Wilsons River (New South Wales)

Wilsons River
Wilsons Creek, North Arm Richmond River
Perennial river
Wilsons River flowing through Lismore, 2006.
Name origin: in honour of William Wilson
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Regions	NSW North Coast (IBRA), Northern Rivers
LGAs	Byron, Richmond Valley, Lismore
Part of	Richmond River catchment
Tributaries
- left	Byron Creek
- right	Coopers Creek, Leycester Creek
City	Lismore
Source	Nightcap National Park
- location	near Jerusalem Mountain
- elevation	362 m (1,188 ft)
Mouth	Richmond River
- location	near Coraki
- elevation	3.6 m (12 ft)
- coordinates	28°59′2″S 153°17′19″E / 28.98389°S 153.28861°E / -28.98389; 153.28861Coordinates: 28°59′2″S 153°17′19″E / 28.98389°S 153.28861°E / -28.98389; 153.28861
Length	131 km (81 mi)
Discharge
- average	200 m3/s (7,063 cu ft/s)
National park	Nightcap National Park
Reservoir	Laverty Gap Weir
Location of the Wilsons River mouth in New South Wales

Wilsons River, a perennial river and part of the Richmond River catchment, is situated in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales, Australia.

The river rises on the eastern slopes of Jerusalem Mountain within the Nightcap National Park, and flows generally southeast, west southwest, and south, joined by five minor tributaries, before reaching its mouth at its confluence with the Richmond River, near Coraki; descending 359 metres (1,178 ft) over its 131 kilometres (81 mi) course.

The river passes through the major regional city of Lismore, where it is subject to seasonal flooding.

The traditional custodians of the land surrounding the Wilsons River are the Aboriginal people of the Bundjalung clan, who lived as hunter-gatherers.

Wilsons Creek was named after William Wilson, the first settler in Lismore, in the period 1844-5; and in 1976, the stream was renamed as Wilsons River.

Because of the extensive development of the catchment for agricultural and urban purposes the river system is adversely impacted by inputs of sediments, nutrients, gross pollutants and other contaminants. Efforts by Landcare groups and various government bodies such as the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority and Rous Water have been initiated to rehabilitate sections of the river.

New South Wales Fisheries have records that indicate the Eastern freshwater cod once was prevalent in the Wilsons River Catchment but no sightings have been recorded for many years and it is now thought to be locally extinct. In the lower portion of the Wilsons River the declared noxious species European Carp is common. Additionally, there are several species of noxious aquatic weed that occur such as Alligator Weed and Parrots Feather.