The Moruya River is an open and trained mature wave dominated barrier estuary or

tidal river A tidal river is a river whose flow and level are influenced by tides. A section of a larger river affected by the tides is a tidal reach, but it may sometimes be considered a tidal river if it has been given a separate name. Generally, tidal ri ...

is located in the South Coast region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. In its upper freshwater reaches, the river is known as the Deua River.

Course and features

The headwaters of the Deua River rise south of Braidwood and flow to the village of Kiora where the Deua River forms its confluence with the Moruya River. The Moruya River flows generally east, joined by two minor tributaries, past the town of Moruya, before reaching its mouth of the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...

at Moruya Heads. The river descends over its course.

Barrier entrance

The river has a bar at its confluence with the Tasman Sea. Work on the river training walls was concentrated in 1907, following extensive siltation of the river opening. The dredge ''Antleon'' was based there during the 1920s, when in 1924, the steamer ''Benandra'' was wrecked at the entrance. Work on the break walls was completed in 1925 when huge storms required some repairs to the training walls. The port gained greater significance in 1924 when a stone quarry was opened and used to supply granite for the pylons of the

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The view of the bridg ...

, and the stone for the Cenotaph in

Martin Place Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. Martin Place has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney.

. The

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

built a wharf adjacent to the quarry fore ease of use. Extensions to the southern training walls were undertaken between 1931 and 1933, with major additional works from 1946 to 1954. The bar is dangerous to shipping and as a result of its hazards for smaller ships and because it prevented access by larger ones, the major settlement in the area was first developed at nearby

Broulee Broulee is a town on the south coast of New South Wales between Batemans Bay and Moruya. At the , the town had a population of 1,717. Just off the beach is Broulee Island, currently joined to the mainland, but in past years the connecting spit ...

. In 1841 a flood cleared the bar and the town of Moruya, now accessible to shipping, developed at the expense of the settlement at Broulee despite later recurring problems with the bar, not least as it was the easiest point to access the rich Araluen goldfields from the 1850s. The bar is now managed in part by a rock

breakwall A breakwater is a permanent structure constructed at a coastal area to protect against tides, currents, waves, and storm surges. Part of a coastal management system, breakwaters are installed to minimize erosion, and to protect anchorages, h ...

on the northern side of the river.

History

The river was previously navigable by coastal shipping to Moruya and was serviced by the

Illawarra Steam Navigation Company The ''Illawarra Steam Navigation Company'' was a shipping company that serviced the south coast of New South Wales, Australia from 1858 to the early 1950s. It was formed through the amalgamation of the General Steam Navigation Company, the Kiam ...

. The ''Benandra'', a wooden screw steamer operated by the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company to transport cargo, was lost on 25 March 1924 when it hit the sandspit near the bar. At least one person died. The Princes Highway crosses the Moruya River at Moruya. The first bridge across the Moruya River was erected in 1876. Due to frequent flooding new bridges were erected in 1900 and 1945 and, most recently, in 1966.

Nature

Wildlife

Coast-favoring southern right whales may enter into the river mouth.Moruya – YouTube
/ref> ''

Mordacia praecox ''Mordacia praecox'', the Australian brook lamprey or nonparasitic lamprey, is a freshwater species of southern topeyed lamprey that occurs in south-eastern Australia. It has a thin eel-like body around 12 to 15 cm long, with two low dorsa ...

'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of southern topeyed lamprey that is found only in the Moroya and

Tuross River The Tuross River, an open semi-mature wave dominated barrier estuary or perennial stream, is located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Tuross River rises of the eastern slopes of the Kybeyan Range, p ...

References

External links

* {{coord, 35, 55, S, 150, 07, E, display=title, region:AU-NSW_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Rivers of New South Wales South Coast (New South Wales)