Mitta Mitta 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 ...

and a direct

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 the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

within the

Murray–Darling basin The Murray–Darling Basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, encompassing the drainage basin of the tributaries of the Murray River, Australia's longest river, and the Darling River, a right tributary of ...

, is located in the Alpine district of Victoria,

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 ...

. The name Mitta Mitta derives from the Aboriginal word ''mida-modoenga'', meaning reeds called modunga.

Course

The river rises below

Mount Bogong Mount Bogong, located in the Alpine National Park and part of the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, is the highest mountain in Victoria, Australia, at above sea level. The Big River separates the massif of the mountain from t ...

, the highest mountain in the Victorian Alps, with the Mitta Mitta River forming at the

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 ...

of the Cobungra River and the Big River, just south of Anglers Rest, flowing generally north, joined by twenty-four minor tributaries including the Dart River, before reaching its

mouth A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...

with the Murray River, east of

Albury Albury (; ) is a major regional city that is located in the Murray River, Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury–Wodonga, Albury-Wodonga and is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of ...

at Lake Hume. The river descends over its course of . The Mitta Mitta River is the source of approximately 10% of the Murray's flow. Along the Mitta Mitta River, mean annual flow can triple from Hinnomunjie in the south to Tallangatta in the north. Highest flows are in October and are attributable to the spring snow melt. The flow of the Mitta Mitta River is heavily modified and impounded by Dartmouth Dam and Hume Dam, both major water reservoirs. Upstream of Dartmouth Dam, the river flows swiftly through near-pristine forest. Below the dam, it travels more sedately through flatter, cleared farming country. The original junction of the Mitta Mitta River with the Murray River is now submerged beneath the waters of Lake Hume for a large part of the time. The catchment area of the Mitta Mitta River is estimated as . The river valley used to flood on a nearly annual basis, but the completion of Dartmouth Dam in the 1970s largely eliminated the floods. The river flows through a valley that contains four small towns: Mitta Mitta, Eskdale, Dartmouth. Mitta Mitta is a small hamlet at the confluence of the River and Snowy Creek.

Recreation

For the fisherman, the Mitta Mitta River is a good source for trout, particularly

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

and the occasional

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...

. The Mitta Mitta River upstream of Hinnomunjie Bridge is a favourite for

white water Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque ...

enthusiasts, with one licensed company operating commercial facilities. The river is also frequented by recreational

kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

ers as a single or multi day trip with a grade between II and IV.

References

External links

* {{Authority control North-East catchment Rivers of Gippsland (region) Rivers of Hume (region) Tributaries of the Murray River

Course

Recreation

See also

References

External links