Howqua River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Howqua |
|
|---|---|
The Howqua River, upstream of the Howqua Inlet and the settlement of Howqua, in 2012.
|
|
 |
|
| Native name | Pyerlite |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Victoria |
| Region | Alpine bioregion (IBRA), Victorian Alps |
| Local government area | Shire of Mansfield |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Victorian Alps, Great Dividing Range below Mount Howitt 1,680 m (5,510 ft) 37°10′43″S 146°37′46″E / 37.17861°S 146.62944°E |
| River mouth | confluence with the Goulburn River Lake Eildon 265 m (869 ft) 37°13′48″S 146°5′54″E / 37.23000°S 146.09833°E |
| Length | 65.6 km (40.8 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Goulburn Broken catchment, Murray-Darling basin |
| Tributaries |
|
| National park | Alpine National Park |
The Howqua River, a minor inland perennial river of the Goulburn Broken catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the alpine region of the Australian state of Victoria. The headwaters of the Howqua River rise below Mount Howitt in the western slopes of the Victorian Alps, and descend to flow into the Goulburn River within Lake Eildon.
Location and features
The river rises below Mount Howitt on the western slopes of the Victorian Alps, within the Alpine National Park in the Shire of Mansfield. The river flow generally west, joined by five minor tributaries, before reaching its confluence with the Goulburn River within Lake Eildon, created by the Eildon Weir. The river descends 1,410 metres (4,630 ft) over its 66-kilometre (41 mi) course.
Etymology
In the Aboriginal Woiwurrung and Daungwurrung languages, the river is named Pyerlite, with no clearly defined meaning.
There are four possible origins of the river's current name: firstly, after John "Howka" Hunter (1820–68), a pastoralist; secondly, a portmanteau name from Mount Howitt, where the river rises, and aqua; thirdly, after Howqua, a popular brand of Chinese tea in the early nineteenth century; and fourthly, after Akin Howqua (Ah Kin Wowqua), a Chinese surveyor and early resident of Melbourne.
