The Bellinger River is a river on the mid north coast of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

. Clement Hodgkinson

Clement Hodgkinson

Clement Hodgkinson was a notable English naturalist, explorer and surveyor of Australia. He was Victorian Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands and Survey from 1861 to 1874.- Exploration in New South Wales :...

 was the first person to explore the area in March 1841.

Boggy Creek, Woods Creek and Hydes Creek are all tributaries of the Bellinger River. The mouth of the river enters the Pacific Ocean near Repton

Repton, New South Wales

Repton is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, located near the mouth of the Bellinger River. At the 2006 census, Repton had a population of 620 people....

. The river runs through the village of Thora and town of Bellingen

Bellingen, New South Wales

Bellingen is a small town on Waterfall Way on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately halfway between the major Australian cities of Sydney and Brisbane...

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Waterfall Way

Waterfall Way

The Waterfall Way is a road and State Highway 78 in New South Wales, Australia. It runs east-west from the Pacific Highway to the New England Highway at Armidale. The route passes through some of New South Wales' most scenic countryside and has become well known as New South Wales best and...

 runs along the banks of the Bellinger River and towards the coast the river is crossed by the Pacific Highway

Pacific Highway (Australia)

The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...

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Parts of the Bellinger River are contained within the Bellinger River National Park

Bellinger River National Park

Bellinger River National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, about 410 km north of Sydney. The main feature of the park is the Bellinger River and the unspoilt forests on its upper reaches....

 and the New England National Park

New England National Park

New England National Park is situated on the Northern Tablelands in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia, 560 km north of Sydney. It is about 10 km south of Waterfall Way, just 85 km east of Armidale and 65 km west of Coffs Harbour...

. Other land uses in the valley include livestock

Livestock

Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...

 grazing and forestry

Forestry

Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

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One of the rarest turtles in Australia, the Bellinger River Emydura

Emydura

The Australian short-necked turtles, Emydura, are a genus of turtles in the family Chelidae. It was paraphyletic with Elseya. Consequently, it was split into two genera Myuchelys and Elseya by Thomson & Georges, 2009....

, has a restricted distribution in the upper Bellinger River above Thora.