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The Bunyip River is a perennial river of the Western Port catchment, located in the West Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria.

Bunyip Main Drain, Buneep, Bunnip[1]
Mouth of the Bunyip River in Victoria
Etymology	Bunyip: from Aboriginal mythology[2]
Native name	Banib (Boonwurrung language)[3]
Location
Country	Australia
State	Victoria
Region	South East Coastal Plain (IBRA), West Gippsland
Local government area	Cardinia
Physical characteristics
Source	Mount Beenak, Yarra Ranges
• location	near Tomahawk Gap
• coordinates	37°53′43″S 145°40′27″E
• elevation	477 m (1,565 ft)
Mouth	confluence with the Tarago River to form the Main Drain
• location	north of Bunyip
• coordinates	38°4′55″S 145°45′13″E
• elevation	40 m (130 ft)
Length	27 km (17 mi)
Basin features
River system	Western Port catchment
Tributaries
• left	Tea Tree Creek, Ryson Creek
• right	Back Creek (Victoria), Diamond Creek (Cardinia, Victoria), Cannibal Creek
Nature reserve	Bunyip State Park
[1][4]

Location and features

The Bunyip River rises below Mount Beenak, part of the southern portion of the Yarra Ranges within the Bunyip State Park, near Tomahawk Gap, and flows generally south by east then south, at times via an aqueduct, joined by four minor tributaries, before reaching its confluence with the Tarago River to form the Main Drain. From there the river used to flow into the Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp, the largest wetland in Victoria, covering an area of 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres), before flowing into Western Port. The river descends approximately 437 metres (1,434 ft) over its 27 kilometres (17 mi) course.[4]

At the confluence of the Bunyip and Tarago Rivers, the rivers are traversed by the Princes Freeway, north of the locality of Bunyip.[4]

Etymology

In the Australian Aboriginal Boonwurrung language the name for the river is Banib, meaning "a fabulous, large, black amphibious monster".[3]

The river is named after the bunyip, an Aboriginal mythological and legendary character from lakes and swamps.[2]

See also

• List of rivers of Australia

References

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