| Gairdner River | |
|---|---|
Gairdner River near West Mount Barren |
|
| Origin | Needilup-Jacup |
| Mouth | Gordon Inlet |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Length | 130 kilometres (81 mi) |
| Source elevation | 320 metres (1,050 ft)[1] |
| Avg. discharge | 940,000 ML/year [2] |
| Basin area | 1,770 square kilometres (683 sq mi) |
Gairdner River is a river located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. There is another Gairdner River in Western Australia, located in the Kimberley region.
The river originates in farm land north of the South Coastal Highway between Needilup and Jacup on the Yilgarn plateau about 320 metres (1,050 ft) sea level, then flows in a south-easterly direction crossing the South Coast Highway east of Jerramungup then through the Fitzgerald River National Park until it terminates in Gordon Inlet.
The tributaries that flow into the river are Cobomup Creek, Needilup River, Pingamup River, Spring Creek, Wilgerup Creek, Scott Creek and Duleep Creek.
About 60% of the catchment has been cleared for sheep and grains farming and as a result the water quality has become saline. Salinity levels vary from 3‰ after rains when the river is flowing to 50‰ during the summer time.
The river was named after Gordon Gairdner, a senior clerk and head of the Australian and Eastern Departments at the Colonial Office, by John Septimus Roe in 1848.[3]