| Richmond | |
|---|---|
 The Richmond River atCasino, 2006. | |
  Location of the Richmond Rivermouth inNew South Wales | |
| Etymology | Charles, the fifth Duke of Richmond[1] |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | New South Wales |
| Region | NSW North Coast (IBRA),Northern Rivers |
| Local government areas | Kyogle,Richmond Valley,Ballina |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | McPherson Range |
| • location | west ofMount Lindesay, nearWoodenbong |
| • coordinates | 28°19′48″S152°40′30″E / 28.33000°S 152.67500°E /-28.33000; 152.67500 |
| • elevation | 236 m (774 ft) |
| Mouth | Coral Sea,South Pacific Ocean |
• location | nearBallina /South Ballina |
• coordinates | 28°52′36″S153°35′29″E / 28.87667°S 153.59139°E /-28.87667; 153.59139 |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 394 km (245 mi) |
| Basin size | 6,862 km2 (2,649 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Near mouth |
| • average | 68.4 m3/s (2,160 GL/a)[2] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Findon Creek, Gradys Creek, Lynchs Creek, Fawcetts Creek,Wilsons River, Emigrant Creek |
| • right | Back Creek, Roseberry Creek, Horse Station Creek,Eden Creek, Bungawalbin Creek,Shannon Brook |
| National parks | Border Ranges NP, Richmond Range NP |
| [3] | |
TheRichmond River is ariver situated in theNorthern Rivers region ofNew South Wales,Australia.
The river rises at the northern end of theRichmond Range, near its junction with theMcPherson Range, on theQueensland/New South Wales border, west ofMount Lindesay, and flows generally south east and north east, joined by twelvetributaries, including theWilsons River, before reaching itsmouth at itsconfluence with theCoral Sea of theSouth Pacific Ocean atBallina; descending 256 metres (840 ft) over its 237 kilometres (147 mi)course.[3]
On its journey it passes through the towns ofKyogle,Casino,Coraki andWoodburn.Summerland Way is situated adjacent to much of the middle reaches of the course of Richmond River. ThePacific Highway crosses the river nearBroadwater. The lowest permanent vehicular crossing (closest to the river mouth) is the lift-section bridge atWardell, while closer to Ballina, theBurns Point Ferry provides an additional manually operated, daytime vehicle and passenger crossing service, operating between the shores of South and West Ballina. Upstream from Wardell, the next regular (non motorway) road crossings are provided by road bridges at Broadwater (Broadwater Bridge),Woodburn andCoraki.
There are several small islands in the river as it approaches the sea, named instances being Pelican Island near Broadwater, Goat Island andCabbage Tree Island south of Wardell, and Pimlico Island (plus Little Pimlico Island) betweenPimlico andEmpire Vale. Of these, Cabbage Tree Island is inhabitated, having anAboriginal community and a school (although the community was relocated from the Island following damage to their properties during the2022 eastern Australia floods), while Little Pimlico Island is a nature reserve.[4] The final approximately 7km of the southern bank of the river, between Burns Point and the entry to the ocean, is also a nature reserve, the Richmond River Nature Reserve which covers an area of 256ha,[5] and also extends south from the river mouth for some distance along South Ballina Beach.
Thecatchment area of the river is estimated at 6,862 square kilometres (2,649 sq mi), which makes it the sixth largest catchment in New South Wales; and itsfloodplain has an area of over 1,000 square kilometres (390 sq mi).[6]
The traditional custodians of the land surrounding the Richmond River are theAboriginal people of the Githabul,[7] whose territory reached north to the current city ofToowoomba and included the current towns ofTenterfield andWarwick. One of the annual rituals of the Githabul people was the movement from the mountain ranges to the coast during the winter months, when themullet were plentiful. The inland peoples from around brought black bean seeds with them to trade for the fish.[8]
Omitted byCaptain James Cook when he sailed up the east coast of the Australian mainland in 1770, it wasn't untilCaptain Henry John Rous identified the mouth of the river in1828 that it was discovered by Europeans. Rous entered the river and sailed about 20 miles (32 km) up river. He subsequently named the river Richmond afterthe fifth Duke of Richmond.[1] Later that year the explorerAllan Cunningham reached the river by land.[8]
The river was a major transportation route from the 1840s until well into the 20th century. Soon after the first white settlers arrived they discovered the abundant supply ofAustralian Red Cedar in the Richmond Valley and immediately began logging. The river was vital in the transportation of this resource.
At the time of its discovery in 1828 and until the late 1890s the river had a treacherous mouth of shifting sand bars, and many ships and people died on it. Understandably, a decision was made to construct two breakwaters to channel the river's flow and these were completed in the early 1900s. The construction of the breakwaters also led to the formation of Shaw's Bay (after sand built up behind what is now called Lighthouse or Main Beach).
In 1846, a conflict between white settlers and localAborigines in the river valley (theRichmond River massacre) caused the deaths of around 100 of the latter.[citation needed]
With the decline of shipping as a transport mode, owing to better roads and rail, and the closing of the North Coast Steam Navigation Company (the major shipping firm of the area) in 1954, the river became less important as a transportation route.
Originally, the arm of the river running throughLismore was known as the North Arm of the Richmond (hence, Lismore was also considered to lie on the Richmond River). In 1976 its name was changed to theWilsons River, the name change reflecting that of the European owners of the original land holding that later became the City of Lismore.[9]
For boats, the river is navigable for a short way up its length, possibly as far as Casino. Wilsons River, which flows through the city ofLismore and is a major tributary of the Richmond, is navigable at least as far as Boatharbour, approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) upstream from Lismore.
The Richmond River is heavily used forirrigation along its length. Severalweirs have been constructed in order to mitigate the effects of flooding, most notably at Casino.
Near its entrance to the Pacific Ocean, the sheltered estuary of the river provides several sandy beaches and opportunities for recreational activities including swimming, sun bathing, yachting, fishing and dog walking.[10] It is also home to the Richmond River Sailing & Rowing Club,[11] and provides access to the Ballina trawler harbour which is situated just off the river estuary, where the river is joined by Fishery Creek.[12] One small area of residentialcanal estate development, the Ballina Quays, extends the available river frontage for housing so that each can then have individual moorings as desired, set back from the remainder of the river frontage.[13]
The freshwater reaches of the Richmond River once supported the endemicRichmond River Cod, similar toMurray Cod and possibly a subspecies ofEastern Freshwater Cod. Unfortunately this unique native fish became extinct between the 1930s and 1950s due to habitat degradation and gross overfishing, including with dynamite during the building of the local railway line. TheendangeredOxleyan Pygmy Perch has been recorded from the river.
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