria (Australia) Murray-Darling basin North-East catchment Rivers of Hume (region) Wangaratta Victorian Alps Alpine National Park Hume Highway