Leigh River (Victoria) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leigh
The Leigh River at Inverleigh. The Hamilton Highway bridge is visible in the background.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Location of the Leigh River mouth in Victoria
Country	Australia
State	Victoria
Region	Central Highlands
Physical characteristics
Main source	Mount Mercer Cambrian Hill 325 m (1,066 ft) 37°37′48″S 143°49′54″E / 37.63000°S 143.83167°E / -37.63000; 143.83167
River mouth	Barwon River near Inverleigh 60 m (200 ft) 38°06′31″S 144°03′48″E / 38.10861°S 144.06333°E / -38.10861; 144.06333
Length	61 km (38 mi)
Basin features
River system	Corangamite catchment
Tributaries	Left: Wilson Creek (Victoria), Williamson Creek, Cargerie Creek

The Leigh River (or Waywatcurtan in the indigenous language) is a perennial river of the Corangamite catchment, located in the Central Highlands region of the Australian state of Victoria.

Location and features

The Leigh River is a major tributary and catchment of the Barwon River. Fed by the Yarrowee River that rises near Ballarat, the Yarrowee reaches its confluence to form the Leigh in the vicinity of Cambrian Hill and Golden Plains Shire. The Leigh River rises below Mount Mercer and flows generally south, joined by three minor tributaries before reaching its confluence with the Barwon River, southeast of the central business district of Inverleigh. The river descends 265 metres (869 ft) over its 61-kilometre (38 mi) course.

Communities and bridge crossings along the river

There are several crossings over the Leigh River, including road, rail and pedestrian. Some additional roads allow passage through shallow sections of the river when the water levels are low.

Location	Bridge name	Comments/use	Image
Dereel	Leigh Gorge Bridge (formerly Leigh Grand Junction Mine bridge)	Dereel/Elaine Road
Shelford	Town Bridge	Bannockburn/Skipton Road
Inverleigh	Two Bridges	Inverleigh/Teesdale Road
	Federation Bridge	Pedestrian suspension
		Hamilton Highway
		Standard gauge Melbourne/Adelaide railway

Etymology

The Wathaurong Indigenous Australian people named the river Waywatcurtan.

It is believed that the name Leigh River was given by the surveyor J.H. Wedge who arrived in 1835, probably naming the river after his Tasmanian farm 'Leighlands'.