| Tambo | |
|---|---|
 The Tambo River and Tambo Valley, south ofEnsay | |
  Location of the Tambo Rivermouth in Victoria | |
| Etymology | AboriginalNgarigo: meaning "fish"[1] |
| Native name | Berrawan (Ngarigu)[2] |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Victoria |
| Region | South East Corner (IBRA),Victorian Alps,East Gippsland |
| Local government area | Shire of East Gippsland |
| Towns | Swifts Creek,Ensay,Tambo Crossing,Bruthen,Swan Reach,Johnsonville |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mount Leinster, Bowen Mountains,Great Dividing Range |
| • location | Victorian Alps |
| • coordinates | 36°57′S147°54′E / 36.950°S 147.900°E /-36.950; 147.900 |
| • elevation | 1,060 m (3,480 ft) |
| Mouth | Lake King to formconfluence with theMitchell River |
• location | nearMetung |
• coordinates | 37°51′26″S147°48′40″E / 37.85722°S 147.81111°E /-37.85722; 147.81111 |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 186 km (116 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Mitchell River catchment |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Tambo River South Branch, Bindi Creek,Junction Creek, Sandy Creek (Victoria),Little River, Collins Creek, New South Wales,Timbarra River, Dead Horse Creek |
| • right | McLean Creek, Duggan Creek, Bald Hill Creek (Victoria), Swifts Creek (Victoria), Running Creek, Haunted Stream,Shady Creek, Monkey Creek |
| [3][4] | |
TheTambo River orBerrawan[2] is aperennial river of theMitchell River catchment, located in theEast Gippsland region of the Australian state ofVictoria.[5] With a total length in excess of 186 kilometres (116 mi),[4] the Tambo River is one of the longest rivers in the East Gippslanddrainage basin,[6] extending from the steep forested southern slopes of theVictorian Alps through forest and farmland to theGippsland Lakes.[7]
The Tambo River rises in the Bowen Mountains, below Mount Leinster in the Victorian Alps, part of theGreat Dividing Range, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) east ofBenambra. The river flows generally south by south southeast by south southwest, joined by sixteentributaries including theLittle andTimbarra rivers, before reaching itsmouth and emptying into Lake King, one of the main lakes in the extensive Gippsland Lakes system. Within the lake, the Tambo River formsconfluence with theMitchell River, west of the village ofMetung, with the Mitchell River draining intoBass Strait southwest ofLakes Entrance, in theShire of East Gippsland.[8] The river descends 1,060 metres (3,480 ft) over its 186-kilometre (116 mi)course.[4]
Along its route it passes by the towns or localities of Bindi, Tongio,Swifts Creek,Ensay,Tambo Crossing,Bruthen, Tambo Upper,Swan Reach, andJohnsonville.[8]
The river leaves the mountains and the Mount Tambo Scenic Reserve forming itsheadwaters near the locality of Bindi, north of Swifts Creek, and from Bindi flows through the Tambo Valley to Bruthen. TheGreat Alpine Road picks up the route of the river at Tongio and follows the river for much of the distance through the Tambo Valley south of this point.[5] The valley from Bindi to just south of Ensay is relatively open and flat and is settled asfarmland, however it again closes in to become steep forested mountain beyond Ensay.[7] From just north of Bruthen the valley opens out into fertile river flats for the remainder of the river's journey to Lake King. At Swan Reach, the river is traversed by thePrinces Highway. The river flats support cropping, dairy and beef cattlegrazing.[5][9]
Around Bindi theriver channel is about 5 metres (16 ft) in width. By the Swifts Creek and Ensay region the river is up to 12 metres (39 ft) wide, with deep pools of up to 140 centimetres (55 in), and asubstrate ofrubble andgravel. In the steep forest sections between Ensay and Bruthen the channel width is up to 20 metres (66 ft), with a varying substrate ofbedrock,boulders, rubble,sand andmud. Between Bruthen and Tambo Upper there is extensivesedimentation with channel width exceeding 25 metres (82 ft), but a summer depth typically less than 50 centimetres (20 in). Substrate in this section is all sand. The river narrows around Tambo Upper and the substrate becomes mainly mud beyond this point.[10]
The Tambo River has a number of significant tributaries, with the two largest being the Little River which enters the Tambo from the north at Ensay, and the Timbarra River which enters the Tambo from the east, south-east of Tambo Crossing.[8][9] The Tambo River South Branch, which originates on the Nunniong Plains in the hills east of Bindi, flows north to join the main river near its origin.[5][8] The Tambo also has a number of more seasonal creeks entering along its length, including Swifts Creek which enters from the west at the town of the same name, Haunted Stream which enters from the west to the north of Tambo Crossing, with other minor tributaries including Junction Creek and Deep Creek.[8][11]
The central Tambo River area around Ensay and Swifts Creek have a mean annual rainfall of 500–700 millimetres (20–28 in), with the lower section of the basin around Bruthen getting 700–1,000 millimetres (28–39 in). Upper reaches of the significant tributary the Timbarra River typically get higher rainfalls. The Tambo and Timbarra have relatively reliable flows.[7] There are some significantwetlands in thebasin of the Tambo/Nicholson River systems.[6]
The upper areas of the rivers include talleucalyptus ash forests andalpine/subalpine vegetation, with the middle and lower reaches having a more low growing mixed species forest.[7] Theriparian vegetation in the Swifts Creek/Ensay region is largely grass andwillows, with little erosion of the banks or sedimentation present. The riparian vegetation in the steep forest sections between Ensay and Bruthen is more natural, withwattles,eucalypts and othernative species, while introduced species only become more prevalent again nearer to Bruthen.[10]
The nationallyvulnerableAustralian greyling has significant populations in the Tambo River. It is also a notedfishery forblack bream. Low river flows that have been typical for a number of years have impacted on these species.[9] Theestuary perch is also common in the Tambo.[7] Other fish that may be found in the river includenative species such as theAustralian bass,short-finned eel,long-finned eel,gudgeons, and theriver blackfish, and introduced species such asbrown trout andcarp.[7]
The health of river has been impacted to various extents in its different sections by sediment run-off, andintroduced weeds such as willows,blackberry andblue periwinkle.Algal blooms related to sediment run-off have been seen in the lower Tambo system and the Gippsland Lakes. Recreational boating and fishing have resulted in river bank erosion in the lower reaches.[9]
The Lower TamboLandcare Group was formed in 1998 and covers an area of 10,965 hectares (27,100 acres) on the lower parts of the river. The group aims to help re-establish Australiannative vegetation on the river banks, wetlands and roadsides, to encourage landowners to fence off sensitive areas to help preserve them for native species, and to control and managepest species.[12]
Due to its length, the Tambo stretched across the lands of at least twoAboriginal nations. TheJaitmathang people from the UpperMurray areas occupied the upper reaches of the river, while theBrabiralung of theGunai/Kurnai nation occupied the lower southern reaches. According toAlfred Howitt the border between these two nations was around Tongio, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of present-daySwifts Creek.[13]
The nametambo is of uncertain origin, but is thought to be an AboriginalNgarigo word meaning "fish".[1]Reverend Friedrich Hagenauer recorded theGunai name for the river to beBerrawan.[2][14] Alternative traditional names for the river includeBindi-memial orJillun, meaning "the stomach" in theBrabralung language;[15][16]Tonggio-pannerer orTongio-memial, with no defined meanings in theDhudhuroa language;[17][18]Gwannung-bourn, meaning "pelican" in theTatungalung language;[19]Ber'rawan, with no defined meaning or language group;[20] andKookoondalook, meaning "wasps in the trees" in theKrauatungalung language.[21]
The firstEuropeans to follow the course of the river are thought to be a party led by Walter Mitchell in early 1839, who were guided by Aborigines along a route from the north through the Tongio Gap south ofOmeo, down the valley toBruthen and the Gippsland Lakes, and then back along the same route. Anagricultural station was set up around the same time at Tongio by the Buckleys. Late in 1839Angus McMillan established a station further south near present-dayEnsay, and also used Aboriginal guides on his explorations further south along the valley and into other parts ofGippsland soon thereafter.[13] Theearly explorers of Australia noted that the routes along the river and valley were well used Aboriginal trails, although in places such as the section between Tambo Crossing and Bruthen, where the river is less accessible, the trails diverted through the mountains in a similar way to the current main road through this area.[8][13]
The lower reaches of the Tambo River around the estuary are popular for recreational boating,[9] however the higher reaches are of limited use for this activity due to the terrain[7] and the restricted river depth and width.[10]
Sections of the river, particularly around the estuary, are used for recreational fishing, however it considered to be of limited angling value for most of its length because of the scarcity of angling species.[7] While some of the river's tributaries carry self-supporting populations of brown trout, the Tambo itself carries few trout south of Bindi, even despite extensivestocking up to 1974. With no physical barriers to the fish spreading, it is thought natural chemical discharges from somesprings contaminating the river may affect some fish populations such as the trout. Another reason could be high water temperatures during summer, as small numbers of trout in the main river section have been found in cooler months.[10]
The Tambo River catchment area is managed by theEast Gippsland Catchment Management Authority. The East Gippsland Region Water Authority manages urban water diversion from the river, while the Gippsland & Southern Rural Water Authority manages rural diversion and irrigation. Fisheries Victoria, a section of theDepartment of Primary Industries, manages the fish stocking and fisheries policy.[7]
Water is diverted from the river to be used as the main water supply for the town of Swifts Creek. It is also pumped from the river for town use in Bruthen, as well by private water users along the river.[11]
Waterways of the East Gippsland catchment,Victoria, Australia | |
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| Rivers |
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| Creeks | |
| Lakes |
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