Ord River
The Ord River is a 651-kilometre long (405 mi) river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The river's catchment covers 55,100 square kilometres (21,274 sq mi).
| Ord River Miriwoong: Goonoonoorrang | |
|---|---|
Ord River from a boat | |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Kimberley Plateau |
| • coordinates | 15°30′S 128°21′E |
| • elevation | 531 metres (1,742 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Cambridge Gulf, Timor Sea |
• elevation | sea level |
| Length | 650 km (400 mi) |
| Basin size | 55,100 square kilometres (21,274 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 3,870,000 ML/a (123 m3/s; 4,330 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Behn River, Negri River, Nicholson River |
| • right | Dunham River, Bow River, Panton River |
The lower Ord River and the confluence with Cambridge Gulf create the most northern estuarine environment in Western Australia.
The Ord River Irrigation Scheme was built in stages during the 20th century. Australia's largest artificial lake by volume, Lake Argyle, was completed in 1972.
The lower reaches of the river support an important wetland area known as the Ord River Floodplain, a protected area that contains numerous mangrove forests, lagoons, creeks, flats, and extensive floodplains.
The traditional owners are the Miriwoong and Gajerrong peoples who have inhabited the area for thousands of years and know the Ord River as Goonoonoorrang. In a letter to the Surveyor General, dated 12 October 1959, Louise Gardiner, Secretary of the Nomenclature Advisory Committee wrote: "'Cununurra'...means 'Black Soil'. It is the native name for Ord River. Perhaps it may be the native name for any big river, but according to Mary Durack it is definitely the name for the 'Ord'."