Buckland River (Victoria)
Encyclopedia
The Buckland River is a river in north eastern Victoria
, Australia. With its source in the Victorian Alps, it reaches a confluence with the Ovens River
immediately downstream from the small town of Porepunkah
.
During the Victorian gold rush
of the 1850s the Buckland Valley was home to several thousand Chinese miners. On 4 July 1857, following a meeting at a Buckland Valley public house, approximately 100 European miners violently expelled most Chinese miners from the area in an event referred to as the Buckland Riot
.
In April 1897 crushing machinery was placed on the ground at Fairleys Creek with £30,000 working capital from London-based investors. The 30 head battery was the largest set up on any of the Upper Ovens goldfields. In November 1898 it was reported that crushing had been carried out continuously ... the stone was of a low yield but reported to be paying handsomely.
has established automated river height monitoring at Upper Buckland and Harris Lane.
Rainfall can be expected to increase from around 1100mm to 1640mm due to the influence of elevation and topography. During the winter months most of the catchment with elevations above 1500m receives its precipitation as snow, and in a normal winter, snow accumulates from June until September.
A flash flood in the Buckland River following the bushfires in the summer of 2003 resulted in a major fish kill in the Ovens River and threatened town and rural water supplies.
The whole catchment is within the Alpine Shire
and the Parishes of Buckland, Coolungubra, Harrietville, Maharatta, Morockdong, Panbullu and Towamba of the County of Delatite. The catchment was proclaimed by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Winneke
, on 20 June 1979.
There is an overall similarity of hill slopes in an area of physiographically massive rocks. Along the Buckland River rolling to hilly valley slopes prevail with narrow terraces and a narrow flood plain present in the lower reaches.
of Middle to Upper Ordovician age.
There is a small area of intrusive rock of Devonian
age consisting of granite and granodiorite near Paddys Hill and a larger area of similar material of Silurian
age at Mt Selwyn.
Along the middle reaches of the Buckland River there are alluvial and colluvial deposits of Pleistocene
age consisting of clay, silt, sand, gravel and conglomerate. Recent deposits of alluvium with a similar composition extend along the river channel for about 2.5km upstream of the Buckland Bridge.
, who became significant in the early days of Mt Buffalo and in the establishment of the Mount Buffalo National Park
, was born in the Buckland Valley in 1878.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia. With its source in the Victorian Alps, it reaches a confluence with the Ovens River
Ovens River
The Ovens River is a river in the Australian state of Victoria.Hamilton Hume and William Hovell explored the area in 1824, naming the Ovens River...
immediately downstream from the small town of Porepunkah
Porepunkah, Victoria
Porepunkah is a town in north east Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the Great Alpine Road, at the foot of Mount Buffalo north east of the state capital, Melbourne and north west of Bright. Part of Alpine Shire Local government area and situated on the banks of the Ovens River, near the...
.
During the Victorian gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
of the 1850s the Buckland Valley was home to several thousand Chinese miners. On 4 July 1857, following a meeting at a Buckland Valley public house, approximately 100 European miners violently expelled most Chinese miners from the area in an event referred to as the Buckland Riot
Buckland Riot
The Buckland Riot was an anti-Chinese race riot that occurred on 4 July 1857, in the goldfields of the Buckland Valley, Victoria, Australia. At the time approximately 2000 Chinese and 700 European migrants were living in the Buckland area.-Riot:...
.
Gold rush
The Buckland River was rich in alluvial gold and was dredged extensively in the 19th century. Tributaries also yielded rich results.In April 1897 crushing machinery was placed on the ground at Fairleys Creek with £30,000 working capital from London-based investors. The 30 head battery was the largest set up on any of the Upper Ovens goldfields. In November 1898 it was reported that crushing had been carried out continuously ... the stone was of a low yield but reported to be paying handsomely.
Flooding
The Buckland River frequently floods. The Bureau of MeteorologyBureau of Meteorology
The Bureau of Meteorology is an Executive Agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. It was established in 1906 under the Meteorology Act, and brought together the state meteorological services that existed before then...
has established automated river height monitoring at Upper Buckland and Harris Lane.
Rainfall can be expected to increase from around 1100mm to 1640mm due to the influence of elevation and topography. During the winter months most of the catchment with elevations above 1500m receives its precipitation as snow, and in a normal winter, snow accumulates from June until September.
A flash flood in the Buckland River following the bushfires in the summer of 2003 resulted in a major fish kill in the Ovens River and threatened town and rural water supplies.
Catchment
The Buckland River rises in the Barry Mountains and flows north until it joins the Ovens immediately downstream of Porepunkah. The catchment area to the off-take weir at the Buckland Bridge is approximately 322 sq km. It is about 13km wide by 31km long, with the longer axis lying approximately north-south.The whole catchment is within the Alpine Shire
Alpine Shire
Alpine Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the north-eastern part of the state. It includes the towns of Bright, Mount Beauty and Myrtleford. It has an area of 4,885 square kilometres. In 2001 it had a population of 17,581 and still growing. There are two...
and the Parishes of Buckland, Coolungubra, Harrietville, Maharatta, Morockdong, Panbullu and Towamba of the County of Delatite. The catchment was proclaimed by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Winneke
Henry Winneke
Sir Henry Arthur Winneke AC, KCMG, KCVO, OBE, KStJ, QC was a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria and Governor of Victoria.- Early life and career :...
, on 20 June 1979.
Physiography
The catchment lies on the northern slopes of the Great Divide, and ranges in elevation from 350m at the off-take to 1703m at The Twins. Most of the catchment is steep to very steep being the foothills of the Victorian Alps.There is an overall similarity of hill slopes in an area of physiographically massive rocks. Along the Buckland River rolling to hilly valley slopes prevail with narrow terraces and a narrow flood plain present in the lower reaches.
Geology
The major part of the catchment consists of generally fine grained felspathic sandstone beds up to one metre thick interbedded with dark grey shale and siltstoneSiltstone
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.- Description :As its name implies, it is primarily composed of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi scale...
of Middle to Upper Ordovician age.
There is a small area of intrusive rock of Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
age consisting of granite and granodiorite near Paddys Hill and a larger area of similar material of Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
age at Mt Selwyn.
Along the middle reaches of the Buckland River there are alluvial and colluvial deposits of Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
age consisting of clay, silt, sand, gravel and conglomerate. Recent deposits of alluvium with a similar composition extend along the river channel for about 2.5km upstream of the Buckland Bridge.
Notable people
Alice Manfield (Guide Alice)Alice Manfield
Alice Manfield , commonly known as Guide Alice, was a mountain guide, amateur naturalist, chalet owner, photographer, and early feminist figure from Victoria, Australia...
, who became significant in the early days of Mt Buffalo and in the establishment of the Mount Buffalo National Park
Mount Buffalo National Park
Mount Buffalo is a mountain plateau in Victoria , 200 km northeast of Melbourne. It is one of the oldest parks in the Australian Alps, being first established in 1898 when 1165 ha was reserved around Eurobin Falls...
, was born in the Buckland Valley in 1878.