The Hastings River is a large river on the Mid North Coast of the Australian state of New South Wales that empties into the Tasman Sea, a branch of the South Pacific Ocean, at Port Macquarie.
The river rises about seven kilometres south west of Kemps Pinnacle in Werrikimbe National Park on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range.
It runs south to Fernleigh, where it then runs east to the coast at Port Macquarie.
The river was first charted by European explorers in 1818, after its discovery by John Oxley who named the river for the then Governor-General of India, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings.
Tributaries of the Hastings River include the Forbes River, Doyles, Ellenborough and Thone Rivers.
A number of settlements exist near the river:
- Ellenborough
- Long Flat
- Port Macquarie - situated at the mouth of the Hastings River
- Wauchope
The Hastings River gives its name to a surrounding wine district and to an endangered species of mammal, the Hastings River Mouse (Pseudomys oralis).
Fishing opportunities on the Hastings River exist for freshwater bass and catfish in the upper reaches to estuarine species such as bream, flathead and luderick near the entrance.
Read more about Hastings River: Events
Famous quotes containing the words hastings and/or river:
“If you cant get a job as a pianist in a brothel you become a royal reporter.”
—Max Hastings (b. 1945)
“Naught was familiar but the heavens, from under whose roof the voyageur never passes; but with their countenance, and the acquaintance we had with river and wood, we trusted to fare well under any circumstances.”
—Henry David Thoreau (18171862)