The Hunter River is a major river in New South Wales, Australia. The Hunter River rises in the Liverpool Range and flows generally south and then east, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Newcastle, the second largest city in New South Wales and a major port.
History
The Hunter River was discovered by European explorers in the 1790s. In June 1796 fishermen sheltering from bad weather discovered coal there, and the river was initially called Coal River. In 1797 it was formally named the Hunter, after Captain John Hunter who was Governor of the British colony in New South Wales at that time.[2]
Between 1826 and 1836 convicts built the 264 km (164 mi) long Great North Road that links Sydney to the Hunter Region.[3]
Major floods have occurred on the Hunter including the flood of 1955 that caused devastation to townships along the river, especially Maitland. Severe flooding again occurred in June 2007.
Geography
The Hunter Valley is one of the best routes to the interior of the state with access relatively unimpeded by mountains and other obstacles. It is the largest area of relatively low-lying land near the coast of New South Wales, and owing to the shielding by rugged ranges to its north, is much drier than any other coastal region of the state. Annual rainfall ranges from 1,100 mm (43 in) at Newcastle to only 640 mm (25 in) at Merriwa and Scone in the upper reaches. In the driest years rainfall can be as low as 600 mm (24 in) at Newcastle and 375 mm (15 in) in the upper valley.
Around the Barrington Tops on the northern side of the valley, however, annual precipitation can be as high as 2,000 mm (79 in), not all of which falls as rain since July temperatures are often below 0 °C (32 °F). In the lower areas, summer maxima are usually around 27 °C (81 °F) and winter maxima around 16 °C (61 °F).
Except for the driest parts of Tasmania and a small area of the Monaro between Cooma and Nimmitabel, the Hunter Valley is the southern limit of rich "black earths" (actually black cracking clays). These are the only soils in all of Australia with reasonable levels of soluble phosphorus, with the result that upstream from Singleton very rich pasture land with many horse studs occurs. Around Merriwa and south of Singleton, the soils are very infertile sands more typical of Australia as a whole, and the dominant land use is extensive grazing.
Tributaries of the Hunter River include the Pages River, the Goulburn River, the Wollombi Brook, the Williams River and the Paterson River. The Hunter River is subject to substantial flooding, which Glenbawn Dam near Scone was constructed to ameliorate.
Towns along the Hunter River include Raymond Terrace, Morpeth, Maitland, Singleton, Jerry's Plains, Denman, Muswellbrook, Aberdeen, and Scone.
Parts of the Hunter Valley are important for grape growing and wine producing. The Hunter Valley is also one of Australia's most important coal mining areas. The Hunter River is threatened by drought, climate change and proposed loss of water due to coal mining.
See also
References
External links
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Towns, suburbs and localities of Dungog Shire | Hunter Region | New South Wales |
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Towns, suburbs
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Alison • Allynbrook • Anleys Creek • Bandon Grove • Barrington Tops • Bendolba • Bingleburra • Black Camp • Bonnington • Bonnington Park • Brookfield • Brownmore • Cairnsmore • Cambra • Camyr Allyn • Cangon • Carrabolla • Cawarra • Chads Creek • Chichester • Cintra • Clarence Town • Clarence Town West • Clay Hill • Colstoun • Cooreei • Coulston • Crooks Park • Dingadee • Douribang • Dungog • Dusodie • East Gresford • Eccleston • Elms Hall • Fishers Hill • Flat Tops • Fosterton • Glen Martin • Glen Oak • Glen William • Gresford • Halton • Hanleys Creek • Hilldale • Kenilworth • Kilbride • Lennoxton • Lewinsbrook • Lostock • Lyndhurst Vale • Main Creek • Marshdale • Martins Creek • Masseys Creek • Maxwells Creek • Melbee • Mill Hills • Mount Rivers • Munni • Paterson • Pine Brush • Quartpot • Raglan • Salisbury • Sugarloaf • Summerhill • Tabbil Creek • Tillegra • Tillimby • Torryburn • Trevallyn • Tunnibuc • Underbank • Upper Allyn • Upper Chichester • Vacy • Wallaringa • Wallarobba • Wallaroo • Wangat • Webbers Creek • Welshmans Creek • Wirragulla • Woerden
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Towns, suburbs and localities of Muswellbrook Shire Council | Hunter Region | New South Wales |
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Towns, suburbs
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Alcheringa • Allan Cunningham • Antiene • Arrowfield • Baerami • Baerami Creek • Baerami South • Bengalla • Bureen • Castle Rock • Coxs Gap • Dalswinton • Dangar • Dartmouth • Denman • Dunbars Creek • Edderton • Edinglassie • Esdai • Giants Creek • Glen Gallic • Grass Tree • Grasstree • Hollydeen • Horseshoe • Horton Park • Jerrys Plains • Kayuga • Kerrabee • Koolbury • Liddell • Mangoola • Manobalai • Marketown • Martindale • McCullys Gap • Mount Dangar • Mount Rest • Muscle Creek • Muswellbrook • Muswellbrook North • Muswellbrook South • Myambat • Oakleigh Stud • Old Yarrawa • Pickering • Piercefield • Richmond Grove • Rosemount • Roxburgh • Sandy Hollow • The Horseshoe • Widden • Widden Valley • Wybong • Yarrawa
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Towns, suburbs and localities of Singleton Shire Council | Hunter Region | New South Wales |
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Towns, suburbs
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Abbey Green • Appletree Clearing • Appletree Flat • Archerfield Estate • Baxter Junction • Belford • Big Ridge • Bowmans Creek • Box Tree Clearing • Branxton • Bridgman • Broke • Bulga • Camberwell • Carrowbrook • Caswell • Clydesdale • Combo • Comleroi • Dalwood • Darlington • Dawsons Hill • Dellhurst • Dights Crossing • Doyles Creek • Dunolly • Dural • Dyrring • Elderslie • Falbrook • Fern Gully • Fern Hill • Fordwich • Garland Valley • Glendon • Glendon Brook • Glendonbrook • Glennies Creek • Glenridding • Goorangoola • Gouldsville • Gowrie • Greenland • Gum Tree Hole • Hambledon Hill • Hebden • Howes Valley • Howick • Hunterview • Ingar • Jerrys Plains • King Junction • Kings Cross • Lambs Creek • Lambs Valley • Leconfield • Lemington • Liddell • Loders Creek • Long Point • Lower Belford • Lucernia • Maison Dieu • Mcdougalls Hill • Middle Falbrook • Milbrodale • Minimbah • Mirannie • Mitchells Flat • Mount Olive • Mount Pleasant • Mount Royal • Mount Thorley • Nundah • Obanvale • Owendale • Paynes Crossing • Pokolbin • Putty • Radfordslea • Raspberry Clear • Ravensworth • Redbournberry • Redmanvale • Reedy Creek • Rixs Creek • Rothbury • Roughit • Scotts Flat • Sedgefield • Singleton • Singleton Heights • Singleton Military Camp • Singleton South • St Clair • Stanhope • Three Ways • Wambo • Wambo South • Warkworth • Wattle Ponds • Westbrook • Whittingham • Wollemi • Wylies Flat
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Towns, suburbs and localities of Upper Hunter Shire Council | Hunter Region | New South Wales |
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Towns, suburbs
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Aberdeen • Belltrees • Blairmore • Blandford • Bow • Brawboy • Brushy Hill • Bunnan • Cassilis • Cliftlands • Crawney • Cuan • Dangarfield • Dartbrook • Dartbrook Upper • Davis Creek • Dry Creek • Ellerston • Glenbawn • Glenbawn Dam • Glenrock • Green Creek • Gundibri • Gundy • Gungal • Hunter Springs • Kars Springs • Kiernans Creek • Kingdom Ponds • Lake Glenbawn • Merriwa • Middle Brook • Moobi • Moonan Brook • Moonan Flat • Murrurundi • Murulla • Murulla North • Niangala • Omadale • Omadale Brook • Owens Gap • Pages Creek • Pages River • Parkville • Red Bank • Ridgelands • Rossgole • Rouchel • Rouchel Brook • Sandy Creek • Satur • Scone • Scotts Creek • Segenhoe • Sparks Creek • St Aubins • Stewarts Brook • Stirling Vale • Thompsons Creek • Thornthwaite • Timor • Tinagroo • Togar • Tomalla • Tooloogan • Turanville • Turill • Upper Rouchel • Waverley • Waverly • Wingen • Woolooma • Yarramoor
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