River Torrens

The River Torrens is the most significant river in Adelaide and one of the main reasons for the siting of the city.

The availability of fresh water from the Torrens was one of the factors that influenced Colonel William Light's choice for the site of the new settlement of Adelaide. The river was first named the Yatala by the initial exploration party, but later renamed to honour Robert Torrens senior, chairman of the board of Colonisation ...

It flows 85 kilometres from its source in the Adelaide Hills near Mount Pleasant, across the Adelaide Plains, past the city centre and empties into Gulf St Vincent between Henley Beach South and West Beach. The upper stretches of the river and the reservoirs in its watershed supply a significant part of the city's water supply.

The river is also known by the native Kaurna name for the river-Karrawirra Parri or Karrawirraparri. Another Kaurna name for the river was Tarndaparri (Kangaroo river). The river was thought to be a reflection of the Milky Way ("wodliparri"), and was the heartland of the Kaurna people, who lived along its length and around the tributary creeks.

The river and its tributaries are highly variable in flow, and together drain an area of 508 square kilometres (196 sq mi). They range from sometimes raging torrents, damaging bridges and flooding city areas, to trickles and completely dry in summer. Winter and spring flooding has prompted the construction of flood reduction works. A constructed sea outlet, landscaped linear parks and three holding reservoirs contain peak flow.

Swimming in the River Torrens hasn't been allowed for about 50 years because of high levels of pollution.

To promote recreational use of the river in the CBD, Torrens Lake was created in 1881 with the construction of Torrens Weir. The lake is located in the heart of Adelaide city, between the weir and Frome Street Bridge and is now used for rowing, dragon boating and sightseeing tours.

Why its called River Torrens and not River Torrens River (like 90% of rivers in Australia) is not known.