Beaufort River (Western Australia)
Encyclopedia
The Beaufort River is a river
in the South West of Western Australia
.
The rivers has its headwaters west of Woodanilling
near Melbourne Vale and flows in a westerly direction until it flows into the Arthur River
near Duranillin. The Arthur river is a tributary
of the Blackwood river.
The only tributary of the river is the 7.5 kilometres (5 mi) Beaufort River East that joins the main river just East of where it crosses Albany Highway
.
The river was named by John Septimus Roe
, the Surveyor General
of Western Australia
, in 1835 after his friend Rear Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort
who was a hydrographer in the British Admiralty.
The river's catchment falls within the Blackwood catchment's Beaufort zone as part of the Beaufort system. The system is composed of broad valley floors with a grey sandy duplex and was previously a wandoo
sheoak woodland but has now mostly been cleared for agriculture.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the South West of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
The rivers has its headwaters west of Woodanilling
Woodanilling, Western Australia
Woodanilling is a small town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 254 km south of Perth on the Great Southern Highway, 24 km from Katanning and 30 km from Wagin....
near Melbourne Vale and flows in a westerly direction until it flows into the Arthur River
Arthur River (Western Australia)
The Arthur River is located in the south west of Western Australia.The headwaters of the Arthur river is located about 30km North of Wagin in the Arthur River Nature Reserve near the small settlement of Arthur River on Albany Highway....
near Duranillin. The Arthur river is a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Blackwood river.
The only tributary of the river is the 7.5 kilometres (5 mi) Beaufort River East that joins the main river just East of where it crosses Albany Highway
Albany Highway
Albany Highway is a generally northwest-southeast highway in the south of Western Australia which links the state's capital Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany. The highway is approximately in length, is designated State Route 30 and separates Western Australia's Great Southern region from...
.
The river was named by John Septimus Roe
John Septimus Roe
John Septimus Roe was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, and a Member of Western Australia's Legislative and Executive Councils for nearly 40 years.-Early life:...
, the Surveyor General
Surveyor General
The Surveyor General is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Originally this would often have been a military appointment, but is now more likely to be a civilian post....
of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, in 1835 after his friend Rear Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort
Francis Beaufort
Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, FRS, FRGS was an Irish hydrographer and officer in Britain's Royal Navy...
who was a hydrographer in the British Admiralty.
The river's catchment falls within the Blackwood catchment's Beaufort zone as part of the Beaufort system. The system is composed of broad valley floors with a grey sandy duplex and was previously a wandoo
Wandoo
Wandoo is the common name for a number of Western Australian Eucalyptus species, all of which have smooth white bark.The original "wandoo" is Eucalyptus wandoo. Other species have been given this name because of a perceived likeness with E. wandoo...
sheoak woodland but has now mostly been cleared for agriculture.