Rivers of Tasmania

This page discusses the rivers and hydrography of the state of Tasmania, Australia.

In the geography of Tasmania, the state is covered with a network of rivers and lake systems. As an island, all rivers eventually empty into the waters that surround Tasmania. There are four main river systems:^[1]

1. In the south, the Derwent flows from the Central Highlands past Hobart, to the sea at Storm Bay;
2. In the west, the Gordon River takes the waters of Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder and is joined by the Franklin River before flowing into Macquarie Harbour;
3. Flowing eastwards and to the south, the Huon River has its headwaters at Scotts Peak Dam on Lake Pedder, and reaches the sea in D'Entrecasteaux Channel; and
4. Flowing from the north-east, the South Esk, the state's longest river, joins the North Esk at Launceston to create the Tamar.

Compared to the rest of Australia,^[2] Tasmania has a very high proportion of wild or undisturbed rivers.^[3][4]

Major catchments of Tasmania are linked to the major rivers, the most notable being the Derwent. Catchments by region are:

• Gordon River

• Arthur River
• Pieman River

The following rivers are the longest river systems, by length.^[1]

• List of rivers of Tasmania