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Goulburn River (Victoria)
Encyclopedia
The Goulburn River is a major inland river in Victoria, Australia
.
The headwaters of the Goulburn River rise in the western end of the Victoria Alps, near Mount Buller
. The Eildon Dam creates Lake Eildon
, a major storage of water for irrigation
. From Lake Eildon, most of the irrigation water goes to Goulburn Weir
and Waranga Basin
.
the Goulburn River enters the northern plains of Victoria and eventually flows into the Murray River
near Echuca
. This area is a very productive irrigated agricultural area.
The Goulburn River was named after Henry Goulburn
. There is also a Goulburn River in New South Wales
.
Tributaries include the Broken, Rubicon, Delatite
, Howqua
, Jamieson
and Yea
Rivers.
Much of the flow is extracted, and the river is very heavily regulated, which has strongly affected the river's ecosystem. With recent years being some of the driest on record in the basin, there has been even further stress on the river's ecosystem.
Because of all this there has been much controversy over the construction of the North–South Pipeline, which will pipe 70 billion litres of water annually to Melbourne's water supply. There are arguments that all the water piped to Melbourne will be saved water, by the upgrade of the irrigation infrastructure in the Goulburn river basin all a part of a food bowl modernisation project.
In June 2008 the Murray-Darling Basin Commission
released a report on the condition of the Murray-Darling basin
, with the Goulburn and Murrumbidgee
rivers both rated in a very poor condition in the Murray-Darling basin with fish stocks in both rivers were also rated as extremely poor.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The headwaters of the Goulburn River rise in the western end of the Victoria Alps, near Mount Buller
Mount Buller, Victoria
Mount Buller is a town in Victoria, Australia east of Melbourne on the slopes of Mount Buller . Primarily a resort town, Mount Buller is popular with snowsports enthusiasts in winter due to its close location to Melbourne...
. The Eildon Dam creates Lake Eildon
Lake Eildon
Lake Eildon is the impoundment created by Eildon Weir on the Goulburn River in southern Victoria, Australia. At 3,334,158 megalitres when full, it contains six times as much water as Sydney Harbour and is the second largest water storage in Victoria after Dartmouth Dam...
, a major storage of water for irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
. From Lake Eildon, most of the irrigation water goes to Goulburn Weir
Goulburn Weir
Goulburn Weir is a weir built between 1887 and early 1891 across the Goulburn River near Nagambie, Victoria, Australia. It was the first major diversion structure built for irrigation development in Australia. The weir also forms Lake Nagambie where rowing regattas and waterskiing tournaments are...
and Waranga Basin
Waranga Basin
Waranga Basin is a reservoir forming part of the Goulburn River irrigation system in Victoria, Australia. It is located in Shire of Campaspe near the City of Greater Shepparton and is located near the townships of Tatura, Rushworth and Murchison...
.
Overview
North of EildonEildon, Victoria
Eildon is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located near Lake Eildon, on the Goulburn Valley Highway, in the Shire of Murrindindi local government area. At the 2006 Census, Eildon had a population of 1186.-History:...
the Goulburn River enters the northern plains of Victoria and eventually flows into the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
near Echuca
Echuca, Victoria
Echuca is a town located on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe river in Victoria, Australia. The Border town Moama is on the northern side of the Murray river in New South Wales. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Shire of Campaspe...
. This area is a very productive irrigated agricultural area.
The Goulburn River was named after Henry Goulburn
Henry Goulburn
Henry Goulburn PC FRS was an English Conservative statesman and a member of the Peelite faction after 1846.-Background and education:...
. There is also a Goulburn River in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
Tributaries include the Broken, Rubicon, Delatite
Delatite River
The Delatite River is a tributary of the Goulburn River in Australia.The river rises between the ski resort mountains of Mount Stirling and Mount Buller on the Western edge of the Victorian Alps...
, Howqua
Howqua River
The Howqua River is a river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Howitt before flowing through the Alpine National Park in Victoria...
, Jamieson
Jamieson River
The Jamieson River is a inland river in Victoria, Australia. The river rises in Alpine National Park and flows into the Goulburn River at the town of Jamieson. Its tributaries are Jamieson River north branch and Jamieson River south branch....
and Yea
Yea River
The Yea River is a river in central Victoria, Australia. It flows in a northerly direction through the town of Yea before entering the Goulburn River.The river, like the town, is named in honour of Colonel Lacy Walter Yea...
Rivers.
Much of the flow is extracted, and the river is very heavily regulated, which has strongly affected the river's ecosystem. With recent years being some of the driest on record in the basin, there has been even further stress on the river's ecosystem.
Because of all this there has been much controversy over the construction of the North–South Pipeline, which will pipe 70 billion litres of water annually to Melbourne's water supply. There are arguments that all the water piped to Melbourne will be saved water, by the upgrade of the irrigation infrastructure in the Goulburn river basin all a part of a food bowl modernisation project.
In June 2008 the Murray-Darling Basin Commission
Murray-Darling Basin Commission
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is the principal government agency in charge of managing the Murray-Darling Basin in an integrated and sustainable manner. The Authority is the statutory agency that manages, in conjunction with the Basin states, the Murray–Darling Basin’s water resources in the...
released a report on the condition of the Murray-Darling basin
Murray-Darling Basin
The Murray-Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, whose name is derived from its two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River. It drains one-seventh of the Australian land mass, and is currently by far the most significant agricultural...
, with the Goulburn and Murrumbidgee
Murrumbidgee River
The Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee flows in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains,...
rivers both rated in a very poor condition in the Murray-Darling basin with fish stocks in both rivers were also rated as extremely poor.