Nepean River

Nepean River: Looking north to Penrith

Victoria Bridge over the Nepean River in Penrith

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Nepean River is a river in the east of the Australian state of New South Wales.

It rises near Robertson, about 100 km south of Sydney and about 15 km from the coast of the Pacific. By unpopulated land, the river flows north to Lake Nepean, a reservoir which supplies the Sydney region with water. To the north of the dam, the river forms the western boundary of the basin of Sydney and flows through the cities of Camden and Penrith. South of Penrith, the river passes through the Nepean Gorge and takes the Warragamba River on. When Agnes Banks south of Richmond, the Nepean River combined with the Grose River to the Hawkesbury River.

At the Nepean River, there are 11 dams that regulate its natural flow significantly. He was transformed by the weirs in a series of reservoirs and is not a free-flowing river more. This includes the four reservoirs of the Upper Nepean system, of which the Lake Nepean is only one.

The Wallacia Weir was initially built as a wooden weir for Blaxland in Mill Grove farm. The first Australian fish ladder was built into the current concrete weir at the beginning of the Nepean Gorge. This gorge is a burrowed into the sandstone of the Blue Mountains meander, which was created when the area is slowly lifted by about 50 million years.

In the 1950s, the Warragamba Dam broke across the steep gorge of the Warragamba River, the main tributary of the Nepean River, the majority of its water flow and created a reservoir which satisfy the water needs of the growing metropolitan area of ​​Sydney. The Warragamba River but reduced this measure to a shadow of its former self

These barrages and dams cut migratory fish, such as salmon, the biggest part of their habitat from and prevent flooding and flood, they need to spawn. Nevertheless, the Nepean River and the Hawkesbury River remains an important and well-known fish water for wild salmon.

The banks of the Nepean River provide a natural habitat for local flora and fauna and the people living there a peaceful recreation area. At Emu Plains there is on the west bank is a place for open-air theater performances on warm summer evenings. The eastern shore in Penrith offers picnic areas and children's playgrounds and a walking path for walks along the shore. On the east bank of the Nepean Rowing Club ( rowing club ) has his domicile.

History: European settlement

As in 1788, the British colony was founded in Sydney, studied the men of the Royal Navy who were responsible for the settlement, the coast by boat. They discovered the mouth of the Hawkesbury River about 50 km north of Port Jackson and followed the river upstream and named it after Charles Jinkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool, who was then the title of Baron Hawkesbury wore.

In the meantime made ​​himself Watkin Tench of the Royal Marines on their way inland from Sydney. About 60 km inland at the foot of the Blue Mountains, he discovered a large river, which he ' Nepean River ', named after the British politician Evan Nepean. Navy and Army took about three years before they realized that they had discovered the same river and had given him two different names.

In the 1820s the most famous early settlers of the Nepean region, John Jamison built ( 1776-1844 ), a wonderful Georgian house on the model plot at a height above the river, not far from the present town of Penrith. Unfortunately burned the ' Regent Ville House'' in the 1860s from, but the reputation of Sir John as one of the most important politicians and agricultural pioneer of the early Australia remained.

Floods

The first low tide - apparently a smaller event - was recorded in 1795. Others followed in 1799, 1806 and 1809. 1810, after a series of major floods on the Hawkesbury River, called Governor Macquarie " Macquarie Cities ", ' Windsor, Richmond, Wilberforce, Castlereagh and Pitt Town this on, to ensure that the more construction activity only on elevated terrain, which could not be flooded, took place. The devastation wreaked the flood in February 1817, prompted Governor Macquarie to issue a written warning to the settlers that they should build their homes above the known high water levels in each case.

The most momentous tide came in June 1867, the Nepean River a water level of 13.4 m achieved what 27.47 m on the land, or 27.74 m AHD (Australian Height Date ) corresponded. This flood tore the driveways of the recently completed Victoria Bridge in Penrith with it. Emu Plains, Castlereagh and the lower parts of the city of Penrith were flooded and the damage was immense. Many houses collapsed due to landslides in the river. Many residents had in public buildings, looking like the hospital from Penrith and public schools protection. A great flood of 1867 as the flooded more than 16,000 homes and caused a loss of AU $ 1.4 billion.

There was later another major flooding, especially those from the July 1900 and March 1914. Again, many roads were flooded and houses and other property on the river were lost.

1974 was the last time Great Flood. It was triggered by El Niño.