| Moruya River | |
|---|---|
 Moruya River looking upstream from thebreakwater on the northern head of the river. | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | New South Wales |
| Region | South East Corner (IBRA),South Coast |
| Local government area | Eurobodalla |
| Town | Moruya |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source confluence | Deua River |
| • location | nearKiora |
| • elevation | 22 m (72 ft) |
| Mouth | Tasman Sea,South Pacific Ocean |
| Length | 19 km (12 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,424 km2 (550 sq mi) |
| [1][2] | |
TheMoruya River is an open andtrained maturewave dominatedbarrier estuary[3] ortidal river[1] is located in theSouth Coast region ofNew South Wales,Australia. In its upper freshwater reaches, the river is known as theDeua River.
The headwaters of the Deua River rise south ofBraidwood and flow 139 kilometres (86 mi) to the village ofKiora where the Deua River forms itsconfluence with the Moruya River. The Moruya River flows generally east, joined by two minor tributaries, past the town ofMoruya, before reaching itsmouth of theTasman Sea at Moruya Heads.[1] The river descends 22 metres (72 ft) over its 19 kilometres (12 mi)course.[2]
The river has a bar at its confluence with the Tasman Sea. Work on the river training walls was concentrated in 1907, following extensive siltation of the river opening. The dredgeAntleon was based there during the 1920s, when in 1924, the steamerBenandra was wrecked at the entrance. Work on the break walls was completed in 1925 when huge storms required some repairs to the training walls. The port gained greater significance in 1924 when a stone quarry was opened and used to supply granite for the pylons of theSydney Harbour Bridge, and the stone for the Cenotaph inMartin Place. ThePublic Works Department built a wharf adjacent to the quarry fore ease of use. Extensions to the southern training walls were undertaken between 1931 and 1933, with major additional works from 1946 to 1954.[4] The bar is dangerous to shipping and as a result of its hazards for smaller ships and because it prevented access by larger ones, the major settlement in the area was first developed at nearbyBroulee. In 1841 a flood cleared the bar and the town of Moruya, now accessible to shipping, developed at the expense of the settlement at Broulee despite later recurring problems with the bar, not least as it was the easiest point to access the richAraluen goldfields from the 1850s.[5]
The bar is now managed in part by a rockbreakwall on the northern side of the river.[citation needed]
The river was previously navigable by coastal shipping to Moruya and was serviced by theIllawarra Steam Navigation Company. TheBenandra, a wooden screw steamer operated by the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company to transport cargo, was lost on 25 March 1924 when it hit the sandspit near the bar. At least one person died.[citation needed]
ThePrinces Highway crosses the Moruya River at Moruya. The first bridge across the Moruya River was erected in 1876. Due to frequent flooding new bridges were erected in 1900 and 1945 and, most recently, in 1966.[5]
Coast-favoringsouthern right whales may enter into the river mouth.[6][7]Mordacia praecox is aspecies ofsouthern topeyed lamprey that is found only in the Moroya andTuross Rivers.
Rivers of the Southern Rivers catchment,New South Wales, Australia | |
|---|---|
| Illawarra | |
| Shoalhaven | |
| Eurobodalla | |
| Far South Coast | |
| Snowy River | |
| Cities | |
|---|---|
| Towns & Townships |
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| Local government areas | |
| National parks | |
| Rivers and other waterbodies | |
