Bell River (New South Wales)
| Bell River | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| - location | Near Orange, New South Wales, Australia |
| - elevation | 726 metres (2,382 ft) |
| Mouth | Macquarie River, Wellington, New South Wales |
| - elevation | 285 metres (935 ft) |
| Length | 149 kilometres (93 mi) |
The Bell River is a river in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Murray-Darling basin and flows into the Macquarie River.
Course[change | change source]
The Bell River begins in the hills to the north-west of Orange, New South Wales, it flows a generally northerly direction joining the Macquarie River at Wellington, New South Wales.[1] The river is 146 kilometres (91 mi) long and drops 441 metres (1,447 ft).[2]
Platypus have been seen in the lower river near Wellington.[3]
History[change | change source]
Aboriginal Australians of the Wiradjuri nation were the original inhabitants of the area around the river.[4]
The river was named in honour of Brevet Major Bell by European explorer John Oxley, later Surveyor General of New South Wales.[4]
Pieces of gold were found in and along the river in 1851. This started a minor a minor gold rush, mainly near where Nubrigan Creek joins the Bell River.[5]
The river occasionally floods generally near Wellington, however it has flooded further up river. Major floods occurred in 1920,[6] 1926,[7] and in 1990 at Newrea, where the river reached 6.77 metres (22.2 ft).[8]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Bell River". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. 14 October 1977. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ↑ "Map of Bell River, NSW". Bonzle.com. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ↑ "Platypus spotting, Wellington". Macquarie River Trails. 2012. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Travel Factsheet: Wellington". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ↑ Earp, G. Butler (1853). The Gold Colonies of Australia, Their History & Progress, With Ample Details of the Gold Mines, How To Get To Them, and Every Advice to Emigrants. London: Routledge & Co. pp. 138–145. Retrieved 14 November 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Western District: The Macquarie and Castlereagh". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 July 1920. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ↑ "The Macquarie: over the banks". The Sydney Morning Herald. 25 March 1926. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ↑ "Macquarie Region: Record floods". Floodsafe. NSW State Emergency Service. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2013.