Mitchell River (Victoria)

Mitchell (Wangan, Wy-yung, Wahyang)
River
The Mitchell River in Bairnsdale
Name origin: In honour of Thomas Mitchell who was also the servayer general of NSW
Country	Australia
State	Victoria
Regions	South East Corner (IBRA), South East Coastal Plain (IBRA), East Gippsland
Local government area	Shire of East Gippsland
Part of	East Gippsland catchment
Tributaries
- left	Sandy Creek (Victoria), Bald Hill Creek (Victoria), Watts Creek, Flaggy Creek, Prospect Creek (Victoria), Clifton Creek, Nicholson River, Tambo River, Mississippi Creek
- right	Cobbannah Creek, Bull Creek (Victoria), Woolshed Creek, Iguana Creek, Latrobe River
Settlements	Lindenow, Bairnsdale
Landmark	Den of Nargun
Source	Great Dividing Range
Source confluence	Wentworth and Wonnangatta Rivers and Swamp Creek
- location	Horseshoe Bend, north of Mitchell River National Park
- elevation	137 m (449 ft)
- coordinates	37°34′41″S 147°22′8″E / 37.57806°S 147.36889°E / -37.57806; 147.36889
Mouth	Lake King
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates	37°53′45″S 147°58′37″E / 37.89583°S 147.97694°E / -37.89583; 147.97694Coordinates: 37°53′45″S 147°58′37″E / 37.89583°S 147.97694°E / -37.89583; 147.97694
Length	121 km (75 mi)
National park	Mitchell River NP
Lakes	Lake Tabberabbera, Jones Bay, Lake King, Lake Wellington
Location of the Mitchell River mouth in Victoria

The Mitchell River is a perennial river of the East Gippsland catchment, located in the Australian state of Victoria. The unregulated river provides a unique example of riparian ecology, flowing generally south with the catchment area drawing from the steep mountains of the Victorian Alps to enter Lake King, one of the Gippsland Lakes, and then empty into the Bass Strait.

Formed by the confluence of the Wentworth and Wonnangatta rivers and Swamp Creek near Horseshoe Bend, north of the national park that bears its name, the Mitchell River rises in Lake Tabberabbera, drained by runoff from the southern Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range. The river flows generally south in a highly meandering course in its upper reaches through the Mitchell River National Park, and then south by east as it spills onto the fertile Gippsland Plain west of Lindenow. The river then flows generally east towards Bairnsdale and empties into Jones Bay, part of Lake King, within the Gippsland Lakes via the silt jetties, a narrow 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) long digitate delta. Within the lake, the Mitchell is joined by the Nicholson and Tambo rivers; and then enters Lake Victoria, where the Mitchell and Latrobe rivers form their confluence, with the Mitchell reaching its mouth in Bass Strait, south of Lakes Entrance. The river descends 137 metres (449 ft) over its 121-kilometre (75 mi) course; joined by more than thirteen tributaries, many of which are surrounded by dense native forest.