Araluen Creek, a partly
perennial stream
A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long, large stream ...
of the
Moruya River
The Moruya River is an open and trained mature wave dominated barrier estuary or tidal river is located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. In its upper freshwater reaches, the river is known as the Deua River.
Course and ...
catchment, is located in the
Southern Tablelands
The Southern Tablelands is a geographic area of New South Wales, Australia, located south-west of Sydney and generally west of the Great Dividing Range.
The area is characterised by high, flat country which has generally been extensively cl ...
and
South Coast regions of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.
Course and features
Araluen Creek rises near Gillian Park, about east of the village of
Majors Creek, on the eastern slopes of the
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...
. The river flows generally south southeast, joined by three minor
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 ...
before reaching its
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 ...
with the
Deua River
The Deua River, being the main perennial river of the Moruya River catchment, is located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
The Deua River rises about southeast of Bendethera Mountain, on the eastern s ...
in remote country south of the
Monga National Park
The Monga National Park is a national park located south west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The closest town nearby is Braidwood.
Monga features outstanding high altitude eucalyptus forest and temperate rainforest. It contains the C ...
.
[ The river descends over its ]course
Course may refer to:
Directions or navigation
* Course (navigation), the path of travel
* Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...
.[
The village of Araluen lies in the valley of Araluen Creek, that joins the Deua River at roughly the midpoint in its course. The name 'Araluen' means 'water lily' or 'place of the water lilies' in the local Aboriginal dialect.][ At the time of European settlement Araluen was described as a broad alluvial valley with many natural billabongs covered with water lilies. However, no such billabongs exist in the Araluen valley today. As with most river and creek valleys in south-eastern Australia, the natural landscape of Araluen Creek and its valley were completely destroyed by rampant and extremely destructive alluvial gold mining in the latter half of the 19th century, exacerbated by extensive gold dredging in the early 20th century. This has mobilised thousands of tons of coarse granitic sands and lead to serious sand-slugging or sand siltation of the lower half of the Deua River below the Araluen Creek confluence. Nevertheless, the Deua River supports valuable populations of the threatened ]Australian grayling
The Australian grayling (''Prototroctes maraena'') is a primarily freshwater fish found in coastal rivers in south-eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania. In past decades it has also been known as the cucumber mullet or cucumber herring, for i ...
and several other native freshwater fish species.
See also
* Rivers of New South Wales
This page discusses the rivers and hydrography of the state of New South Wales, Australia.
The principal topographic feature of New South Wales is the series of low highlands and plateaus called the Great Dividing Range, which extend from nor ...
* List of rivers of New South Wales (A-K)
This page discusses the rivers and hydrography of the state of New South Wales, Australia.
The principal topographic feature of New South Wales is the series of low highlands and plateaus called the Great Dividing Range, which extend from nort ...
* List of rivers of Australia
Rivers are ordered alphabetically, by state. The same river may be found in more than one state as many rivers cross state borders.
Longest rivers nationally
Longest river by state or territory
Although the Murray River forms much of the bor ...
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 35, 40, S, 149, 49, E, region:AU-NSW_type:river_source:gnb, display=title
Rivers of New South Wales
South Coast (New South Wales)
Southern Tablelands