Phillips River
| Phillips River | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Mount Madden |
| Mouth | Culham Inlet |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Length | 120 kilometres (75 mi) |
| Source elevation | 188 metres (617 ft)[1] |
| Mouth elevation | sea level |
| Avg. discharge | 7300 ML/annum |
| Basin area | 2,307 square kilometres (891 sq mi)[2] |
The Phillips River is an ephemeral river in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
The headwaters of the river rise on the sanplains below Mount Madden and flow in a southerly direction, crossing the South Coast Highway approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) West of Ravensthorpe then entering the Fitzgerald River National Park then veering eastward to follow a fault-line in the Quartzite rocks around the Eastern end of the Barren Range. The river finally discharges into Culham Inlet and, when the inlet is open to the ocean, into the Southern Ocean.
The river has six tributaries including; West River, Jackilup Creek, Yarracarrup Creek and Kybalup Creek.
The rivers catchment is 35% cleared, with the southern half lying within the boundaries of the Fitzgerald River National Park. The entire catchment lies within the Fitzgerald River Biosphere. The river only flows for a short time during the year, mostly during the winter months. The river water is naturally saline but varies from almost fresh to more saline then seawater.
Named by John Septimus Roe, who was the first European to discover the river in 1848. The river is named after his son in law, Samuel Pole Phillips.[3]
References
- ↑ "Bonzle Digital Atlas – Map of Phillips River". 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
- ↑ "South Coast Rivercare - Phillips River". 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
- ↑ "Australian Dictionary of Biography - Phillips, Samuel Pole (1819 - 1901)". 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
Coordinates: 33°53′07″S 120°04′28″E / 33.88528°S 120.07444°E