Gilbert | |
---|---|
Location of the river mouth in South Australia | |
Etymology | Thomas Gilbert [1] |
Location | |
Country | Australia |
State | South Australia |
Region | Mid North |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Barossa Ranges |
• location | near Manoora |
• elevation | 399 m (1,309 ft) |
Mouth | confluence with the Light River |
• location | near Hamley Bridge |
• coordinates | 34°21′S138°40′E / 34.350°S 138.667°E Coordinates: 34°21′S138°40′E / 34.350°S 138.667°E |
• elevation | 93 m (305 ft) |
Length | 59 km (37 mi) |
Basin features | |
River system | Light River |
[2] |
The Gilbert River is a river in the Mid North region of South Australia.
The Gilbert River rises near Manoora, on the Barrier Highway and flows generally south, as a broad and shallow valley through mainly undulating country, flowing through Saddleworth, Riverton, Tarlee then southwest through Stockport and Hamley Bridge. The Gilbert reaches its confluence with the Light River just downstream from Hamley Bridge. The Light River continues west to Gulf St Vincent. The Gilbert descends 306 metres (1,004 ft) over its 59-kilometre (37 mi) course. [2]
Characteristic with many Mid North streams, the Gilbert can entirely cease flowing in summer, yet be a swirling and dangerous torrent after flooding rains. Grain cropping and grazing are carried out along its banks, which are mainly low and open.
The river lies within the traditional lands of the indigenous Ngadjuri people, but their name for the river is unknown. The explorer John Hill came to it in early April 1839, and named it after Colonial storekeeper, Thomas Gilbert, who was responsible for all government stores. The first written mention of the river is by explorer Edward John Eyre. When he crossed the river in May 1839 on his northern expedition he acknowledged it was already named the Gilbert. [1] The river was a source of fresh water for the settlements that soon followed, scattered along its banks.
The earliest pioneers were obliged to ford the river, but following the founding of the Burra mines in 1846 the Great North Road (later named the Main North Road) between Adelaide and Gawler was extended to Burra. This took over a decade to construct and included the first bridges over the Gilbert, most being built in the early to mid 1850s. [3]
Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions situated adjacent to the route.
Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Honeysuckle, Kimo, Mooney Mooney, Murrumbidgee and Tumut mountain ranges, Gundagai is 390 kilometres (240 mi) south-west of Sydney. Until 2016, Gundagai was the administrative centre of Gundagai Shire local government area. In the 2016 census the population of Gundagai was 1,925.
The first railway in colonial South Australia was a line from the port of Goolwa on the River Murray to an ocean harbour at Port Elliot, which first operated in December 1853, before its completion in May 1854.
Riverton is a small town in the Mid North of South Australia, in the Gilbert Valley. It is situated on the Gilbert River, from which the town derives its name. Both the Gilbert Valley and Gilbert River were named after South Australian pioneer, Thomas Gilbert. Riverton was first settled in 1856, as a settlement along the bullock track from the mining town of Burra to the capital city Adelaide. It grew from a plan designed by a James Masters who had established the nearby town of Saddleworth. The streets of Riverton received their names chiefly from James Masters and his friends. They commemorate persons notable in the history of the district or the State. At the 2011 census, Riverton had a population of 810. Including the rural areas surrounding the town, the population was 1213.
Auburn is a small town in the southern edge of the Clare Valley, in the Mid North of South Australia.
Tarlee is a town in South Australia. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it is thought to be a corruption of the name Tralee in Ireland. The township of Tarlee was advertised as readied for sale by auction in 1867. Tarlee is in the lower Mid North region where Horrocks Highway crosses the Gilbert River. It is approximately 8 km south of Giles Corner, where the Barrier Highway to Broken Hill diverges from the Horrocks Highway through the Clare Valley. At the 2016 census, Tarlee had a population of 302.
The town of Balaklava is located in South Australia, 92 kilometres north of Adelaide in the Mid North region. It is on the south bank of the Wakefield River, 25 kilometres east of Port Wakefield.
The Hutt River is a river located in the Mid North and Clare Valley regions of the Australian state of South Australia.
Mintaro is a historic town in the eastern Clare Valley, east of the Horrocks Highway, about 126 kilometres north of Adelaide, South Australia. The town lies at the south-eastern corner of the Hundred of Clare, within the Clare Valley wine region. Established in 1849, Mintaro is situated on land which was bought originally by Joseph and Henry Gilbert, which they sub-divided into 80 allotments.
Saddleworth is a small town in the Mid North region of South Australia. The town is situated on the Gilbert River and along with neighbouring towns of Riverton, Rhynie and Tarlee the local area is known as the Gilbert Valley. The town is bisected by the Barrier Highway. At the 2016 census, Saddleworth had a population of 470.
Hamley Bridge is a community in South Australia located at the junction of the Gilbert and Light rivers, as well as the site of a former railway junction.
The Eyre Creek is an ephemeral watercourse located in the Mid North region of the Australian state of South Australia.
The Wakefield River is an ephemeral river that flows to an estuary in the Australian state of South Australia.
The Hill River is an ephemeral river located in the Mid North region of the Australian state of South Australia.
The Light River, commonly called the River Light, is a seasonal and significant river in the Mid North region of the Australian state of South Australia named for early surveyor William Light.
John Hill was an English explorer of South Australia and part of the European exploration of Australia. Hill was the first European to see and traverse the Clare Valley.
James Stein was a pioneering settler of the Mid North of South Australia and founder of the Kadlunga pastoralism estate.
Hill River is a locality in the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia, about 127 kilometres north of the Adelaide city centre. It is bisected by the Hill River, an ephemeral stream from which it derives its name. Its boundaries were created in January 2001 for the “long established name.”
The 2015 Pinery bushfire was a bushfire that burned from 25 November to 2 December 2015, and primarily affected the Lower Mid North and west Barossa Valley regions immediately north of Gawler in the Australian state of South Australia. At least 86,000 hectares of scrub and farmland in the council areas of Light, Wakefield, Clare and Gilbert Valleys, and Mallala were burned during its duration.
The Roseworthy-Peterborough railway line was a railway line on the South Australian Railways network. It extended from a junction at Roseworthy on the Morgan railway line through Hamley Bridge, Riverton, initially to Tarlee, then extended in stages to Peterborough.