The North Esk River is a river in Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

, Australia

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...

. It is one of the tributaries of the Tamar River together with the South Esk River

South Esk River

The South Esk River is the longest river in Tasmania. It starts in the mountains near Fingal flowing through Avoca, Evandale, Longford, Hadspen and finally Launceston. The river is dammed at Trevallyn Dam near Launceston and used for the city's Hydro Electricity scheme...

. It starts in the Northallerton Valley below Mt Ben Nevis in the states North East joining with the St Patricks River, flowing through Launceston

Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...

. Launceston's Old Seaport tourist feature is located on the North Esk River. The river becomes tidal downstream of Hoblers Bridge to where it meets the Tamar. It is sometimes subject to flooding, especially in East Launceston suburbs.

The famous Australian beer factory Boags

Boag's Brewery

Boag's Brewery is an Australian brewery company founded in 1883 by James Boag and his son, also named James, in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. It is now owned by Lion Nathan Ltd, a Trans-Tasman subsidiary company of Kirin....

 draws its water from St Patricks River
The North Esk river area has a forgotten history. The East and West banks used to be swarming with Bushrangers and Aboriginal tribes which would continuously attack the settlers of the area. Further up the river, just beyond the first substantial bend known to some as 'Vermont' bend, there used to be a Punt which was active before Hobler's Bridge was built at what is now St. Leonards in 1829 by George Hobler of 'Killafaddy'. The area of North Esk was once an Electoral district. Many notable gentlemen farmers have lived on the North Esk throughout time. Some propterties of historical interest still stand on the banks of the river such as 'Braemar' and 'Vermont' just outside Launceston. Convicts were used up until the early 1850's to drain the river flats after it was cultivated so it would not deteriorate back into a swamp. The river was also the main port facility for Launceston until the construction of the Charles Street Bridge. On the south bank between the Seaport and Victoria Bridge (southern end of Invermay Road) were numerous wharves dating right back to settlement. These wharves were used by the flour mills, breweries, woolsheds and the Mt Mischoff Tin Smelters. Opposite, on the north bank, were more wharves accessible via Lindsay Street that used to support a rail mounted Gantry Crane

Gantry crane

Gantry cranes, bridge cranes, and overhead cranes, are all types of cranes which lift objects by a hoist which is fitted in a hoist trolley and can move horizontally on a rail or pair of rails fitted under a beam...

 which was used to directly load and unload railcars. Upstream were yet more smaller wharves with one of the furthest upstream being the Dynamite Wharf for the magazine reserve and shooting range on the Glebe Flats.

The largest tributary of the North Esk is the St Partricks River, with others incuding the Ford River which flows from the skifields of Mt Ben Lomond

Ben Lomond (Tasmania)

Ben Lomond, 1,570 m AHD , is a mountain in the north of Tasmania. It is east of Launceston in the Ben Lomond National Park...

and down stream of the Corra Linn Gorge, the Roses Rivulet and Distillery Creek.