Hacking River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hacking |
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Hacking River, midway through its journey in the Royal National Park, Australia
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| Country | Australia |
| State | New South Wales |
| Region | Sydney basin (IBRA), Southern Sydney |
| Local government areas | Wollongong, Sutherland |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Kellys Creek below Kellys Falls 91 m (299 ft) 34°12′45″S 150°58′45″E / 34.21250°S 150.97917°E |
| River mouth | Port Hacking west of Yowie Bay 7 m (23 ft) 34°3′40″S 151°6′0″E / 34.06111°S 151.10000°E |
| Length | 26 km (16 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| National park | Royal National Park |
The Hacking River is a river in the Southern Sydney area of New South Wales, Australia. For thousands of years, the local Aboriginal people called this river Deeban. Later, it was renamed after Henry Hacking, a British seaman and pilot who worked at Port Jackson.
Contents
Journey of the Hacking River
The Hacking River starts from the eastern side of the Illawarra escarpment. It is fed by two creeks, Kellys Creek and Gills Creek. Both creeks end in waterfalls that are close to each other. The water from these creeks then joins together in the valley below to form the Hacking River.
Kellys Creek begins about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Helensburgh. This is east of the Princes Highway and west of Stanwell Tops. The Hacking River then flows generally north-north-east. It eventually reaches its mouth and flows into Port Hacking. This spot is between Grays Point and Point Danger. It is about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of Engadine and west of Yowie Bay.
The river drops 84 metres (276 ft) over its 26-kilometre (16 mi) length. Even though the Illawarra escarpment gets a lot of rain, the river can become very small during dry times. It might even turn into a series of puddles instead of a steady flow.
Most of the Hacking River flows through the Garawarra State Conservation Park and the Royal National Park. However, near its start, it has been affected by nearby towns like Helensburgh and Otford. Farming activities and a large coal mine have also had an impact. The building of the Princes Highway and the Sydney to Wollongong railway line have also changed the river. Many parts of what is now the Royal National Park were once used for different activities. This also affected the river. Other issues over time have included pollution from the Helensburgh tip and sewage from Garrawarra Hospital.
Plants and Animals of the Hacking River
Near its start, the Hacking River is a narrow stream in a deep valley within a rainforest. As the river flows, it passes through many different types of plant areas. These include dry eucalyptus forests, tall wet eucalyptus forests, and rainforests.
Rainforest Plants and Trees
Many important rainforest plants grow along the river banks. These include white beech, citronella, supplejack, Bangalow palm, jackwood, and golden sassafras. Common eucalyptus trees found here are the blackbutt, grey ironbark, and bangalay. As the river moves downstream, it becomes wider and flatter before it reaches the estuary at Port Hacking.
River Animals and Fish
Many different creatures live in and around the Hacking River. These include shellfish, crabs, insects, fish, and birds. Long-finned eels travel from the ocean as young eels. They grow into adults in the creeks and streams of the Royal National Park. You can sometimes see them in the river pools. Small fish called jollytail are also common.
Sometimes, you might even spot a Platypus in the river. Azure kingfishers build their nests in the river banks. A special land snail called Meridolum marshalli only lives in the Royal National Park. Its main home is in wet areas near the river.
History and Human Impact
Aboriginal History of the River
For more than 8,000 years before the 1840s, the Tharawal (or Dharwal) people lived in the area around the Hacking River. We know this from hundreds of Aboriginal tools, shell mounds (middens), rock carvings, and cave paintings. In the mid-19th century, shell grit was needed to make lime for building in Sydney. Many mud and oyster shells were collected from Port Hacking. This destroyed several Aboriginal midden sites in the area.
The Gweagal people mainly lived by the saltwater bays and estuaries of Port Hacking. They also used the fresh water from the upper Hacking River, Heathcote Creek, and the Woronora River. The Gweagal people were known as the protectors of the sacred white clay pits on their land. This area is now called the Kurnell Peninsula. They used the clay for body paint, medicine, and mixed it with local berries as a food supplement.
European History and Changes
The Hacking River is crossed by four causeways (low bridges) near the village of Otford, close to where it starts. Below the railway station in Otford, there is a small dam. This dam was built to provide water for steam trains. A causeway is part of this dam, which creates a large pond upstream.
Other important structures are the Upper Crossing (below Waterfall) and at Audley. The causeway at Audley, built in 1899, is inside the Royal National Park. Here, mangrove areas were cleared to build boat-sheds and places to stay in the late 1800s. A boat-shed and picnic areas are still at Audley and have been used continuously since then. Visitors can go canoeing and kayaking further upstream along the Hacking River or its branch, Kangaroo Creek.
The soft soil around the river can easily wash away, especially with bushwalking. This problem is made worse by the high rainfall in the Garrawarra State Conservation Area. Also, water runoff from the towns of Helensburgh, Otford, and Stanwell Tops has affected the river's water quality. This has led to cloudier water and more algae growth.
At Audley within the Royal National Park, visitors have enjoyed picnic and boating facilities for over a hundred years.
The weir (a type of small dam) at Audley divided the river into freshwater and saltwater parts. This made it harder for fish to migrate and caused mud to build up behind the weir. When there are floods, the road across the causeway becomes impassable. This cuts off the villages of Bundeena and Maianbar. Because the Upper Causeway also flooded in these conditions, an all-weather bridge was built there.
The tide reaches the weir, but it doesn't have much effect on the water level beyond it. From the weir, the river continues mostly through the Royal National Park. However, closer to its delta at Grays Point, it flows past the suburbs of Kirrawee and Grays Point. Muddy Creek joins the river opposite Grays Point. From this point downstream, the river has large areas of mangroves and a wide delta formed by river sediments.
Historically, the mud and sand below the weir made it hard for boats to travel. After the national park was created, people wanted to make it easier for boats to access the park. So, walls were built to guide the river flow. Later, as more boats used the river, there was often pressure to dredge (clear out) the riverbed. The delta has not been dredged for many years. Still, there is a popular boating area at Swallow Rock in Grays Point.
