King River (Kimberley, Western Australia)

The King River is a river in the Kimberley of Western Australia.

Not to be confused with King River (Great Southern, Western Australia).

King River
Sunset over the King River as seen from the King River Road
Location
CountryAustralia
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationDurack Range
 • elevation387 metres (1,270 ft)[1]
Mouth 
 • location
Cambridge Gulf
 • elevation
sea level
Length132 kilometres (82 mi)

The headwaters of the river rise between the Durack Range and the Saw Range. It flows southwards before turning north and continuing until it discharges into the West Arm of the Cambridge Gulf just South of Wyndham.

The river was named in 1884 during hydrographic surveys by Staff Commander James Coghlan after Captain Phillip Parker King who was the first European to chart the river mouth in 1818.[2]

The river flooded in 2005 following heavy rainfall when Cyclone Ingrid crossed the coast in the area. At Diggers Rest Station near Wyndham fences and livestock were swept away.[3]

The Indigenous Australian name for the river is Goolime and traditional owners of the areas around the river are the Ngarinjin, for the area around its headwaters.[4]


References
  1. "Bonzle Digital Atlas – Map of King River River". 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  2. Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of river names – K". Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  3. Adrienne Francis (17 March 2005). "Tragedy strikes Kimberley station". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  4. Norman Tindale, Aboriginal Tribes of Australia: Their Terrain, Environmental Controls, Distribution, Limits, and Proper Names, Australian National University 1974 p.251.

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