Macdonald River (St Albans)

Macdonald
Mullen Malong Creek, Mullen Malone Creek, Branch Creek, Head Of Macdonald River
River
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Regions	Sydney Basin (IBRA), Hunter, Outer Metropolitan Sydney
Local government areas	Singleton, Hawkesbury
Part of	Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment
Tributaries
- left	Palomorang Creek, Howes Valley Creek, Yengo Creek, Thompson Creek, Mogo Creek, Wellums Creek
- right	Kindarun Creek, Stony Creek (New South Wales), Reedy Creek (New South Wales), Burrowell Creek, Boggy Swamp Creek, Toorwai Creek, Marlo Creek, Melon Creek, Womerah Creek, Gorricks Creek
Source	Mellong Range, Great Dividing Range
- location	northwest of Putty
- elevation	482 m (1,581 ft)
Mouth	confluence with the Hawkesbury River
- location	Butlers Crossing, Wisemans Ferry
- elevation	0.0963 m (0 ft)
Length	150 km (93 mi)
National park	Yengo National Park

The Macdonald River is a perennial river located in the Hunter and Outer Metropolitan Sydney regions of New South Wales, Australia. It is a part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment.

The Macdonald River rises on the eastern slopes of the Mellong Range within the Great Dividing Range below Kindarun Mountain, northwest of Putty and flows generally east by south and then south, joined by sixteen minor tributaries, before reaching its confluence with the Hawkesbury River, at Butlers Crossing, near Wisemans Ferry. The river descends 481 metres (1,578 ft) over its 150-kilometre (93 mi) course.

The upper reaches of the river flows through a remote canyon in the Yengo National Park. The lower valley of the river is also narrow but has small patches of relatively fertile land along its banks which were an important agricultural district in the early period of colonial settlement in New South Wales, due to its accessibility from Sydney by water. The historic village of St Albans is located in the lower Macdonald Valley.

Relations with the aboriginals (the Dharug and Barkinung people) were reasonably harmonious, The natives treated the newcomers as welcome guests, teaching bush skills and assisting in the planting of crops, little realizing that the whites intended to stay and claim ownership of the land. Property ownership was completely alien to the Aboriginals who cared for the land, but did not 'own' it. There are stories to suggest that on at least one occasion the local aboriginals approached the "new" land owners over concern for their own peoples survival since the granted farmland given to the new settlers substantially reduced the tribes ability to gather food. As a result of the new settlers cultivation of land close to the rivers edge, the local tribes had lost the ability to collect yam and others resources. They were promised a percentage of the bounty in exchange for their labour during the harvest, however, once the crops were harvested the aborigines were slaughtered.

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Wikipedia