Watts | |
Native Name: | [1] |
Pushpin Map: | Australia Victoria |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Mouth of the Watts River in Victoria |
Subdivision Type1: | Country |
Subdivision Name1: | Australia |
Subdivision Type2: | State |
Subdivision Name2: | Victoria |
Subdivision Type3: | Region |
Subdivision Name3: | South Eastern Highlands (IBRA), Central Victoria |
Subdivision Type4: | Local government area |
Subdivision Name4: | Yarra Ranges Shire |
Subdivision Type5: | Town |
Length: | 29km (18miles) |
Source1: | Yarra Ranges, Great Dividing Range |
Source1 Location: | below Mount Vinegar |
Source1 Coordinates: | -37.6586°N 145.6994°W |
Source1 Elevation: | 865m (2,838feet) |
Mouth: | confluence with the Yarra River |
Mouth Location: | south of |
Mouth Coordinates: | -37.6653°N 145.4889°W |
Mouth Elevation: | 77m (253feet) |
River System: | Port Phillip and Western Port catchment |
Tributaries Right: | Meyers Creek |
Extra: | [2] [3] |
The Watts River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip and Western Port catchment, located in the Healesville area, in the Central region of the Australian state of Victoria.
The Watts River rises below Mount Vinegar in the Yarra Ranges, a part of the Great Dividing Range, within the Watts River Reference Area, near the settlement of Somers Park, north-east of . The river flows generally south, then north-west, then south-west, where it is impounded by the Maroondah Dam to create the 22000ML Maroondah Reservoir.[4] After flowing over the dam spillway, the river flows generally west by south, joined by Meyers Creek,[5] before reaching its confluence with the Yarra River south of Healesville. The river descends over its 29km (18miles) course.[3]
Watts River became part of Melbourne's water supply system in 1891, with the construction of a diversion weir and the Maroondah Aqueduct. At that time, the catchments were closed and cleared of human habitation. The river was dammed in 1927 to form the Maroondah Reservoir, which is largely contained in the forested reservoir catchment within the Yarra Ranges National Park.[4]
The river is traversed by the Maroondah Highway, upriver of the Maroondah Reservoir.[3]
In the Aboriginal Woiwurrung language, the name of the river is Broong-ku-galk, with galk meaning "timber" or "sticks".[1]
The European name derives from the surname of a stockman who drowned in the river in about 1843.[6]