The Phillips River is an

ephemeral Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...

river in the

Goldfields–Esperance The Goldfields–Esperance region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the south-eastern corner of Western Australia, and comprises the local government areas of Coolgardie, Dundas, Esperance, Kalgoorlie–Boul ...

region of

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 ...

. Its headwaters rise on the sandplains below Mount Madden and flow in a southerly direction, crossing the South Coast Highway approximately west of Ravensthorpe, entering the

Fitzgerald River National Park Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in the Shire of Ravensthorpe, Shires of Ravensthorpe and the Shire of Jerramungup in Western Australia, southeast of Perth. The park is recognised on National Heritage List (Australia), Austral ...

and veering eastward to follow a fault-line in the

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...

rocks around the eastern end of the Barren Range. The river finally discharges into

Culham Inlet Culham Inlet is an inlet located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. The inlet is also referred to as a coastal salt lake or a transient estuary, as the sand bar that prevents it discharging is almost always closed. The wet ...

and, when the inlet is open to the ocean, into the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...

. There are six

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 ...

, including West River, Jackilup Creek, Yarracarrup Creek and Kybalup Creek. The river's catchment is 35% cleared, with the southern half lying within the boundaries of the

. The entire catchment lies within the Fitzgerald River Biosphere. Phillips River flows for only a short time each year, mostly during the winter months in the middle of the year. The river water is naturally saline but varies from almost fresh to more saline then seawater. The river was named by

John Septimus Roe John Septimus Roe (8 May 1797 – 28 May 1878) was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, a member of Western Australia's legislative and executive councils for nearly 40 years, but also a participant in ...

, who made the first recorded sighting of the river in 1848, after his son in law,

Samuel Pole Phillips Samuel Pole Phillips (11 March 181913 June 1901) was an Australian pastoralist and politician. Phillips was born in Culham in Oxfordshire and was educated for the Anglican ministry at Winchester College. Emigration to Australia He decided t ...

. From 1892, it was the site of a

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

. A '' de facto'' town, known initially as Phillips River, sprang up. In 1901, the town was gazetted under the name Ravensthorpe.

References

Rivers of the Goldfields–Esperance region {{WesternAustralia-river-stub