Hastings River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hastings River |
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North Coast railway bridge over the Hastings River at Wauchope
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| Native name | Doongang |
| Other name(s) | Mooraback Creek |
| Country | Australia |
| State | New South Wales |
| IBRA | New England Tablelands, NSW North Coast |
| District | Northern Tablelands, Mid North Coast |
| local government area | Port Macquarie-Hastings |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Great Dividing Range southwest of Kemps Pinnacle, within Oxley Wild Rivers National Park 1,040 m (3,410 ft) 31°25′54″S 152°22′4″E / 31.43167°S 152.36778°E |
| River mouth | Tasman Sea, South Pacific Ocean Port Macquarie 0 m (0 ft) 31°25′48″S 152°55′12″E / 31.43000°S 152.92000°E |
| Length | 180 km (110 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 3,658 km2 (1,412 sq mi) |
| Tributaries |
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| National Parks | Oxley Wild Rivers, Werrikimbe, Cottan-Bimbang |
Hastings River (Birpai: Doongang), an open and trained intermediate wave dominated barrier estuary, is located in the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
Hastings River rises in the Great Dividing Range, southwest of Kemps Pinnacle, in the area surrounding Oxley Wild Rivers National Park and Werrikimbe National Park and flows generally south, southeast and east, joined by seven tributaries including the Tobins, Forbes, Ellenborough, Pappinbarra and Thone rivers, before reaching its mouth, flowing into the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean, at Port Macquarie. The river descends 1,040 metres (3,410 ft) over its 180 kilometres (110 mi) course.
The course of the river flows adjacent to the settlements Ellenborough, Long Flat, Beechwood, Wauchope and Port Macquarie. The Oxley Highway is generally aligned with the middle and lower reaches of the river. West of Port Macquarie, the Pacific Highway crosses the Hastings River.
History
The Hastings River has been inhabited by Birpai Aboriginal people for thousands of years, who knew it as Doongang.
The river was first charted by European explorers in 1818, after being sighted by John Oxley. He named the river the Hastings River for the then Governor-General of India, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings.
Recreation, flora and fauna
The Hastings River gives its name to the Hastings River wine region and to an endangered species of mammal, the Hastings River Mouse (Pseudomys oralis).
Fishing opportunities on the Hastings River exist for freshwater bass and catfish in the upper reaches to estuarine species such as bream, flathead and luderick near the river mouth.
Images for kids
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Hastings River, flooded, west of Ellenborough, 2009.
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Dennis Bridge from the new Pacific Highway bridge to the west
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New Hastings River Bridge carrying the Pacific Highway
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