Macleay River

Macleay River at Lower Creek

Macleay River at Oven Camp in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park

The Macleay River is a river in the northeast of the Australian state of New South Wales.

Geography

It occurs below the Blue Nobby Mountain in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park from the confluence of the River Gara and Salisbury Waters in the northern tablelands of New South Wales. From there, it flows first east and then south-east to the town of Kempsey. There he spent his run to the northeast and ends at Smoky Cape in the Trial Bay, an inlet of the Tasman Sea

Tributaries with muzzle heights

  • Gara River - 388 m
  • Salisbury Waters - 388 m
  • Bakers Creek - 353 m
  • Blue Mountains Creek - 261 m
  • Chandler River - 209 m
  • Apsley River - 191 m
  • Client Rank Brook - 178 m
  • Top Creek - 145 m
  • Sunday Creek -137 m
  • Georges Creek - 137 m
  • Dyke River - 137 m
  • Carrol's Creek - 132 m
  • Felters Creek - 112 m
  • Lagoon Creek - 97 m
  • Five Day Creek - 97 m
  • Stockyard Creek - 93 m
  • Mackanzies Creek - 74 m
  • Nulla Nulla Creek - 60 m
  • Wabro Brook - 42 m
  • Parrabel Creek - 38 m
  • Oaky Creek - 34 m
  • Hickey's Creek - 31 m
  • Munga Creek - 29 m
  • Dungay Creek - 5 m
  • Christmas Creek - 1 m
  • Macleay Arm - 0 m

History

The gorges of the Macleay River and the Apsley River were the settlement area of ​​the Aboriginesstammes Dunghutti, whose descendants today live mainly in the lower reaches of the Macleay River. On the terraces above the gorges were found remains of old deposits in these Aborigines.

John Oxley recorded in 1820 not fully the potential of this river, as it does not go far enough up drove him to see the great forests and the fertile land. He mentioned in passing the river as the New River from descriptions of the Aborigines. 1826 reached Captain Wright from the river bank overland from Port Macquarie and explored the river to the Belgrave Falls, waterfalls just west of Kempsey today. Until then, the flow of the sea was navigable. From then on, they called the river Wrights River. The following year, sent Archibald Clunes Innes, Commander of the settlement Port Macquarie, the first official group of loggers in the area in order to cut red cedar ( Toona ciliata ).

In the 1830s more lumber camp occurred on the Macleay River, where many convicts were employed. 1841 worked about 200 loggers in the area; Violent crime and theft of wood were not uncommon. The demand and the price of wood fell in 1842, so the logging along the Macleay River almost set, but was continued at the headwaters of its tributaries.

When the Europeans arrived in the 1820s in the area, the estuary was slightly south of Grassy Head and was nearly a mile (1.6 km) wide with a sand bank in the middle. The small town of Stuarts Point was founded shortly before the mouth as a port on the river to create the ships.

The area of present-day South West Rocks until after Grassy Head (now partly Yarriabini National Park ) is a broad delta with a number of channels that are connected to the river. Around 1885 John Coode recommended improvements to various rivers and ports in Australia, including for the Macleay River. The Department of Public Works has developed four plans to improve the conditions at the river mouth; John Coode favored the version of the improvement of existing river mouth. 1893 extended a flood the estuary at South West Rocks and so the authorities decided this mouth - called New Entrance - expand, although Coode thought their size would not be sufficient to discharge all the water of the area into the sea.

The work at the mouth began in April 1896. They straightened the channel and built embankments. 1902 a new pilot station was built to the Siedling South West Rocks was born. 1906, the work was completed. The old mouth is silted today, Stuarts Point is located at the blind end of the Macleay Arm.

The river was named Wright River, Trail River, New River or Macleay River, but then was officially named the Macleay River in honor of Innes father Alexander Macleay, one born in Scotland, scientists and colonial secretary of the colony of New South Wales.

Water management and fisheries

The Macleay River flooded frequent the area around Kempsey. He directed occasionally to great harm. At high tide it is considered the second fastest flowing river in the world. At these times, more than 200 million cubic meters of water in the river can be located. Because of its many gorges and waterfalls of the river is considered very dangerous.

At the headwaters of the river, some of the best sea bass found in the country.

Oxley-Wild-Rivers-Nationalpark Chandler River (New South Wales) Apsley River (New South Wales) Kempsey (New South Wales)
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