| Ovens | |
| Name Etymology: | In honour of Major Ovens, the Secretary to Governor Thomas Brisbane[1] |
| Map: | Map of the Ovens River.svg |
| Map Size: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 250 |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Australia |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Victoria |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Australian Alps (IBRA), Victorian Alps, Hume |
| Subdivision Type4: | Local government areas |
| Subdivision Name4: | Alpine Shire, Wangaratta City, Moira Shire |
| Subdivision Type5: | Towns and cities |
| Subdivision Name5: | Harrietville, Bright, Porepunkah, Myrtleford, Wangaratta |
| Length: | 191km (119miles) |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 46m3/s |
| Source1: | Great Dividing Range |
| Source Confluence: | East and West Branches of the Ovens River |
| Source Confluence Coordinates: | -36.8875°N 147.0625°W |
| Source Confluence Elevation: | 529m (1,736feet) |
| Mouth: | confluence with the Murray River |
| Mouth Location: | near |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -36.0375°N 146.1772°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 125m (410feet) |
| River System: | North-East Murray catchment, Murray-Darling basin |
| Basin Size: | 7778km2 |
| Tributaries Left: | Morses Creek, Buckland River (Victoria), Buffalo River (Victoria), King River (Victoria) |
| Custom Label: | National parks |
| Custom Data: | Alpine NP, Mount Buffalo NP |
| Extra: | [2] |
The Ovens River, a perennial river of the north-east Murray catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the Alpine and Hume regions of the Australian state of Victoria.
Formed by the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river, the Ovens River rises in the Victorian Alps, at the settlement of Harrietville, sourced by runoff from high slopes located within the Alpine National Park and the Mount Buffalo National Park. The river flows generally north by west and is joined by eighteen tributaries including Morses Creek at Bright, the Buckland River at, the Buffalo River and then the King River at . The river descends over its 191km (119miles) course.[2] The Great Alpine Road follows much of the course of the river in its upper reaches.[2]
The river flows through the Ovens Valley, which is a popular tourist destination servicing the ski fields of Mount Hotham, Mount Buffalo and Falls Creek, the Alpine National Park and the Mount Buffalo National Park. Air sports such as gliding and paragliding are also practised here, and there is a hedge maze at Wandiligong. A disused railway line has been converted to the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail, a cycle trail which stretches from Wangaratta and Beechworth to Bright.
There are several wineries in the area, and many hops farms. The wineries are a popular stop for cyclists on their touring rides.
Tobacco was a major industry in the valley until 2006; that year saw the British American Tobacco and Philip Morris companies decide to no longer buy Australian tobacco, and the Federal Government began implementing a plan to transition growers out of this industry.[3] Reminders of the valley's long and prosperous tobacco history continue to dot the valley, such as the many tobacco kilns.
Hamilton Hume and William Hovell explored the area in 1824, naming the Ovens River in honour of Major John Ovens, the Secretary to Thomas Brisbane, the Colonial Governor of New South Wales.[1]
In the Aboriginal Waywurru language, the river has two names: Burwang, with no clearly defined meaning; and Djerrang, meaning "leaf".