Hunter River | Australia, Map, History, & Facts

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media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/10875-004-CA50DB44/Cattle-Hunter-River-New-South-Wales.jpg" data-href="/media/1/277027/11901">Hunter River</a> <span><span>Cattle crossing the Hunter River, New South Wales.</span></span> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <span class="link-blue">(more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div><div class="topic-header"> <div class="d-flex align-items-top justify-content-between"> <div class="d-flex flex-column"> <div> <div> <h1>Hunter River</h1></div> </div> <div class="topic-identifier font-16 font-md-20">river, New South Wales, Australia</div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-flex flex-row"> <div class="mr-10 mb-15"> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-block md-topic-tools 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Living/Environment/Coast-River/Hunter-River" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">The City of Newcastle - Hunter River, New South Wales, Australia</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Hunter-River-New-South-Wales/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref271810"></span>Hunter River</strong>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/river" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">river</a> in east-central <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-South-Wales" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New South Wales</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Australia</a>, rising in the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="Mount" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Mount" data-type="EB">Mount</a> Royal Range of the Eastern Highlands and flowing generally southwest through Glenbawn Reservoir (for flood mitigation and irrigation) and past <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Muswellbrook" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Muswellbrook</a> and Denman. There, joined by its major tributary, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Goulburn-River" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Goulburn River</a>, the Hunter turns southeast to flow by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Singleton-New-South-Wales" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Singleton</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Maitland" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Maitland</a>, Morpeth, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Raymond-Terrace" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Raymond Terrace</a>, entering the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tasman-Sea" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Tasman Sea</a> at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Newcastle-New-South-Wales" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Newcastle</a> after a course of 287 miles (462 km). Its <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/drainage-basin" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">drainage basin</a> is approximately 8,500 square miles (22,000 square km), and its estuarine mouth forms one of the state’s largest harbours at Newcastle. Cessnock, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Kurri-Kurri" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Kurri Kurri</a>, Murrundi, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Scone-New-South-Wales" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Scone</a> are major valley towns but do not directly border the river, which is also fed by the Williams and Paterson rivers and Wollombi Brook.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="291303" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/247104-050-D50FD8AC/Locator-map-Hunter-River.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/277027/291303"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/247104-050-D50FD8AC/Locator-map-Hunter-River.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/247104-050-D50FD8AC/Locator-map-Hunter-River.jpg?w=300" alt="Hunter River, New South Wales, Australia" data-width="2000" data-height="1650" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/247104-050-D50FD8AC/Locator-map-Hunter-River.jpg" data-href="/media/1/277027/291303">Hunter River, New South Wales, Australia</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Visited in 1791 by convicts, who called it the Coal River, it was renamed in 1797 for John Hunter (colonial governor, 1795–1800). The coal outcrops found by these early visitors were being worked by 1800. The most important mines are in the Singleton–Muswellbrook–Denman “triangle,” but the mines on the lower river between Cessnock and Maitland were important in establishing the Newcastle iron and steel industry. Six major thermal electricity generating plants in the area make it a major exporter of power to other parts of the state. The valley also supports <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="diverse" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diverse" data-type="MW">diverse</a> agriculture, including fruit orchards and wine vineyards. Cattle, sheep, and horses graze the upper valley, where timber is also cut. The riverine flats of the middle and lower reaches below Singleton are devoted to dairying and forage crops—corn (maize), hay, and lucerne (alfalfa). Poultry raising is the largest agricultural industry in the area, followed by beef production. Overcutting of timber has contributed to severe flooding, and control measures, such as Glenbawn Dam (1958), have been installed. Erratic seasonal changes in its level seriously limit navigation on the Hunter, but its valley is served by a rail line and two highways to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sydney-New-South-Wales" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Sydney</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":277027,"pageLength":320,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"D","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Hunter River | Australia, Map, History, & Facts | Britannica