List of watercourses in Western Australia facts for kids
Western Australia is a huge state with many natural waterways. These are called watercourses and include things like rivers, streams, brooks, creeks, and even smaller channels like gullies. They all have official names, which are recorded by the government.
These official names help everyone know exactly which river or stream they are talking about. It's like how your street has a name, but for natural water paths!
What are Watercourses?
Watercourses are natural channels where water flows, usually towards a larger body of water like a lake or the ocean. They can be big, like a wide river, or small, like a narrow creek.
- Rivers: These are large, natural flowing watercourses. They usually flow into an ocean, sea, lake, or another river.
- Streams: Smaller than rivers, streams are also natural flowing water. They can be called brooks or creeks depending on their size and location.
- Gullies: These are small valleys or channels, often formed by flowing water, especially after heavy rain.
- Anabranches: Sometimes a river splits into two or more channels that later rejoin. These separate channels are called anabranches.
- Backwaters: This is a part of a river where the water flow is very slow, or it's a small branch of a river that doesn't flow much.
Official Names in Western Australia
The government keeps a special list of all the official names for places, including watercourses. This list is called a Gazetteer. When a name is "gazetted," it means it's officially recognized and recorded.
This helps with maps, navigation, and understanding the geography of Western Australia. Because Western Australia is so big, there are thousands of these officially named watercourses!
See also
