The Darby River, a
perennial river
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...
of the
West Gippsland
West Gippsland is a region of Gippsland in Victoria, Australia. It covers an area of around the eastern shores of the Western Port Bay, extending from San Remo in the west to the Strzelecki Ranges in the east, up to Mount Howitt in the north. ...
catchment, is located in the
South Gippsland
South Gippsland, a region of Gippsland in Victoria, Australia, is a well-watered region consisting of low, rolling hills descending to the coast in the south and the Latrobe Valley in the north. It is part of the larger Gippsland Basin bioreg ...
region of the
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 ...
n state of
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India
* Victoria (state), a state of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital
* Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
.
Location and features
The Darby River rises below Mount Latrobe, part of the Latrobe Range, north of
Wilsons Promontory
Wilsons Promontory is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland, located in the state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria.
South Point (Wilsons Promontory), South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promon ...
and flows generally west by southwest before reaching its
river mouth
A river mouth is where a river flows into a larger body of water, such as another river, a lake/reservoir, a bay/gulf, a sea, or an ocean. At the river mouth, sediments are often deposited due to the slowing of the current, reducing the carryin ...
and emptying on Darby Beach within
Bass Strait
Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The ...
in the
South Gippsland Shire
The Shire of South Gippsland is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the south-eastern part of the state. It covers an area of and, in June 2018, had a population of 29,576.
It includes the towns of Leongatha, Korumburr ...
. The river descends over its combined
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 river is in relatively pristine condition, with the only human interference being a bridge at the estuary. Native fish species include ]common galaxias
The common galaxias (''Galaxias maculatus'') or inanga (from the Māori language, Māori ''īnanga'' or ''īnaka'') is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Galaxiidae that is widespread in the Southern Hemisphere. It is fish migration, m ...
, pouched lamprey
The pouched lamprey (''Geotria australis''), also known as the piharau in New Zealand's North Island, korokoro, kanakana in the South Island, or wide-mouthed lamprey, is a species in the genus ''Geotria'', which is the only genus in the family Ge ...
, short-finned eel
The short-finned eel (''Anguilla australis''), also known as the shortfin eel, is one of the 15 species of eel in the family Anguillidae. It is native to the lakes, dams and coastal rivers of south-eastern Australia, New Zealand, and much of th ...
, tupong, flat-headed gudgeon and southern pigmy perch.
The Darby River is contained entirely within the Wilson's Promontory National Park. The park entrance, ranger station and accommodation centre was located near Darby River from 1909 until World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. These facilities moved to Tidal River
A tidal river is a river whose flow and level are caused 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 had been given a separate and another title name.
Gene ...
thereafter.
The river is traversed by the Wilsons Promontory Road near the river mouth.[ Heavy rains in March 2011 caused unprecedented flooding of the river, damaging the bridge carrying the Wilsons Promontory Road over the river; and stranding hundreds of campers who had to be evacuated by helicopter.]
See also
*
References
External links
*
*
West Gippsland catchment
Rivers of Gippsland (region)
Wilsons Promontory
Estuaries of Victoria (state)
{{VictoriaAU-river-stub