Oldfield River

The Oldfield River is an ephemeral river in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia that rises 95 kilometres (59 mi) inland from the South Coast at the edge of the Yilgarn plateau. The river starts at 300 metres (984 ft) above sea level then flows in a south easterly direction crossing the South Coast Highway near Munglinup.

Oldfield River
Location
CountryAustralia
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • elevation329 metres (1,079 ft)[1]
Mouth 
 • location
Oldfield Estuary
Length95 kilometres (59 mi)
Basin size2,479 km2 (957 sq mi)[2]
Discharge 
 • average6,900 ML/a (0.22 m3/s; 7.7 cu ft/s)

The river gently undulates through sandstone forming gentle valleys with many granite outcrops, the river then carves deeper valleys through the siltstone before entering the coastal plain. The river is then joined by its tributary, the Munglinup River, before flowing into the Oldfield estuary which discharges into the Southern Ocean.

The only other tributary of the Oldfield River is Coujinup Creek.

The river is regarded as saline[3] with high nutrient levels, moderate sedimentation, moderate fringing vegetation and has a low flood risk.

Named as Oldfield river by the settler Michael Simon Dempster in a letter written in 1866, the river is thought to have been named after Augustus Frederick Oldfield a plant collector who was active around the south coast of Western Australia. The river was most likely named by Albert Young Hassell of Jerramungup who explored the area in 1861.[4]

References
  1. "Bonze Digital Atlas Map of Oldfield River, WA". 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  2. "South Coast River Care - Oldfield River". 1998. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  3. "Variation in life history of land-locked lacustrine and riverine populations of Galaxias maculatus". 2006. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  4. Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of river names – O". Retrieved 29 April 2012.

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