River, creek ,stream or rivulet

Submitted: Wednesday, Mar 21, 2012 at 17:58
ThreadID: 92691 Views:9935 Replies:8 FollowUps:6
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We have been traveling Australia for over 12 years now and we can not work out what the (official) difference is between a river, creek, stream or rivulet. Some rivers do not flow all the time, some rivers flow into creeks, some creeks flow all the time, some creeks flow into rivers, some streams look like creeks and most rivulets look like a creek or stream. Can anyone out there enlighten us?.
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Reply By: Teejay - Wednesday, Mar 21, 2012 at 19:15

Wednesday, Mar 21, 2012 at 19:15
G'day Ian,

I don't think that there is an official answer. There are many and varied definitions of each.

I think the blame for this inconsistency mostly lies with our early explorers who did the majority of the naming.

TJ..
AnswerID: 481026

Reply By: Rockape - Wednesday, Mar 21, 2012 at 20:05

Wednesday, Mar 21, 2012 at 20:05
It sure is a hard one.

Especially when 2 rivers become a creek and the creek becomes a groove.

AnswerID: 481030

Follow Up By: Members Pa & Ma. - Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 17:47

Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 17:47
Back again,
Then the Grove becomes a lake & then evaporates to be cast out in the atmosphere to become clouds again!
Take care, safe travels
Bye again Ma
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FollowupID: 756496

Follow Up By: Rockape - Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 18:01

Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 18:01
Ma,
I like that.

and then it moves to the north and rains, the rains become torrential and the first trickle becomes a flowing gully and the gully becomes a pond and the pond becomes a creek and the creek becomes a stream and the stream becomes a river and the culvert across the bore drain stops me going to work.

God bless the flooding rain from the 2 rivers that become a creek then many channels and then a groove and then a lake to lift again and bring more rain.

Then I don't have to go to work again cause no one has fixed the culvert.

Have a good one,
RA.
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Follow Up By: Members Pa & Ma. - Friday, Mar 23, 2012 at 11:20

Friday, Mar 23, 2012 at 11:20
Hi Rockape,
Thank you.
Hope this finds you well.
May be it's what state you live in as to what you call a River or a creek.
Ah ! No matter, you can't mess around with Nature whatever it chooses to create, or whatever we choose to call it.
It's a good campfire discussion, you could go on for ever.
The bore drain sounds like you're on a dry property in the channel country?

The ecstasy of the sound of rain on the roof, the smell of it on the dry parched earth after a long drought , the lifeline of man & beast etc provided it doesn't go overboard & drown what ever is in it's wake.
We're having 3 seasons in one day today! changing every half hour or so
Take care, safe travels
Bye Ma.
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FollowupID: 756564

Follow Up By: Members Pa & Ma. - Friday, Mar 23, 2012 at 11:36

Friday, Mar 23, 2012 at 11:36
Hi Rockape,
Thank you.
Hope this finds you well.
May be it's what state you live in as to what you call a River or a creek.
Ah ! No matter, you can't mess around with Nature whatever it chooses to create, or whatever we choose to call it.
It's a good campfire discussion, you could go on for ever.
The bore drain sounds like you're on a dry property in the channel country?

The ecstasy of the sound of rain on the roof, the smell of it on the dry parched earth after a long drought , the lifeline of man & beast etc provided it doesn't go overboard & drown what ever is in it's wake.
We're having 3 seasons in one day today! changing every half hour or so
Old Girl & Haja Baba 's ideas might have something to do with it too.
Good Question.
Take care, safe travels
Bye Ma.
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FollowupID: 756565

Follow Up By: Rockape - Friday, Mar 23, 2012 at 14:17

Friday, Mar 23, 2012 at 14:17
Thanks Ma,
no I haven't worked on a for about 35 to 40 years but who is counting and yes we had bore drains and channels for cooling.

Have worked in semi arid country for the last 23 years and many of the bores around the area have been capped thank goodness.

Have a good one,
RA.
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Reply By: Ray - Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 09:34

Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 09:34
I believe it is what you wish to call them. A good example is that there are only two lakes in the "Lake District" of good old England.
AnswerID: 481070

Reply By: Rick (S.A.) - Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 15:13

Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 15:13
That's a toughie -

because it takes Queensland rivers to make one creek in SA -

........

.........................

...............................

The Thomson River, the Barcoo River & the Wilson River make Cooper Creek!
AnswerID: 481104

Follow Up By: Members Pa & Ma. - Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 17:41

Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 17:41
Hi Rick,

That's a good one.
Could be, that Coopers Creek being in arid area soaks up a lot more water into the parched Earth before it fills on top.
It also depends on the depth I spose too.
You look at Coopers creek full & it makes some of our Rivers in the cool wet areas of Vic. look like Riveulets.
I wonder what Google has to say?????
Take care, safe travels Ma.
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FollowupID: 756495

Reply By: Members Pa & Ma. - Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 17:29

Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 17:29
Hi Ian,
The same applies to us.We often wonder.
I'll get hammered here,but you look at the Clarence River full and you look at the Murray River full.
In our minds The Clarence is a River & the Murray is a creek in comparison width wise.!
Down here we have some weird ones to, could it be something like, New born,Toddler,School age, Adolescence,Teenager the Adult! Then dead?

Clouds forms, then it rains & runs down the ground and forms a Rivulet

Like a Rivulet flows into a stream & when several rivulets flow into that stream it then becomes a creek.
When several creeks flow to the same watercourse it becomes a River.
Then if allowed the River flows out to the sea. No matter how big it is! Maybe.??? The life cycle of water.LOL.

I nearly freaked when I first saw the bridge over The Clarence River near the N.SW.,QLD.Border.
Take care Safe travels.
Bye for now Ma.
AnswerID: 481106

Reply By: Member - Old Girl - Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 22:45

Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 at 22:45
Probably when the said above water ways were named thats what they looked like at that point in time.
AnswerID: 481136

Reply By: mikehzz - Friday, Mar 23, 2012 at 07:29

Friday, Mar 23, 2012 at 07:29
Yes, I've lost count of the number of times I've been standing next to a rivulet and thinking 'no way, this isn't a rivulet, this is a stream'. :-)
AnswerID: 481144

Reply By: Jeffrey B2 - Friday, Mar 23, 2012 at 08:56

Friday, Mar 23, 2012 at 08:56
In the very early days of settlement Squatters/Graziers were not allowed to take up land on both sides of a river. Thus some rivers were called creeks and a smaller tributory became the so called river. The are some examples of these situations in Qld.

If you study a few maps it becomes apparent that in some cases the so called creek is actually twice the size of the adjacent river.

Have fun Haji-Baba.
AnswerID: 481157

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