Bellinger River

Bellinger River
North Arm Bellingen River, North Arm Bellinger River[1]
2009
Bellinger River is located in Australia
Bellinger River
Location
CountryAustralia
StateNew South Wales
IBRANSW North Coast
DistrictMid North Coast
Local government areaBellingen
Physical characteristics
SourceGreat Dividing Range
 • locationbelow Point Lookout, near Ebor
 • elevation1,150 m (3,770 ft)
MouthTasman Sea, South Pacific Ocean
 • location
east of Urunga
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length109 km (68 mi)
Basin size1,100 km2 (420 sq mi)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftHydes Creek, Woods Creek (New South Wales), Never Never River
 • rightBoggy Creek
National parksNew England NP, Bellinger River NP
[2]

Bellinger River, an open and trained mature wave dominated, barrier estuary,[3] is located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

Course and features

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The Bellinger River is home to the rare freshwater snapping turtle the, Bellinger River is the only place they are found on Earth. Bellinger River Valley, as seen from Point Lookout, 1995

Bellinger River rises below Point Lookout within the Great Dividing Range, southeast of Ebor, and flows in a meandering course generally east, joined by four tributaries including Never Never River, before reaching its mouth at the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean, east of Urunga. The river descends 1,150 metres (3,770 ft) over its 69 kilometres (43 mi) course.[2]

Parts of the Bellinger River are contained within the Bellinger River National Park and the New England National Park. Other land uses in the valley include livestock grazing and forestry.

Waterfall Way is located adjacent to the middle reaches of the Bellinger River; and towards its mouth, the river is transversed by the Pacific Highway, near Raleigh.

A rare Australian turtle, the Bellinger River snapping turtle (Myuchelys georgesi), has a restricted distribution in the upper Bellinger River above Thora.[4]

History

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Clement Hodgkinson was the first European to explore the area in March 1841.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bellinger River". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 March 2013. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ a b "Map of Bellinger River, NSW". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  3. ^ Roy, P. S; Williams, R. J; Jones, A. R; Yassini, I; et al. (2001). "Structure and Function of South-east Australian Estuaries". Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 53: 351–384. doi:10.1006/ecss.2001.0796.
  4. ^ "Bellinger River Emydura (Emydura macquarii) Recovery Plan". NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. ISBN 0-731-36367-1. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
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30°30′S 153°02′E / 30.500°S 153.033°E / -30.500; 153.033