Margaret River is a river in southwest

Southwest Australia

Southwest Australia is a biodiversity hotspot that includes the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregions of Western Australia. The region has a wet-winter, dry-summer Mediterranean climate, one of five such regions in the world...

 Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. Although small and unremarkable, it is the eponym of the iconic town and tourist region of Margaret River

Margaret River, Western Australia

Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, located in the valley of the eponymous Margaret River, south of Perth, the state capital. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River....

, famous for its surfing, caves and wine.

The river arises from a catchment of just 40 square kilometres in the Whicher Range

Whicher Range

Whicher Range is a range in the South West region of Western Australia The range as an average elevation of above sea level.Bounded by the Swan Coastal Plain to the West and the South, the Darling Scarp to the North and the Blackwood Plateau to the East, the range is located approximately South...

s. For much of its middle reaches it passes through land cleared for agriculture, especially viticulture

Viticulture

Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...

. There is a weir

Weir

A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...

 across the river just above the town. The mouth of the river is a small estuary, closed to the ocean by a sandbar that opens only seasonally.

Margaret River is presumed to be named after Margaret Wyche, cousin of John Garrett Bussell

John Bussell

John Garrett Bussell was an early settler in Western Australia.John Garrett Bussell was born at Portsea, Hampshire in England on 16 August 1803. He was educated at Winchester College in England, but after the death of his father the family decided to emigrate to Western Australia...

 (founder of Busselton

Busselton, Western Australia

-Growth and development:According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the Shire had a permanent resident population of 25,950 in 2004 with the town of Busselton accounting for 67% or 17,400 of the total. The Shire's permanent population is expected to continue to increase significantly to...

) in 1831.