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Hunter River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- See Hunter River, New Zealand for that river in the South Island of New Zealand.
The Hunter River is a major river in New South Wales, Australia. The Hunter River rises in the Liverpool Range and flows generally south and then east, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Newcastle, the second largest city in New South Wales and a major port.
The Hunter Valley which is drained by the Hunter River is a major agricultural district and provides routes to the interior of the state which are relatively unimpeded by mountains and other obstacles.
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The Hunter River was discovered by European explorers in the 1790s. In June 1796 fishermen sheltering from bad weather discovered coal there, and the river was initially called Coal River. In 1797 it was formally named the Hunter, after Captain John Hunter who was Governor of the British colony in New South Wales at that time.[1]
Between 1826 and 1836 convicts built the 264 km long Great North Road that links Sydney to the Hunter Valley.[2]
Tributaries of the Hunter River include the Pages River, the Goulburn River, the Wollombi Brook, the Williams River and the Paterson River. The Hunter River is subject to substantial floods, which Glenbawn Dam near Scone was constructed to ameliorate.
Towns along the Hunter River include Hexham, Morpeth, Maitland, Singleton, Jerry's Plains, Denman, Muswellbrook, Aberdeen, and Scone.
Part of the Hunter Valley are important for grape growing and wine producing. The Hunter Valley is also one of Australia's most important coal mining areas. The Hunter River is threatened by drought, climate change and proposed loss of water due to coal mining.
- ^ Clark, Manning (1981). "Chapter 8", A History of Australia, reprint. ISBN 0-522-84008-6.
- ^ The Convict Trail Project.