Ovens River

Ovens (Burwang, Djerrang)
River
Ovens River at Bright
Name origin: In honour of Major Ovens, the Secretary to Governor Thomas Brisbane
Country	Australia
State	Victoria
Regions	Australian Alps (IBRA), Victorian Alps, Hume
Local government areas	Alpine Shire, Wangaratta City, Moira Shire
Part of	North-East Murray catchment, Murray-Darling basin
Tributaries
- left	Morses Creek, Buckland River (Victoria), Buffalo River (Victoria), King River (Victoria)
Towns and cities	Harrietville, Bright, Porepunkah, Myrtleford, Wangaratta
Source	Great Dividing Range
Source confluence	East and West Branches of the Ovens River
- location	Harrietville
- elevation	529 m (1,736 ft)
- coordinates	36°53′15″S 147°3′45″E / 36.88750°S 147.06250°E / -36.88750; 147.06250
Mouth	confluence with the Murray River
- location	near Bundalong
- elevation	125 m (410 ft)
- coordinates	36°2′15″S 146°10′38″E / 36.03750°S 146.17722°E / -36.03750; 146.17722Coordinates: 36°2′15″S 146°10′38″E / 36.03750°S 146.17722°E / -36.03750; 146.17722
Length	191 km (119 mi)
Basin	7,778 km2 (3,003 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	46 m3/s (1,624 cu ft/s)
National parks	Alpine NP, Mount Buffalo NP
Course of the Ovens River in Victoria

The Ovens River, a perennial river of the north-east Murray catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the alpine and Hume regions of the Australian state of Victoria.

Formed by the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river, the Ovens River rises in the Victorian Alps, at the settlement of Harrietville, sourced by runoff from high slopes located within the Alpine National Park and the Mount Buffalo National Park. The river flows generally north by west and is joined by eighteen tributaries including Morses Creek at Bright, the Buckland River at Porepunkah, the Buffalo River and then the King River at Wangaratta. The river descends 405 metres (1,329 ft) over its 191-kilometre (119 mi) course. The Great Alpine Road follows much of the course of the river in its upper reaches.

The river flows through the Ovens Valley, which is a popular tourist destination servicing the ski fields of Mount Hotham, Mount Buffalo and Falls Creek, the Alpine National Park and the Mount Buffalo National Park. Air sports such as gliding and paragliding are also practised here, and there is a hedge maze at Wandiligong. A disused railway line has been converted to the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail, a cycle trail which stretches from Wangaratta and Beechworth to Bright.