Hunter River
Encyclopedia : H : HU : HUN : Hunter River
- See Hunter River, New Zealand for that river in the South Island of New Zealand.
The Hunter Valley which is drained by the Hunter River is a major agricultural district and provides routes to the interior of the state which are relatively unimpeded by mountains and other obstacles.
The Hunter River was discovered in the 1790s. In June 1796 fishermen sheltering from bad weather discovered coal there, and the river was initially called Coal River. In 1797 it was formally named the Hunter,Manning Clark, A History of Australia, volume 1, reprint 1981, ISBN 0-522-84008-6 chapter 8. after Captain John Hunter who was Governor of the British colony in New South Wales at that time.
Tributaries of the Hunter River include the Pages River, the Goulburn River, the Wollombi Brook, the Williams River and the Paterson River. The Hunter River is subject to substantial floods, which Glenbawn Dam near Scone was constructed to ameliorate.
Part of the Hunter Valley are important for grape growing and wine producing. The Hunter Valley is also one of Australia's most important coal mining areas.
Towns along the Hunter River include Hexham, Morpeth, Maitland, Singleton, Jerry's Plains, Denman, Muswellbrook, Aberdeen, and Scone.
References
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