| Taggerty | |
| Name Etymology: | Aboriginal Taungurong: blue pigment or clay or stain |
| Pushpin Map: | Australia Victoria |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the Taggerty 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 |
| Length: | 18km (11miles) |
| Source1: | Yarra Ranges, Great Dividing Range |
| Source1 Location: | below Lake Mountain |
| Source1 Coordinates: | -37.4978°N 145.8769°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1420m (4,660feet) |
| Mouth: | confluence with the Steavenson River |
| Mouth Location: | near |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -37.4869°N 145.7553°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 368m (1,207feet) |
| River System: | Goulburn Broken catchment, Murray-Darling basin |
| Tributaries Right: | Whitehouse Creek |
| Custom Label: | National park |
| Custom Data: | Yarra Ranges National Park |
| Extra: | [1] |
The Taggerty 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 Taggerty River rise on the northwestern slopes of the Yarra Ranges, below Lake Mountain and descend to flow into the Steavenson River near .
The river rises below Lake Mountain on the northwestern slopes of the Yarra Ranges, part of the Great Dividing Range, within the Yarra Ranges National Park. The flows generally west, through rugged national park as the river descends, joined by one minor tributary, before reaching its confluence with the Steavenson River near the settlement of Marysville. The river descends over its 18km (11miles) course.[1]
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.[2] [3]
The river derives its name from the Aboriginal Taungurong word taggarty. It is recorded that Aborigines used to gather a blue pigment or clay on the banks of the Taggerty River and use the stain on their bodies.
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.[4]