| Bunyip | |
| Name Native: | (Boonwurrung)[1] |
| Name Other: | Main Drain, Buneep, Bunnip[2] |
| Name Etymology: | Bunyip from Aboriginal mythology |
| Pushpin Map: | Australia Victoria |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Mouth of the Bunyip River in Victoria |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Australia |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Victoria |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | South East Coastal Plain (IBRA), West Gippsland |
| Subdivision Type5: | Local government area |
| Subdivision Name5: | Cardinia |
| Length: | 27km (17miles) |
| Source1: | Mount Beenak, Yarra Ranges |
| Source1 Location: | near Tomahawk Gap |
| Source1 Coordinates: | -37.8953°N 145.6742°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 477m (1,565feet) |
| Mouth: | confluence with the Tarago River to form the Main Drain |
| Mouth Location: | north of |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -38.0819°N 145.7536°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 40m (130feet) |
| River System: | Western Port catchment |
| Tributaries Left: | Tea Tree Creek, Ryson Creek |
| Tributaries Right: | Back Creek (Victoria), Diamond Creek (Cardinia, Victoria), Cannibal Creek |
| Custom Label: | Nature reserve |
| Custom Data: | Bunyip State Park |
| Extra: | [3] |
The Bunyip River is a perennial river of the Western Port catchment, located in the West Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria.
The Bunyip River rises below Mount Beenak, part of the southern portion of the Yarra Ranges within the Bunyip State Park, near Tomahawk Gap, and flows generally south by east then south, at times via an aqueduct, joined by four minor tributaries, before reaching its confluence with the Tarago River to form the Main Drain. From there, the river used to flow into the Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp, the largest wetland in Victoria, covering an area of 40000ha, before flowing into Western Port. The river descends approximately over its course.[3]
At the confluence of the Bunyip and Tarago Rivers, the rivers are traversed by the Princes Freeway, north of the locality of .[3]
In the Aboriginal Boonwurrung language, the name for the river is Banib, meaning "a fabulous, large, black amphibious monster".[1]
The river is named after the bunyip, an Aboriginal mythological and legendary character from lakes and swamps.[4]