Molonglo River at Acton in 1920

Black swans on Molonglo River.

The Molonglo River rises on the western side of the Great Dividing Range of eastern Australia in the state of New South Wales. Its source is on the other side of the mountain range from where the Shoalhaven River rises, in Tallaganda state forest at ~1200 metres altitude. The Molonglo River flows from south to north before turning northwest, through the outskirts of the New South Wales town of Queanbeyan, where it picks up its major tributary the Queanbeyan River, and then continues through the nation's federal capital city of Canberra, where it has been dammed to form Lake Burley Griffin. It then flows on to empty into the Murrumbidgee River to the northwest of Canberra. Over its course the Molonglo River alternates between long broad floodplains and narrow rocky gorges several times. In the Limestone Plains upon which both Canberra and Lake Burley-Griffin have been constructed the Molonglo River is in its floodplain form. Categories: Suburbs of Canberra (incomplete) | Suburbs of Canberra ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1184x888, 233 KB) Black swans on Molonglo river, just up from Lake Burley griffin near duntroon. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1184x888, 233 KB) Black swans on Molonglo river, just up from Lake Burley griffin near duntroon. ... Binomial name Cygnus atratus Latham, 1790 Subspecies Black Swan New Zealand Swan (extinct) Synonyms Anas atrata Latham, 1790 Chenopis atratus The Black Swan, Cygnus atratus is a large non-migratory waterbird which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest of Australia. ... The Great Divide runs around the entire eastern and south-eastern edge of Australia The Great Dividing Range, also known as the Eastern Highlands, is Australias most substantial mountain range. ... “NSW” redirects here. ... The Warri Bridge on the Kings Highway which crosses the river near Braidwood The Shoalhaven River is a river on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. ... The town of Queanbeyan in New South Wales, Australia is overshadowed by its proximity to the Australian federal capital city of Canberra. ... The Queanbeyan River joins the Molonglo River at Oaks Estate just within the Australian Capital Territory. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... Sunset over Lake Burley Griffin, viewed from the Commonwealth Bridge Lake Burley Griffin is a lake in the centre of Canberra, Australias federal capital city. ... The Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory. ...

The river's name was recorded as the "Yeal-am-bid-gie" in 1820 by the explorer Charles Throsby. This was probably the collective local Ngunnawal language name for the river. (The suffix "bidgee" was common in Aboriginal names for rivers in the Canberra area and presumably means "water" or "river".) The Moolinggolah people of the district around Captains Flat probably gave the Molonglo its name. Where the river flowed through what is now Canberra, it was probably known after the Ngambri people, transcribed as Kembury, Canberry, and other transcription variations. Charles Throsby (1771 - 1828) was an Australian explorer who opend up much new land beyond the Blue Mountains. ... The city of Canberra is named after the Ngunnawal word Kambera Ngunnawal language, language spoken by the Ngunnawal people, an Australian Aboriginal tribe who lived in the Canberra area. ... Captains Flat is a village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in Palerang Shire. ... Ngambri or Kamberri is the name of the ancestral group and their descendants after whom the capital of Australia, Canberra, is named. ...

In the early years of European settlement both the Molonglo and the Queanbeyan were known as the "Fish River" for the abundance of native fish in them. The Molonglo was renowned as a beautiful river with excellent fishing for native Murray Cod, Golden Perch and Silver Perch. Sadly, this abundance of native fish did not last. In the 1930s and 1940s, mine tailings at Captains Flat twice collapsed into the upper reaches of the river, eradicating all native fish and most other aquatic life downstream from the site. Despite government funded rehabilitation programs in 1976, some toxic leachates still enter the river from the Captain's Flat mine site. Trinomial name Maccullochella peelii peelii (Mitchell, 1838) The Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii) is a large and striking predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family. ... Binomial name Macquaria ambigua (Richardson, 1845) The Golden Perch, Macquaria ambigua is an Australian native freshwater fish, primarily of lowland reaches of the Murray-Darling river system, but also known to push some way into upland reaches as well. ... Binomial name Bidyanus bidyanus (Mitchell, 1838) Silver Perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) are a medium sized freshwater fish endemic to the Murray-Darling river system in south-eastern Australia. ... Tailings (also known as slickens[1]) are the waste left over[2] after removing the gangue from ore. ... Captains Flat is a village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in Palerang Shire. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Consequently, when Lake Burley Griffin was built upon the Molonglo and filled in 1964, the waters were devoid of native fish. Restockings commencing in the 1970s and 1980s have re-established Murray Cod and Golden Perch in the lake and a short stretch of river upstream. A large stretch of the Molonglo still holds nothing but introduced fish species and is still waiting for the native fish species to be re-established. Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... Trinomial name Maccullochella peelii peelii (Mitchell, 1838) The Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii) is a large and striking predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family. ... Binomial name Macquaria ambigua (Richardson, 1845) The Golden Perch, Macquaria ambigua is an Australian native freshwater fish, primarily of lowland reaches of the Murray-Darling river system, but also known to push some way into upland reaches as well. ...

Selected References

Lintermans, M. (2000) The Status of Fish in the Australian Capital Territory : A Review of Current Knowledge and Management Requirements. Technical Report No. 15. Environment ACT, Canberra.