Nepean River
| Nepean River | ||
 Nepean River: looking north towards Penrith |
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| Data | ||
| location | New South Wales , Australia | |
| River system | Hawkesbury River | |
| Drain over | Hawkesbury River → Tasman Sea | |
| source | at Robertson in the coastal mountains of NSW 34 ° 33 ′ 57 ″ S , 150 ° 36 ′ 9 ″ E |
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| Source height | 766 m | |
| confluence | at Agnes Banks with the Grose River to the Hawkesbury River Coordinates: 33 ° 36 ′ 35 ″ E , 150 ° 42 ′ 0 ″ E 33 ° 36 ′ 35 ″ S , 150 ° 42 ′ 0 ″ E |
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| Mouth height | 38.5 m | |
| Height difference | 727.5 m | |
| Bottom slope | 4.1 ‰ | |
| length | 178 km | |
| Left tributaries | Bargo River , Warragamba River , Erskine Creek, Breakfast Creek, Glenbrook Creek | |
| Right tributaries | Burke River , Cordeaux River , Cataract River | |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Lake Nepean | |
| Medium-sized cities | Camden , Penrith | |
| Small towns | Menangle, Wallcia, Mulgoa, Glenmore Park, Regentville, Leonay, Jamisontown, Emu Plains, Castlereagh, Agnes Banks | |
 Victoria Bridge over the Nepean River in Penrith |
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The Nepean River is a river in the east of the Australian state of New South Wales .
geography
It rises near Robertson , about 100 kilometers south of Sydney and about 15 kilometers from the coast of the Pacific . The river flows north through unpopulated land to Lake Nepean , a reservoir that supplies the Sydney region with water. To the north of the reservoir, the river forms the western boundary of the Sydney Basin and flows through the cities of Camden and Penrith . South of Penrith, the river passes the Nepean Gorge and receives the Warragamba River . At Agnes Banks south of Richmond the Nepean River joins the Grose River to form the Hawkesbury River .
There are eleven barrages on the Nepean River that significantly regulate its natural flow. The weirs turned it into a series of reservoirs and is no longer a free-flowing river. This also includes the four reservoirs of the Upper Nepean System , of which Lake Nepean is only one.
The Wallacia Weir was initially built as a wooden weir for the Blaxland Mill at Grove Farm . The first Australian fish ladder was built into today's concrete weir at the beginning of the Nepean Gorge. This gorge is in the sandstone of the Blue Mountains of buried meander , which was created when the terrain slowly raised some 50 million years ago.
In the 1950s, the Warragamba Dam cut off most of its water flow across the steep gorge of the Warragamba River, the Nepean River's main tributary, and created a reservoir to meet the water needs of the growing Greater Sydney area. But this measure reduced the Warragamba River to a shadow of itself.
These barrages and dams cut off migratory fish, like salmon , from most of their habitat and prevent the floods and high water they need for spawning. However, the Nepean River and the Hawkesbury River continue to be important and well-known fishing waters for wild salmon.
The banks of the Nepean River provide a natural habitat for the local flora and fauna and a peaceful recreational area for the people who live there. At Emu Plains there is a place on the west bank for outdoor theater performances on warm summer evenings. The east bank in Penrith offers barbecue areas and children's playgrounds, as well as a wide footpath for walks along the shore. The Nepean Rowing Club is located on the east bank .
History: European settlement
When the British colony was founded in Sydney in 1788, the Royal Navy men in charge of the settlement explored the coast by boat. They discovered the mouth of the Hawkesbury River about 50 km north of Port Jackson and followed the river upwards and named it after Charles Jinkinson , 1st Earl of Liverpool, who was then called Baron Hawkesbury .
In the meantime, Watkin Tench of the Royal Marines made his way inland from Sydney. About 60 kilometers inland at the foot of the Blue Mountains, he discovered a large river, which he named 'Nepean River' after the British politician Evan Nepean . It took the navy and army about three years to realize that they had discovered the same river and had given it two different names.
In the 1820s, the most famous early settler in the Nepean region, John Jamison (1776–1844) built a wonderful Georgian house on the model property at a height above the river, not far from what is now Penrith. Unfortunately, Regentville House burned down in the 1860s, but Sir John's reputation as one of the most important politicians and agricultural pioneers of early Australia remained.
Floods
The first flood - apparently a minor event - was recorded in 1795. More followed in 1799, 1806 and 1809. In 1810, after a series of major floods on the Hawkesbury River, Governor Macquarie called on the "Macquarie Towns" of Windsor, Richmond, Wilberforce, Castlereagh and Pitt Town to see to it that the others Construction activity only took place on elevated land that could not be flooded. The devastation caused by the flood of February 1817 prompted Governor Macquarie to issue a warning letter to the settlers that they should always build their houses above the known high water levels.
The most momentous flood came in June 1867, when the Nepean River reached a water level of 13.4 m, which corresponds to 27.47 m on land, or 27.74 m AHD (Australian Height Date). This flood swept the driveways of the recently completed Victoria Bridge in Penrith with it. Emu Plains, Castlereagh and the lower areas of Penrith were flooded and the damage was immense. Many houses fell into the river from landslides. Many residents had to seek refuge in public buildings such as Penrith Hospital and public schools. A great flood like that of 1867 inundated over 16,000 homes and caused damage of AU $ 1.4 billion .
There were other major floods later, particularly those of July 1900 and March 1914. Again, many streets were flooded and houses and other property along the river were lost.
1974 was the last great flood to date. It was triggered by El Niño .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Map of Nepean River, NSW . Bonzle.com
- ↑ Nepean River Subcatchment . Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority (2006)
- ^ Themes - The Nepean River . City of Penrith ( Memento of the original from September 9, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
