Tambo River (Victoria)

Course The Tambo River rises in the Bowen Mountains, below Mount Leinster in the Victorian Alps, part of the Great Dividing Range, about east of . The river flows generally south by south southeast by south southwest, joined by sixteen tributaries including the Little and Timbarra rivers, before reaching its mouth and emptying into Lake King, one of the main lakes in the extensive Gippsland Lakes system. Within the lake, the Tambo River forms confluence with the Mitchell River, west of the village of , with the Mitchell River draining into Bass Strait southwest of , in the Shire of East Gippsland. The river descends over its course. Channel Around Bindi the river channel is about in width. By the Swifts Creek and Ensay region the river is up to wide, with deep pools of up to , and a substrate of rubble and gravel. In the steep forest sections between Ensay and Bruthen the channel width is up to , with a varying substrate of bedrock, boulders, rubble, sand and mud. Between Bruthen and Tambo Upper there is extensive sedimentation with channel width exceeding , but a summer depth typically less than . Substrate in this section is all sand. The river narrows around Tambo Upper and the substrate becomes mainly mud beyond this point. Tributaries The Tambo River has a number of significant tributaries, with the two largest being the Little River which enters the Tambo from the north at Ensay, and the Timbarra River which enters the Tambo from the east, south-east of Tambo Crossing. ==Ecology==

The central Tambo River area around Ensay and Swifts Creek have a mean annual rainfall of , with the lower section of the basin around Bruthen getting . Upper reaches of the significant tributary the Timbarra River typically get higher rainfalls. The Tambo and Timbarra have relatively reliable flows. ==History==

Aboriginal history Due to its length, the Tambo stretched across the lands of at least two Aboriginal nations. The Jaitmathang people from the Upper Murray areas occupied the upper reaches of the river, while the Brabiralung of the Gunai/Kurnai nation occupied the lower southern reaches. According to Alfred Howitt the border between these two nations was around Tongio, about north of present-day Swifts Creek. Etymology The name tambo is of uncertain origin, but is thought to be an Aboriginal Ngarigo word meaning "fish". Reverend Friedrich Hagenauer recorded the Gunai name for the river to be Berrawan. Alternative traditional names for the river include Bindi-memial or Jillun, meaning "the stomach" in the Brabralung language; Tonggio-pannerer or Tongio-memial, with no defined meanings in the Dhudhuroa language; Gwannung-bourn, meaning "pelican" in the Tatungalung language; ''Ber'rawan, with no defined meaning or language group; and Kookoondalook'', meaning "wasps in the trees" in the Krauatungalung language. European history The first Europeans to follow the course of the river are thought to be a party led by Walter Mitchell in early 1839, who were guided by Aborigines along a route from the north through the Tongio Gap south of Omeo, down the valley to Bruthen and the Gippsland Lakes, and then back along the same route. An agricultural station was set up around the same time at Tongio by the Buckleys. Late in 1839 Angus McMillan established a station further south near present-day Ensay, and also used Aboriginal guides on his explorations further south along the valley and into other parts of Gippsland soon thereafter. The early explorers of Australia noted that the routes along the river and valley were well used Aboriginal trails, although in places such as the section between Tambo Crossing and Bruthen, where the river is less accessible, the trails diverted through the mountains in a similar way to the current main road through this area. ==Recreational uses==

, looking north The lower reaches of the Tambo River around the estuary are popular for recreational boating, however the higher reaches are of limited use for this activity due to the terrain and the restricted river depth and width. Sections of the river, particularly around the estuary, are used for recreational fishing, however it considered to be of limited angling value for most of its length because of the scarcity of angling species. While some of the river's tributaries carry self-supporting populations of brown trout, the Tambo itself carries few trout south of Bindi, even despite extensive stocking up to 1974. With no physical barriers to the fish spreading, it is thought natural chemical discharges from some springs contaminating the river may affect some fish populations such as the trout. Another reason could be high water temperatures during summer, as small numbers of trout in the main river section have been found in cooler months. ==River management==

The Tambo River catchment area is managed by the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority. The East Gippsland Region Water Authority manages urban water diversion from the river, while the Gippsland & Southern Rural Water Authority manages rural diversion and irrigation. Fisheries Victoria, a section of the Department of Primary Industries, manages the fish stocking and fisheries policy. Water is diverted from the river to be used as the main water supply for the town of Swifts Creek. It is also pumped from the river for town use in Bruthen, as well by private water users along the river. ==See also==