Hutt River (South Australia) Explained

Hutt
Name Etymology:Sir William Hutt
Pushpin Map:Australia South Australia
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of the river mouth in South Australia
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:Australia
Subdivision Type2:State
Subdivision Name2:South Australia
Subdivision Type3:Region
Subdivision Name3:Mid North, Clare Valley
Length:39km (24miles)
Source1:Skilly Hills
Source1 Location:below Atherley, Clare Valley
Source1 Elevation:396m (1,299feet)
Mouth:confluence with the Broughton River
Mouth Location:south of
Mouth Coordinates:-33.5267°N 138.5981°W
Mouth Elevation:256m (840feet)
River System:Broughton River
Basin Size:280km2
Custom Label:Waterhole
Extra:[1]

The Hutt River (Kaurna: Parriworta[2]) is a river located in the Mid North and Clare Valley regions of the Australian state of South Australia.

Course and features

The river rises near Sevenhill and flows generally in a northern direction through the town of Clare and through good farming and pastoral country before reaching its confluence with the Broughton River south of . The river descends over its 39km (24miles) course.[1]

The Hutt River catchment has five catchment sub-regions; Hutt River, Stanley Flat, Armagh Creek, White Hutt Creek, and Bungaree. Armagh Creek is the most significant tributary. The twin of the Hutt River, running parallel to it but separated by a low range, is the Hill River.

History

It is one of several Mid North streams visited in early April 1839 by explorer John Hill. Hill named the river after Sir William Hutt, who was one of the South Australian Colonization Commissioners in London.[3] Sir William's brother John Hutt was originally recommended to become the first Governor of South Australia, but he turned it down in favour of John Hindmarsh. John Hutt later became Governor of Western Australia from 1839 until 1846.

Hill traced the Hutt downstream to just below the present town of Clare. In late May 1839, based upon information supplied by Hill, the explorer Edward John Eyre followed in Hill's footsteps, tracing it downstream to its junction with the Broughton River.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Map of Hutt River, SA . Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia . 25 March 2017 .
  2. Book: The Land is a Map: placenames of indigenous origin in Australia . L. . Herclis . F. . Hodges . J. . Simpson . Pandanus Books . Canberra . Reclaiming through naming: The reinstatement of Kaurna toponyms in Adelaide and the Adelaide Plains . Amery, Rob . Williams, Georgina Yambo . . 2002 . 26 March 2017 . 264 .
  3. Cockburn, Rodney (1999) South Australia - What's in a name? Axiom Publishing
  4. Book: Eyre, E. J. . Edward John Eyre . Autobiographical Narrative, 1832–39 . 24 August 1984 . Caliban Books . London . 1984 . 205 . 0-9045733-2-X .