Gibb River

The Gibb River is a river in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia.

This article is about the river. For the road, see Gibb River Road.

Gibb River
Location
Country	Australia
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Caroline Range
• elevation	466 metres (1,529 ft)[1]
Mouth
• location	Drysdale River
• elevation	369 metres (1,211 ft)
Length	112 kilometres (70 mi)[2]

The headwaters of the river rise between the Caroline and Gibb Ranges. The river flows in a northerly direction until merging with the Drysdale River, of which it is a tributary. Gibb River has three tributaries: North Creek, Plain Creek and Russ Creek.

The Gibb River was named in 1901 by the surveyor Charles Crossland during an expedition in the Kimberley area. It is named after geologist Andrew Gibb Maitland who had accompanied Crossland and was present when the river was first sighted. In turn, it gives its name to the Gibb River Road, a former cattle route that stretches almost 660 kilometres (410 mi) across the Kimberley between the towns of Derby and the Kununurra and Wyndham junction of the Great Northern Highway.

The traditional owners of the area that the river flows through are the Ngarinjin people.[3]

References

1. "Bonzle Digital Atlas – Map of Gibb River". 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
2. Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of river names – G". Retrieved 5 September 2011.
3. "AusAnthrop Australian Aboriginal tribal database". 2009. Archived from the original on 30 May 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2009.