Lort River

Lort River
Origin Peak Charles National Park
Mouth Stokes Inlet
Basin countries Australia
Length 130 kilometres (81 mi)
Source elevation 206 metres (676 ft)[1]
Avg. discharge 6,190 ML/year [2]
Basin area 2,502 square kilometres (966 sq mi)

Lort River is a river located in the Goldfields-Esperance region and the Eastern Mallee sub-region of Western Australia.

The headwaters of the Lort River begin in the Peak Charles National Park and its surrounding vacant Crown land. The river flows in a south-westerly direction and enters farmland area for a distance of 45 kilometres (28 mi) with a reserve that is an average of 500 metres (1,640 ft) wide containing riparian vegetation. The river then enters the Stokes National Park before discharging into Stokes Inlet.

Both the river and the inlet were named by John Septimus Roe while exploring and surveying the area in 1848 after his friend Admiral John Lort Stokes.[3]

The catchment of the river has been extensively cleared for Agricultural purposes. It is estimated that 60% of the catchment has been cleared; this has led to increased sedimentation, eutrophication and salinity levels of the river.[4]

References

  1. "Bonzle Digital Atlas - Map of Lort River, WA". 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
  2. "South Coast Rivercare - Lort River". 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  3. "Department of the Environment and Conservation - Stokes National Park". 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  4. "South Coast Rivercare - Lort River". 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2010.

Coordinates: 33°48′13″S 121°11′26″E / 33.80361°S 121.19056°E