| Steavenson | |
| Name Native: | (disputed)[1] |
| Name Other: | Steavensons, Stevenson[2] |
| Pushpin Map: | Australia Victoria |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the Steavenson River mouth in Victoria |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Australia |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Victoria |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | South Eastern Highlands bioregion (IBRA), Northern Country/North Central |
| Subdivision Type4: | Local government area |
| Subdivision Name4: | Murrindindi |
| Subdivision Type5: | Towns |
| Subdivision Name5: | , |
| Length: | 20km (10miles) |
| Source1: | Yarra Ranges, Great Dividing Range |
| Source1 Location: | below Mount Edgar |
| Source1 Coordinates: | -37.5444°N 145.7861°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 813m (2,667feet) |
| Mouth: | confluence with the Acheron River |
| Mouth Location: | near |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -37.4161°N 145.6986°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 264m (866feet) |
| River System: | Goulburn Broken catchment, Murray-Darling basin |
| Tributaries Left: | Wilks Creek |
| Tributaries Right: | Taggerty River, Keppel Creek |
| Custom Label: | National park |
| Custom Data: | Yarra Ranges National Park |
| Extra: | [3] |
The Steavenson River, sometimes incorrectly referred to as Steavensons River, a minor inland perennial river of the Goulburn Broken catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the lower South Eastern Highlands bioregion and Northern Country/North Central regions of the Australian state of Victoria. The headwaters of the Steavenson River rise on the northwestern slopes of the Yarra Ranges, below Mount Edgar and descend to flow into the Acheron River near .
The river rises below Mount Edgar on the northwestern slopes of the Yarra Ranges, part of the Great Dividing Range, within the Yarra Ranges National Park. The flows generally north by west, through rugged national park as the river descends, then north, joined by three tributaries including the Taggerty River, before reaching its confluence with the Acheron River near the settlement of Buxton. The river descends over its 20km (10miles) course.[3]
The river is crossed by the Maroondah Highway south of Buxton. An anabranch of the river, called Little Steavenson River, splits from the main river and reaches its confluence with the Acheron River, also near the settlement of Buxton.[3]
Steavenson Falls, a 122m (400feet) horsetail waterfall located in the upper reaches of the river, descends over five drops, the last having a clear drop of more than 21m (69feet)[4] and is situated approximately east of .[5]
Much of the catchment area of the river was destroyed by the Black Saturday bushfires that passed through the area on 7 February 2009, destroying almost all of the man made infrastructure and causing extensive damage to the forest in the area.[6] [7]
In an Australian Aboriginal language, the river is claimed to be named Nur-ro-nur-ro, with no defined meaning for the name. That claim is disputed.[1]
It is believed that the lower reaches of the Steavenson River, from the confluence of the Taggerty River with the Steavenson River, at the locale of Vic Oak, until the river mouth near Buxton, may have been initially named as the Taggerty River, until the Steavenson was officially named.[8]