Aire River (Victoria)

This article is about the waterway in Victoria, Australia. For the river in Yorkshire, England, see River Aire. For other uses, see Aire.

Aire
River
250px The Great Ocean Walk across the Aire River, in 2007.
Name origin: After the River Aire.
Country	Australia
State	Victoria
Regions	South East Coastal Plain (IBRA), The Otways
Local government area	Colac Otway Shire
Part of	Corangamite catchment
Tributaries
- left	Redwater Creek
- right	Young Creek (Victoria), Little Aire Creek
Landmark	Great Ocean Road Great Ocean Walk
Source	Otway Ranges
- location	near Beech Forest
- elevation	554 m (1,818 ft)
- coordinates
Mouth	Bass Strait
- location	west of Cape Otway
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates
Length	40 km (25 mi)
National park	Great Otway National Park
Waterfall	Hopetoun Falls
Location of the Aire River mouth in Victoria

The Aire River is a perennial river of the Corangamite catchment, located in The Otways region of the Australian state of Victoria.

Location and features

File:Unblocking Aire River mouth 1948.jpg

Horse teams used in 1948 to unblock the river mouth to prevent salt water being deposited on the arable river flats

The Aire River rises below the Otway Ranges in a remote forestry area southeast of the locality of Beech Forest. The river generally flows west by south then south through the Great Otway National Park, joined by three minor tributaries, before reaching its mouth and emptying into Bass Strait west of Cape Otway. The river descends 555 metres (1,821 ft) over its 40 kilometres (25 mi) course; including a 49 metres (161 ft) descent over the Hopetoun Falls in its upper reaches, located at an elevation of 314 metres (1,030 ft) above sea level.

The river is traversed by the Great Ocean Road and the Great Ocean Walk near the river's mouth.

It was named by the surveyor George Smythe after the River Aire in Yorkshire, England.

See also

• List of rivers of Victoria