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

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

South west region

• Gordon River

West coast region

• Arthur River
• Pieman River

Major rivers

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	Leven	99	62	North-west
9	North Esk	97	60	Northern
10	Pieman	38	24	West Coast

River topography

Rivers that flow towards the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean

D'Entrecasteaux (Derwent) sub-catchment Tasman Sea D'Entrecasteaux Channel North West Bay Browns Derwent Hobart Jordan Lachlan Plenty Puzzle Back Styx Styx (South) Tyenna Humboldt Clyde Jones Ouse Shannon James Dee Broad Davis Repluse Florentine Florentine (Little) Nive Clarence Pine Pine (Little) Little Counsel Navarre Navarre (Little) Travellers Rest Narcissus Cuvier

D'Entrecasteaux (Huon) sub-catchment Tasman Sea D'Entrecasteaux Channel Carlton Huon Crookes Rivulet Kermandie Mountain Little Denison Russell Arve Weld Snake Picton Roberts Cracroft Cracroft (South) Anne Ringarooma Wyniford Weld Frome Cascade Dorset New Maurice Maurice (South)

Rivers with no defined sub-catchment Tasman Sea Ansons Last Apsley Buxton Catamaran Coal D'Entrecasteaux Douglas Esperance George Groom Ransom George (North) George (South) Lune Meredith North West Bay Prosser Sand Back Bluff Scamander Avenue Snug Stony Swan Wye Cygnet Brushy Swan (West) Swanport (Little) Welcome Harcus

Rivers that flow towards the Southern Ocean

Gordon–Franklin sub-catchment Southern Ocean Gordon Spence Franklin Jane Acheron Andrew Wright Looker Loddon Adelaide Loddon (South) Lucan Collingwood Patons Balaclava Inkerman Alma Surprise Sprent Percy Olga Denison Maxwell Firths Smith Orange Albert Serpentine Adams Holley Pokana Wedge Boyd Boyes Gell

Pieman River sub-catchment Southern Ocean Pieman Donaldson Toner Donaldson (Little) Whyte Heazlewood Rocky Castray Savage Savage (Little) Owen Meredith Paradise Heemskirk Stanley Huskisson Ramsay Que Bulgobac Coldstream Hatfield Stitt Wilson Alfred Harman Wilson (Little) Ring Marionoak Murchison Anthony Bluff Achilles Wallace Mackintosh Sophia Brougham Southwell Fury Mackintosh Vale

Davey River sub-catchment Southern Ocean Davey De Witt Crossing Dodds Hardwood Frankland (south-west) Lora Henty River sub-catchment Southern Ocean Henty Badger Yolande Langdon Tully Tully (Little) King River sub-catchment Southern Ocean King Queen Thomas Currie Garfield Princess Nelson Governor Tofft Eldon (South) Eldon Old River sub-catchment Southern Ocean Old Collins Solly Watts Wanderer River sub-catchment Southern Ocean Wanderer Conder Hales

Rivers with no defined sub-catchment Southern Ocean Birchs Bird Nora Braddon Clark Daisy Dawson Giblin Henty (Little) Dundas Hibbs Interview Italian Lagoon Lewis Hudson Louisa Mainwaring Manuka Modder Mulcahy Nelson Bay New Salisbury Nielson Pedder Pedder (North) North Ray Rocky (Little) Sorell Pockacker Spero Pery Spring Tasman Thornton McLeod Urquhart Wild Wave

Rivers that flow north, towards Bass Strait

Esk–Tamar catchment Bass Strait Tamar Supply Esk (South) Meander Liffey Macquarie Lake Lake (Upper) Isis Elizabeth Snowy Blackman Tooms Nile St Pauls Dukes Break O'Day Tyne Esk (North) St Patricks Ford

Arthur River sub-catchment Bass Strait Arthur Frankland (north-west) Horton Grane Lindsay Leigh Salmon Julius Rapid Rapid (Little) Lyons Keith Hellyer Wey Fossey Wandle Waratah Blythe Inglis River sub-catchment Bass Strait Inglis Flowerdale Hebe Calder Jessie Rattler

Forth River sub-catchment Bass Strait Forth Wilmont Lea Fall Iris Dove Campbell Hansons Mersey River sub-catchment Bass Strait Mersey Dasher Minnow Fisher Fisher (Little) Arm Fish Cam River sub-catchment Bass Strait Cam Guide Cam (East) St Marys St Josephs

Rivers with no defined sub-catchment Bass Strait Bird Bird (Little) Black Dip Boobyalla Boobyalla (Little) Curries Detention Alarm Don Duck Roger Emu Old Park Pet Darling Forester (Great) Arnon Forester (Little) Leven Gawler Gawler (East) Gawler (West) Medway Montagu Musselroe (Great) Musselroe (Little) Pipers Second Pipers (Little) Rubicon Tomahawk

See also

• Water portal
• Australia portal

• List of rivers of Tasmania