Rivers of Tasmania

This page discusses the rivers and hydrography of the state of Tasmania, Australia.

In the geography of Tasmania, the state is covered with a network of rivers and lake systems. As an island, all rivers eventually empty into the waters that surround Tasmania. There are four main river systems:[1]

  1. In the south, the Derwent flows from the Central Highlands past Hobart, to the sea at Storm Bay;
  2. In the west, the Gordon River takes the waters of Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder and is joined by the Franklin River before flowing into Macquarie Harbour;
  3. Flowing eastwards and to the south, the Huon River has its headwaters at Scotts Peak Dam on Lake Pedder, and reaches the sea in D'Entrecasteaux Channel; and
  4. Flowing from the north-east, the South Esk, the state's longest river, joins the North Esk at Launceston to create the Tamar.

Compared to the rest of Australia,[2] Tasmania has a very high proportion of wild or undisturbed rivers.[3][4]

Catchment areas[edit]

Major catchments of Tasmania are linked to the major rivers, the most notable being the Derwent. Catchments by region are:

South west region[edit]

West coast region[edit]

Major rivers[edit]

The following rivers are the longest river systems, by length.[1]

Longest rivers in Tasmania by length
(January 2008)
Order River name Length Region(s)
km mi
1 South Esk 252 157 Midlands
2 Derwent 215 134 Central Highlands
3 Arthur 189 117 West Coast
4 Gordon 186 116 Central Highlands; South-west; Western
5 Huon 169 105 South-west
6 Mersey 158 98 North-west
7 Franklin 129 80 Central Highlands; West Coast
8 North Esk 97 60 Northern
9 Pieman 38 24 West Coast

River topography[edit]

Rivers that flow towards the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean[edit]

Rivers that flow towards the Southern Ocean[edit]

Rivers that flow north, towards Bass Strait[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "1384.6 - Statistics - Tasmania, 2008". Bureau of Statistics. Australian Government. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Identified Natural Rivers - National" (Map). Australia's Natural Lands and Rivers. Department of the Environment, Australian Government. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Identified Natural Rivers - Tasmania" (Map). Australia's Natural Lands and Rivers. Department of the Environment, Australian Government. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  4. ^ "Undisturbed rivers - Tasmania" (Map). Australian Heritage Commission. Department of the Environment, Australian Government; Department of Primary Industries, Water and Energy and Forest Tasmania, Tasmanian Government. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
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