Woronora River
| Woronora | |
|---|---|
Woronora River | |
NASA satellite view of Greater Metropolitan Sydney, with the location of the mouth of the Woronora River, as marked | |
| Etymology | Aboriginal (Dharug): "black rocks" |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | New South Wales |
| Region | Greater Metropolitan Sydney |
| LGA | Sutherland Shire |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Illawarra escarpment |
| 2nd source | Waratah Rivulet |
| • location | near Darkes Forest |
| • coordinates | 34°23′17″S 150°54′18″E / 34.38806°S 150.90500°E |
| • elevation | 353 m (1,158 ft) |
| Mouth | confluence with the Georges River |
• location | between Como and Illawong |
• coordinates | 33°59′40″S 151°4′3″E / 33.99444°S 151.06750°E |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 36 km (22 mi) |
| Basin size | 174 km2 (67 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Georges River catchment |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Still Creek (New South Wales) |
| • right | Heathcote Creek, Forbes Creek (New South Wales) |
| Dam | Woronora (1941) |
The Woronora River is a perennial river of the Sydney Basin, located in the Sutherland Shire local government area of Greater Metropolitan Sydney, approximately 22 kilometres (14 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in New South Wales, Australia.
'Woronora' is an Aboriginal place name. Records show the spelling of the name has varied since it first appeared in the 19th century, the earliest being Wooloonora (Dixon, 1827, quoted in Walker 1974:66, followed by Wolonora (Dixon, 1837, and Woronora Mitchell, 1835). The name was first applied to the Woronora River, a tributary of the Georges River, before being given to an electoral district, a local road east of the river, and finally the suburb itself.
The Woronora River rises on the northwestern slopes of the Illawarra escarpment and has its origin from Waratah Rivulet, near Darkes Forest, and flows generally north for approximately 36 kilometres (22 mi), joined by three minor tributaries, before reaching its confluence with the Georges River, between Como and Illawong.