Gawler River (South Australia)
River in South Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Gawler River is a river in the Adelaide Plains district of the Mid North region in the Australian state of South Australia.
| Gawler Metta Watte[1] | |
|---|---|
| |
  Location of the river mouth in South Australia | |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | South Australia |
| Region | Mid North |
| District | Adelaide Plains |
| Towns | Gawler, Angle Vale, Virginia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source confluence | South Para River and North Para River |
| • location | Gawler |
| • elevation | 52 m (171 ft) |
| Mouth | Gulf St Vincent |
• location | between Port Gawler and Buckland Park |
• coordinates | 34°40′30″S 138°28′25″E |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 41 km (25 mi) |
Basin size | 883 km2 (341 sq mi)[2] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Port Gawler |
| • average | 10.3 gigalitres per year (8,400 acre-feet per year)[2] |
| Basin features | |
| Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary | |
| [3] | |
The district surrounding the river produces cereal crops and sheep for both meat and wool, as well as market gardens, almond orchards and vineyards.
Course and features
Formed by the confluence of the North Para and South Para Rivers in the town of Gawler, the river flows generally west onto the Adelaide Plains. The mouth is in the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary National Park—Winaityinaityi Pangkara, which consists primarily of mangroves in the tidal flats as the river empties into Gulf St Vincent. The outflow represents the boundary between the suburbs of Port Gawler on the northern bank and Buckland Park on the southern bank. The river descends 50 metres (160 ft) over its 41-kilometre (25 mi) course.[3]
The Angle Vale Bridge, located over the river on Heaslip Road in Angle Vale, was a laminated timber deck arch bridge built in 1876. It was the only surviving bridge of its type in Australia. The bridge collapsed in 2023, due to heavy rainfall.[4]
Flooding
The Gawler is subject to periodic flood events and the cause of occasional flash flooding (during 1:10 to 1:50 year flood events). Major overtopping in large floods occurs along much of the river length. Significant flooding commences within Gawler township from both the North and South Para Rivers.[5]
Angle Vale
Angle Vale Bridge
September 2010
September 2016
Heaslip Road Bridge
September 2016
Baker Road ford, Virginia
September 2016[6]
