Rivers of Tasmania

This page discusses the rivers and hydrography of the state of Tasmania, Australia.
In the geography of Tasmania, the state is covered with a network of rivers and lake systems. As an island, all rivers eventually empty into the waters that surround Tasmania. There are four main river systems:

In the south, the [River River Derwent (Tasmania)|Derwent (Tasmania)|Derwent] flows from the Central Highlands past Hobart, to the sea at Storm Bay;
In the west, the Gordon River takes the waters of Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder and is joined by the Franklin River before flowing into Macquarie Harbour;
Flowing eastwards and to the south, the Huon River has its headwaters at Scotts Peak Dam on Lake Pedder, and reaches the sea in D'Entrecasteaux Channel; and
Flowing from the north-east, the South Esk, the state's longest river, joins the North Esk at Launceston to create the Tamar.

Compared to the rest of Australia, Tasmania has a very high proportion of wild or undisturbed rivers.

Catchment areas

Major catchments of Tasmania are linked to the major rivers, the most notable being the Derwent. Catchments by region are:

South west region

Gordon River

West coast region

Major rivers

The following rivers are the longest river systems, by length.

River topography

Rivers that flow towards the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean

D'Entrecasteaux (Derwent) sub-catchment

Tasman Sea
*D'Entrecasteaux Channel
**North West Bay
**Browns
**Derwent
***Hobart
***Jordan
***Lachlan
***Plenty
****Puzzle
***Back
***Styx
****Styx
***Tyenna
****Humboldt
***Clyde
***Jones
***Ouse
****Shannon
****James
***Dee
****Broad
*****Davis
***Repluse
***Florentine
****Florentine
***Nive
****Clarence
****Pine
*****Pine
****Little
***Counsel
***Navarre
****Navarre
***Travellers Rest
***Narcissus
***Cuvier

D'Entrecasteaux (Huon) sub-catchment

Tasman Sea
*D'Entrecasteaux Channel
**Carlton
**Huon
***Crookes Rivulet
****Kermandie
***Mountain
***Little Denison
***Russell
***Arve
***Weld
****Snake
***Picton
****Roberts
***Cracroft
****Cracroft
***Anne
*Ringarooma
**Wyniford
**Weld
***Frome
**Cascade
**Dorset
***New
**Maurice
***Maurice

Rivers with no defined sub-catchment

Tasman Sea
*Ansons
**Last
*Apsley
*Buxton
*Catamaran
*Coal
*D'Entrecasteaux
*Douglas
*Esperance
*George
**Groom
***Ransom
**George
**George
*Lune
*Meredith
*North West Bay
*Prosser
**Sand
***Back
**Bluff
*Scamander
**Avenue
*Snug
*Stony
*Swan
**Wye
**Cygnet
***Brushy
**Swan
*Swanport (Little)
*Welcome
**Harcus

Rivers that flow towards the Southern Ocean

GordonFranklin sub-catchment

Southern Ocean
*Gordon
**Spence
**Franklin
***Jane
****Acheron
***Andrew
****Wright
****Looker
***Loddon
****Adelaide
****Loddon
***Lucan
***Collingwood
****Patons
****Balaclava
****Inkerman
****Alma
***Surprise
**Sprent
***Percy
**Olga
**Denison
***Maxwell
***Firths
**Smith
**Orange
**Albert
**Serpentine
**Adams
**Holley
**Pokana
**Wedge
***Boyd
**Boyes
**Gell

Pieman River sub-catchment

Southern Ocean
*Pieman
**Donaldson
***Toner
***Donaldson
**Whyte
***Heazlewood
***Rocky
***Castray
**Savage
***Savage
**Owen Meredith
**Paradise
**Heemskirk
**Stanley
**Huskisson
***Ramsay
***Que
****Bulgobac
***Coldstream
***Hatfield
**Stitt
**Wilson
***Alfred
***Harman
***Wilson
**Ring
**Marionoak
**Murchison
***Anthony
***Bluff
***Achilles
***Wallace
**Mackintosh
***Sophia
****Brougham
***Southwell
***Fury
***Mackintosh
****Vale

Davey River sub-catchment

Southern Ocean
*Davey
**De Witt
**Crossing
***Dodds
**Hardwood
**Frankland (south-west)
**Lora

Henty River sub-catchment

Southern Ocean
*Henty
**Badger
**Yolande
***Langdon
**Tully
***Tully

King River sub-catchment

Southern Ocean
*King
**Queen
***Thomas Currie
****Garfield
**Princess
**Nelson
**Governor
**Tofft
**Eldon (South)
**Eldon

Old River sub-catchment

Southern Ocean
*Old
**Collins
**Solly
***Watts

Wanderer River sub-catchment

Southern Ocean
*Wanderer
**Conder
***Hales

Rivers with no defined sub-catchment

Southern Ocean
* Birchs
* Bird
** Nora
* Braddon
*Clark
*Daisy
*Dawson
*Giblin
*Henty
**Dundas
*Hibbs
*Interview
*Italian
*Lagoon
*Lewis
**Hudson
*Louisa
*Mainwaring
*Manuka
*Modder
*Mulcahy
*Nelson Bay
*New
**Salisbury
*Nielson
*Pedder
**Pedder
*North
*Ray
*Rocky
*Sorell
**Pockacker
*Spero
**Pery
*Spring
* Tasman
* Thornton
** McLeod
* Urquhart
* Wild Wave

Rivers that flow north, towards Bass Strait

EskTamar catchment

Bass Strait
*Tamar
**Supply
**Esk (South)
***Meander
****Liffey
***Macquarie
****Lake
*****Lake
****Isis
****Elizabeth
*****Snowy
****Blackman
****Tooms
***Nile
***St Pauls
****Dukes
***Break O'Day
***Tyne
**Esk (North)
***St Patricks
***Ford

Arthur River sub-catchment

Bass Strait
*Arthur
**Frankland (north-west)
***Horton
****Grane
***Lindsay
****Leigh
**Salmon
**Julius
**Rapid
***Rapid
**Lyons
**Keith
**Hellyer
***Wey
***Fossey
**Wandle
**Waratah
*Blythe

Inglis River sub-catchment

Bass Strait
*Inglis
**Flowerdale
***Hebe
**Calder
**Jessie
**Rattler

Forth River sub-catchment

Bass Strait
* Forth
** Wilmont
*** Lea
**** Fall
*** Iris
** Dove
*** Campbell
** Hansons

Mersey River sub-catchment

Bass Strait
*Mersey
** Dasher
*** Minnow
** Fisher
*** Fisher
** Arm
** Fish

Cam River sub-catchment

Bass Strait
* Cam
**Guide
**Cam
**St Marys
***St Josephs

Rivers with no defined sub-catchment

Bass Strait
*Bird
**Bird
* Black
** Dip
*Boobyalla
**Boobyalla
*Curries
*Detention
**Alarm
* Don
* Duck
**Roger
* Emu
**Old Park
**Pet
***Darling
*Forester (Great)
**Arnon
*Forester
*Leven
**Gawler
***Gawler
***Gawler
**Medway
*Montagu
*Musselroe
*Musselroe
*Pipers
**Second
*Pipers
*Rubicon
*Tomahawk