Lunenburgh River facts for kids

The Lunenburgh River is a river in the South West part of Western Australia. It's known as a perennial river, which means it flows all year round, even during dry seasons.

About the Lunenburgh River

The Lunenburgh River starts in the Darling Range, a hilly area near a former timber town called Worsley. From there, it flows towards the north-west. It eventually joins the Brunswick River in a place called Beela.

River's Environment

The area where the river collects its water, called its catchment, covers about 56.3 square kilometres (22 sq mi). This region gets a lot of rain, averaging about 1,004 millimetres (40 in) each year. A good portion of this rainfall, about 206 millimetres (8 in), becomes runoff that feeds the river.

The land around the river is mostly covered by jarrah and marri forests. These are types of eucalyptus trees common in Western Australia. Sadly, some of these forests are affected by a plant disease called dieback disease. About 15% of the forest land has been cleared.

The land around the river is used in different ways. Some parts are state forest reserves, which means they are protected areas. Other parts are private lands used for growing timber, and there are also a few small farms. The Lunenburgh River has two smaller rivers that flow into it, called tributaries: the Otho River and the Sophia River.

How the River Got Its Name

The Lunenburgh River was named in March 1830 by Lieutenant-Governor James Stirling. He named it after Ernest Augustus, who was the Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg and the King of Hanover. Ernest Augustus was also the fifth son of King George III of Great Britain.

Stirling had met Prince Ernest Augustus many years before, in 1813, when he transported the Prince and his group on his ship, HMS Brazen. At that time, Prince Ernest Augustus was fifth in line to the British throne. By June 1830, when William IV became King, Ernest Augustus was second in line to the throne, right after Princess Alexandrina Victoria.

After exploring the Brunswick River and its smaller streams by boat, Stirling decided to name several places after Prince Ernest Augustus and his family. These names include:

• The Brunswick River
• The Ernest River
• The Augustus River
• The Frederic River (named after Ernest Augustus's wife, Frederica)
• The Otho River (named after Otho I, an early Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg)
• The Sophia River and the Matilda River (named after Prince Ernest's sister, Princess Sophia Matilda)