| Bowes River | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • elevation | 254 metres (833 ft)[1] |
| Mouth | |
• location | Indian Ocean |
• elevation | sea level |
| Length | 46 km (29 mi) |
| Basin size | 714 km2 (276 sq mi)[2] |
TheBowes River is ariver in theMid West region ofWestern Australia. It was named on 6 April 1839 by the explorerGeorge Grey while on his second exploration expedition along the Western Australian coast.[3] It was named for Mary Bowes, Dowager Countess of Strathmore, the wife ofSir William Hutt. Hutt was a British Liberal politician who was heavily involved in the colonization of New Zealand and South Australia, and the brother ofJohn Hutt, the secondgovernor of Western Australia. Sir William Hutt was a member of the 1836 select committee on Disposal of Lands in the British Colonies.[4] Grey named the nearbyHutt River after Hutt.[3]
The headwaters of the river rise approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) north-east ofNorthampton and flow in a south-westerly direction, crossing theNorth West Coastal Highway just north ofIsseka. The river then continues in a westerly direction before discharging into theIndian Ocean south ofHorrocks.The river drains into a smalldeadwater with a depth of less than 3 metres (10 ft), which is only open to the ocean for a few days a year, generally following rains between June and August.
The river has twotributaries: Sandy Gully and Nokanena Brook.
Contamination of Nokanena Brook from the nearby Uga mine group and Northampton StateBatterytailings dam, 1.2 kilometres (1 mi) west of Northampton, has led to elevated lead and cadmium levels in stream water.[5][6][7] Lead contamination from Nokanena Brook has also been recorded in Bowes River.[8]
28°24′38″S114°27′16″E / 28.41056°S 114.45444°E /-28.41056; 114.45444
Rivers ofWestern Australia | |
|---|---|
| Rivers of theGascoyne region | |
| Rivers of theGoldfields–Esperance region | |
| Rivers of theGreat Southern region | |
| Rivers of theKimberley region |
|
| Rivers of theMid West region | |
| Rivers of thePeel andPerth regions | |
| Rivers of thePilbara region | |
| Rivers of theSouth West region | |
| Rivers of theWheatbelt region | |
