Goulburn River is the name of two rivers in Australia. The Goulburn River in the state of New South Wales is the chief tributary of the Hunter River. The Goulburn River in Victoria is the longest river in that state. The two rivers are named after two different British politicians, brothers Henry and Frederick Goulburn.
The Goulburn River in New South Wales
originates northeast of Mudgee. It joins the Hunter River just south of the town of Denman, in the Hunter Valley region. The British-born explorer William Lawson encountered the river in 1822. He named it in honor of Henry Goulburn, who had served as undersecretary for the colonies in the British Home Department.
About 55 miles (90 kilometers) of the river are protected as part of Goulburn River National Park. The Goulburn River is home to many native Australian animals, including the platypus and the rakali, also known as the water rat. The river is also one of the last remaining habitats of the Macquarie perch, a species of fish native to the Murray-Darling river basin.
The Goulburn River in Victoria
begins near Mount Singleton in the Australian Alps. It flows about 406 miles (654 kilometers) to join the Murray River near the town of Echuca. Shepparton is the main city on the Goulburn River. The British-born explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell encountered the river in 1824. They named it in honor of Major Frederick Goulburn, the first colonial secretary of New South Wales. Victoria was part of the British colony of New South Wales at the time.
A dam called the Goulburn Weir crosses the river north of Lake Nagambie. Completed in 1891, the Goulburn Weir was the first major structure built to redirect water for irrigation in Australia. It raises the level of the river to supply water to Shepparton and other communities nearby.
As part of the Goulburn-Murray irrigation district, the Goulburn River supplies water to much of Victoria’s farmland. The irrigation district covers more than 2 million acres (995,000 hectares). It produces most of the apricots, peaches, and pears grown in Australia.
