The Arthur River is located in the

south-west The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. The river was named by Governor James Stirling in October 1835 after

Arthur Trimmer Arthur Trimmer (1805–1877) was one of three brothers who were early settlers in the colony of Western Australia. He was the grandson of Sarah Trimmer (1741–1810), an educational reformer and writer. Arthur’s father was William Kirby Trim ...

, who was a member of the exploring expedition led by Stirling. The headwaters of the Arthur River is located about north of Wagin in the Arthur River Nature Reserve near the small settlement of Arthur River on

Albany Highway Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, Western Australia, Albany, on the state's South coast of Western Australia, south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt (Weste ...

. The longest

tributary 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 they ...

of Arthur River is Beaufort River but other tributaries include Hillman River, Kojonup Brook, Narrogin Brook and Yilliminning River. The river flows in a generally south-westerly direction until it meets with the Balgarup River to form the

Blackwood River The Blackwood River is a major river and catchment in the South West (Western Australia), South West of Western Australia. Course The river begins at the junction of Arthur River (Western Australia), Arthur River and Balgarup River near Que ...

. The river flooded in 1895 following heavy rains when the swollen river rose swiftly causing several near drownings among the settlers who lived along the banks at the township of Arthur River. The bridge near Piesseville was left underwater following heavy rains near Wagin cause the river the rise downstream. More flooding occurred in 1939 rendering the bridge at Arthur River impassable and closing it for two days while repair crews worked to make the bridge usable again.

References

Rivers of the South West region {{WesternAustralia-river-stub