Everything about The Nepean River totally explained
The
Nepean River is a river in the coastal region of
New South Wales,
Australia.
Geography
The headwaters of the Nepean River rise near
Robertson, about 100 kilometres south of
Sydney and about 15 kilometres from the coast. The river flows north in an unpopulated water catchment area into
Nepean Dam, which supplies water for
Sydney. North of the dam, the river forms the western edge of the Sydney Basin, flowing past the towns of
Camden and
Penrith, south of which flowing through the
Nepean Gorge. Near Penrith it's joined by the
Warragamba River.
North of Penrith, at the junction of the
Grose River near Yarramundi, the Nepean becomes the
Hawkesbury River.
There are 11 weirs located on the Nepean River that are significantly regulating the natural flows. The river has been segmented into a series of ‘weir lakes' rather than a freely flowing river and is also impacted by dams in the Upper Nepean catchment.
In the 1950s the building of the
Warragamba Dam across the steep gorge of the Warragamba River, the Nepean’s major tributary, intercepted the flow of the great bulk of its waters and diverted them to meet the needs of the growing
Sydney metropolitan area, reducing the river to a shadow of its former self.
These dams and weirs have had a potent effect blocking migratory native fish like
Australian bass from much of their former habitat, and reducing floods and freshes needed for spawning. Nevertheless, the Hawkesbury/Nepean remains an important and popular wild bass fishery.
The luscious banks of the Nepean River provide a natural haven for local flora and fauna and a quiet location for local residents to relax. At Emu Plains, the western bank of the river provides a location for outdoor theatre productions on warm summer nights. The eastern bank at Penrith provides
barbecue facilities and children's play equipment, as well as a wide pathway running for several kilometres for strolls along the riverbank. The eastern bank is also the home of the Nepean Rowing Club.
History: European Settlement
When the
British colony was established at
Sydney in
1788, the
Royal Navy men in charge of the settlement went exploring by boat. They discovered the mouth of the
Hawkesbury River about 50 kilometers north of
Sydney Harbour and followed the river upstream, naming it after
Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool, who at that time was titled Baron Hawkesbury.
Meanwhile,
Watkin Tench of the
Royal Marines set off to walk inland, west of
Sydney. About 60 kilometers inland, at the foot of the
Blue Mountains, he discovered a large river which he named
Nepean after a different British
politician,
Evan Nepean. It took the Navy and the Army about three years to realise they'd discovered the same river and given it two different names.
Floods in the Nepean District
Early floods
The first flood on record - apparently a small occurrence - was in
1795. Others followed in
1799,
1806 and
1809. In
1810, after a series of major floods on the Hawkesbury, Governor Macquarie proclaimed the ‘Macquarie Towns’ of Windsor, Richmond, Wilberforce, Castlereagh and Pitt Town in an attempt to ensure that development was restricted to higher ground, free of flooding. The devastation caused by flooding in February,
1817 prompted
Governor Macquarie to issue a notice exhorting settlers, in the strongest possible terms, to build their residences above the established flood levels.
The most devastating flood occurred in June
1867, the Nepean River being estimated to have reached a height of about 13.4 metres in the river, and 27.47 metres on land, ie 27.74 metres AHD (Australian Height Datum). This flood carried away the approaches to the recently rebuilt
Victoria Bridge.
Emu Plains,
Castlereagh and the lower parts of
Penrith were all under flood, causing immense loss of property. Many houses were carried into the river by landslides. Many residents were forced to take refuge in public buildings such as the Penrith Hospital and the public schools. A major flood such as that of
1867 caused inundation of over 16,000 dwellings and damage costing in the order of $1.4 billion.
There have been other notable floods since - particularly that of July 1900 and March 1914. Again there was much flooding of streets and loss of houses and property along the river.
Further Information
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