Turon River

Turon River
Perennial stream
The Turon River from near Sofala during a very dry season.
Name origin: Aboriginal: Kamilaroi or Wiradjuri words choorun or yooran, the meaning of which is unknown
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Regions	South Eastern Highlands (IBRA), Central West
Municipalities	Lithgow, Mid-Western, Bathurst
Part of	Macquarie River, Murray–Darling basin
Tributaries
- right	Crudine River
Source	Capertee Valley
- location	near Ben Bullen
- elevation	778 m (2,552 ft)
- coordinates
Mouth	confluence with the Macquarie River
- location	near Hill End
- elevation	406 m (1,332 ft)
- coordinates
Length	117 km (73 mi)
Location of the Turon River mouth in New South Wales

Turon River, a perennial stream that is part of the Macquarie catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the central western district of New South Wales, Australia. Partly situated in the Turon National Park, the river is host to numerous recreational and tourist activities such as horseback riding, gold panning, canoeing, camping, and seasonal fishing.

Geography

The Turon River rises on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in the Capertee Valley, west of Ben Bullen, and flows generally to the north west and then west, joined by the Crudine River, and then forms its confluence with the Macquarie River south west of Hill End; dropping 372 metres (1,220 ft) over the course of its 117 kilometres (73 mi) length.

The upper reaches of the Turon River are partly bound by Turon National Park, established in 2002, while the lower reaches open onto private grazing property.

Gold rush

The Turon River is well renowned because it was the site of one of Australia's first alluvial gold rushes. During the gold rush Chinese migrant workers built a water race to bring water to mining operations along sections of the Turon River. Many parts of the race can still be seen today, such as at Turon Gates. The Turon River was the site of violence between miners and licensing authorities during the gold rush.

See also

• Sofala, New South Wales
• Rivers of New South Wales
• List of rivers of Australia