Macquarie | |
River | |
Macquarie River flowing under the Evans Bridge in Bathurst (taken in October 2006)
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Name origin: Named in honour of Lachlan Macquarie | |
Country | Australia |
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State | New South Wales |
Region | Central West, New South Wales |
Part of | Murray-Darling basin |
Tributaries | |
- left | Fish River, Bell River, Little River |
- right | Turon River, Cudgegong River, Talbragar River |
City | Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Narromine, and Warren |
Primary source | Campbells River |
- location | near Oberon |
- elevation | 671 m (2,201 ft) |
Secondary source | Davy's Creek |
- location | White Rock, near Oberon |
Mouth | Barwon River |
- location | Macquarie Marshes |
- coordinates | 30°55′55″S 147°37′44″E / 30.93194°S 147.62889°ECoordinates: 30°55′55″S 147°37′44″E / 30.93194°S 147.62889°E |
Length | 960 km (597 mi) |
Basin | 74,000 km2 (28,572 sq mi) |
Reservoir | Lake Burrendong |
Macquarie River a watercourse that is part of the Macquarie–Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales, Australia.
The river rises in the central highlands of New South Wales near the town of Oberon and travels generally northwest past the towns of Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Narromine, and Warren to the Macquarie Marshes. The Macquarie Marshes then drain into the Darling River via the lower Barwon River.
Lake Burrendong is a large reservoir with capacity of 1,190,000 megalitres (42,000×10 6 cu ft) located near Wellington which impounds the waters of the Macquarie River and its tributaries the Cudgegong River and the Turon River for flood control and irrigation.
The river was first discovered near Bathurst by European explorer, George Evans in 1812 and named in honour of Lieutenant-Colonel Lachlan Macquarie, who served as the last autocratic Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, from 1810 to 1821.