| Hastings River | |
| Name Other: | Mooraback Creek |
| Name Etymology: | In honour of 1st Marquess of Hastings |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Australia |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | New South Wales |
| Subdivision Type3: | IBRA |
| Subdivision Name3: | New England Tablelands, NSW North Coast |
| Subdivision Type4: | District |
| Subdivision Name4: | Northern Tablelands, Mid North Coast |
| Subdivision Type5: | local government area |
| Subdivision Name5: | Port Macquarie-Hastings |
| Length Km: | 180 |
| Discharge1 Location: | Near mouth |
| Discharge1 Avg: | [1] |
| Source1: | Great Dividing Range |
| Source1 Location: | southwest of Kemps Pinnacle, within Oxley Wild Rivers National Park |
| Source1 Coordinates: | -31.4317°N 152.3678°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1040m (3,410feet) |
| Mouth: | Tasman Sea, South Pacific Ocean |
| Mouth Location: | Port Macquarie |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -31.43°N 152.92°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 0m (00feet) |
| Basin Size Km2: | 3,658 |
| Tributaries Left: | Forbes River, Pappinbarra River, Mortons Creek, Maria River |
| Tributaries Right: | Fenwicks Creek, Tobins River, Ralfes Creek, Ellenborough River Thone River |
| Custom Label: | National Parks |
| Custom Data: | Oxley Wild Rivers, Werrikimbe, Cottan-Bimbang |
| Extra: | [2] |
Hastings River (Birpai: Doongang), an open and trained intermediate wave dominated barrier estuary,[3] is located in the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia.
Hastings River rises in the Great Dividing Range, southwest of Kemps Pinnacle, in the area surrounding Oxley Wild Rivers National Park and Werrikimbe National Park and flows generally south, southeast and east, joined by seven tributaries including the Tobins, Forbes, Ellenborough, Pappinbarra and Thone rivers, before reaching its mouth, flowing into the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean, at Port Macquarie. The river descends over its course.[2]
The course of the river flows adjacent to the settlements Ellenborough, Long Flat, Beechwood, Wauchope and Port Macquarie. The Oxley Highway is generally aligned with the middle and lower reaches of the river. West of Port Macquarie, the Pacific Highway crosses the Hastings River.
The Hastings River has been inhabited by Birpai Aboriginal people for thousands of years, who knew it as Doongang.
The river was first charted by European explorers in 1818, after being sighted by John Oxley. He named the river the Hastings River for the then Governor-General of India, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings.
On 19 November 2002, two anglers found the dismembered body of murdered Sydney drug dealer, Terry Falconer. Investigations revealed that Falconer had died three days beforehand, after his corpse had been cut up and dumped in the Hastings River by Anthony Perish and his criminal gang associates.[4] [5]
The River flooded in March 2021 during a severe weather event affecting much of New South Wales.[6]
The Hastings River gives its name to the Hastings River wine region and to an endangered species of mammal, the Hastings River Mouse (Pseudomys oralis).
Fishing opportunities on the Hastings River exist for freshwater bass and catfish in the upper reaches to estuarine species such as bream, flathead and luderick near the river mouth.