Wimmera River

Not to be confused with Little Wimmera River.

Wimmera (Walla-walla, Wamara, Bunnut, Culcatok, Barbarton, Billiwhin, Wudjum-biat, Bar, Barengi-djul, Yaigir, Wudiyedi, Barrh, Tarnorrer, Barkar, Guri-beb, Giridji-gal, Wadidirabul, Maripmunninnera)
River
280px The Wimmera River at Jeparit
Country	Australia
State	Victoria
Regions	Murray Darling Depression (IBRA), Wimmera
Local government areas	Ararat, Northern Grampians, Yarriambiack, Horsham, Hindmarsh
Part of	Wimmera catchment
Tributaries
- left	Mount Cole Creek, Six Mile Creek (Wimmera), Seven Mile Creek (Wimmera), Concongella Creek, Sheepwash Creek, Mount William Creek, Mackenzie River, Burnt Creek, Darragan Creek, Norton Creek
- right	Glenpatrick Creek, Glenlofty Creek, Spring Creek (Wimmera), Heifer Station Creek
Towns	Elmhurst, Crowlands, Glenorchy, Horsham, Dimboola, Tarranyurk, Jeparit
Source	Pyrenees, Great Dividing Range
- location	below Ben Nevis, in a state forestry area south of Elmhurst
- elevation	299 m (981 ft)
- coordinates
Mouth	Lake Hindmarsh, Lake Albacutya
- location	Outlook Creek, near Jeparit
- elevation	79 m (259 ft)
- coordinates
Length	278 km (173 mi)
Basin	24,011 km2 (9,271 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	13 m3/s (459 cu ft/s)
National parks	Wyperfeld National Park, Big Desert Wilderness Park
Reservoir and lakes	Lake Hindmarsh and Lake Albacutya
Location of the Wimmera River mouth in Victoria

The Wimmera River, an inland intermittent river of the Wimmera catchment, is located in the Grampians and Wimmera regions of the Australian state of Victoria. Rising in the Pyrenees, on the northern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, the Wimmera River flows generally north by west and drains in Lake Hindmarsh and Lake Albacutya, a series of ephemeral lakes that, whilst they do not directly empty into a defined watercourse, they form part of the Murray River catchment of the Murray-Darling basin.

Course and features

The Wimmera River rises from the Great Dividing Range below Elmhurst, between Ararat and Avoca, and flows generally north by west near the towns of Crowlands, Glenorchy, Horsham, Dimboola, Tarranyurk, and Jeparit and the Wyperfeld National Park and the Big Desert Wilderness Park. The river is joined by fourteen minor tributaries including the Mackenzie River, before reaching its mouth in Lake Hindmarsh and then Lake Albacutya, drained by the Outlook Creek, between Jeparit and Lake Hindmarsh. The river descends 220 metres (720 ft) over its 278-kilometre (173 mi) course.

The river is crossed by the Pyrenees Highway near its source; the Henty Highway south of Horsham; and the Western Highway west of Horsham and again west of Dimboola.

In most years flows do not reach these terminal lakes and the river contracts to a series of pools. The inflowing of saline groundwater into the lower reaches of the Wimmera River in recent years has severely affected the water quality, making the water more saline than sea water in several locations.

Pipeline

The health of the Wimmera River was expected to improve following the Wimmera-Mallee pipeline project that was completed in 2008. The project involved replacing old, inefficient stock water supply and irrigation infrastructure, with a pipeline system. Prior to the project's completion, up to 90 percent of water extracted from the Wimmera River was lost through evaporation and seepage. The Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline system was expected to be many times more efficient and meant that there would be much less water extracted from the Wimmera River. This should have reduced the quantities of water taken from the river and could thereby result in an increase in environmental flows in the river system.(see discussion)

Horsham flooding

Western Highway crossing the Wimmera River at Horsham.

The Wimmera River at Horsham has been subject to periodic flooding, with peaks recorded as follows:

Flooding events on the Wimmera River, near Horsham

Flood peak			Location(s)	References
m AHD	ft AHD	Date
4.71	15.5	January 2011 (2011-01)
3.87	12.7	October 1894 (1894-10)	Dunmunkle and Yarriambiack creeks. Townships of Horsham, Glenorchy, Rupanyup, Warracknabeal, Dimboola and Jeparit affected.
3.87	12.7	August 1909 (1909-08)	Dunmunkle and Yarriambiack creeks. Townships of Horsham, Glenorchy, Rupanyup, Warracknabeal, Dimboola and Jeparit affected.
3.73	12.2	September 1916 (1916-09)	Townships of Glenorchy and Horsham affected.
3.55	11.6	August 1981 (1981-08)	Flood affected the Wimmera River and Yarriambiack Creek.
3.49	11.5	October 1996 (1996-10)
3.32	10.9	September 2010 (2010-09)
3.30	10.8	October 1992 (1992-10)

Etymology

In the indigenous Djadjawurrung and Jardwadjali languages the river is named Walla-walla, with no defined meaning; and Wamara, possibly meaning woomera or "throwing stick". In the Jardwadjali language the river is named Bunnut, with the Bernett people a clan of the Jardwadjali people; and Barbarton, with bar meaning "river" and the Barbardinbalug were a Jardwadjali clan centred on the Wimmera River. In the Djadjawurrung language the river is named Culcatok, with no defined meaning. In the Djabwurrung, Jardwadjali, and Wergaia languages, the river is named Billiwhin, with no defined meaning. In the Wergaia language the river has several names including Wudjum-bial, with bial meaning red gum; Barengi-djul, with bareng meaning "river" and djul meaning waterbags; Yaigir, with no defined meaning; Wudiyedi, with no defined meaning; Guri-beb, with beb meaning white gum; Giridji-gal, with a meaning that "a dog was always there"; Wadidirabul, with no defined meaning. In the Djabwurrung language the river has several names including Bar and Barkar, with bar meaning "river"; and Tarnorrer and Maripmunninnera, both with no defined meaning. In an undefined local indigenous language, the river is named Barrh', with no defined meaning.

The name of the river is derived from the name of the pastoral run. Gold was discovered in the river in 1866.

See also

• List of rivers of Victoria