| Oaky River | |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Australia |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | New South Wales |
| Subdivision Type3: | IBRA |
| Subdivision Name3: | New England Tablelands |
| Subdivision Type4: | District |
| Subdivision Name4: | Northern Tablelands |
| Subdivision Type5: | local government area |
| Subdivision Name5: | Armidale Dumaresq |
| Length: | 60km (40miles) |
| Source1: | Round Mountain, Sonwy Range, Great Dividing Range |
| Source1 Location: | below Point Lookout, near Ebor |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1400m (4,600feet) |
| Mouth: | confluence with the Chandler River |
| Mouth Location: | near Jeogla |
| Mouth Elevation: | 277m (909feet) |
| River System: | Macleay River catchment |
| Tributaries Right: | Ponds Creek |
| Custom Label: | National park |
| Custom Data: | Cathedral Rock NP, New England NP |
| Extra: | [1] |
Oaky River, a perennial stream of the Macleay River catchment, is located in the Northern Tablelands district of New South Wales, Australia.
Oaky River rises on the southern slopes of Round Mountain, the highest peak of the Snowy Range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range south southwest of Ebor, and flows generally southwest, joined by one minor tributary before reaching its confluence with the Chandler River, southwest of Jeogla. The river descends over its course;[1] rapidly descending into a deep gorge where it meets the Chandler River.
The upper reaches of Oaky River are transversed by the Waterfall Way between Wollomombi and Ebor.
Oaky River and its tributaries are trout streams and platypus may be sighted in the waters.[2] [3]
The river is impounded by Oaky River Dam, located approximately from Armidale. At capacity, the dam covers around and holds of water. A hydroelectric power station is located at the dam and the flow of water is used to generate electricity. The power station has five turbines that generate . Zihni Buzo, an Albanian migrant and Harvard-educated civil engineer was the leading engineer on the construction of the dam and hydroelectric scheme.[4] [5] [6] This dam burst in February 2013 and is no longer viable.[7]