Thomson River (Victoria)

Bridge over the Thomson River ( 1910 )

The Thomson River is a river in Gippsland in Victoria, Australia. Its source is below Newlands in the northwest corner of the Baw Baw Plateau at an altitude of 972 m. Its catchment area is adjacent to that of the Yarra River and the Tanjil River. The mouth of the Thomson River in the Latrobe River is located south of Sale at a height of 1.55 m. Thus he overcomes approximately 970 m difference in altitude to about 170 km in length ..

In 1840 the flow of Angus McMillan after Sir Edward Thomson, Colonial Secretary in Sydney, named.

In the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century was mined in the Thomson Valley intensively for gold. The prospector Ned Stringer discovered large quantities of alluvial gold at the mouth of today's Stringer's Creek in the Thomson River. A little further up this creek the prospectors Walhalla settlement was founded.

Soon after the source of the Thomson River is dammed at the Thomson Dam. This reservoir covers 60 % of the drinking water needs of Melbourne. So about half of the natural amount of water is derived from the river, which downriver leads to larger environmental problems. In particular, the Gippsland Lakes are affected by water shortages. After all, she was classified as an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention.