The Bunyip River rises below Mount Beenak, part of the southern portion of the Yarra Ranges within the Bunyip State Park, near Tomahawk Gap, and flows generally south by east then south, at times via an aqueduct, joined by four minor tributaries, before reaching its confluence with the Tarago River to form the Main Drain. From there, the river used to flow into the Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp, the largest wetland in Victoria, covering an area of 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres), before flowing into Western Port. The river descends approximately 437 metres (1,434 ft) over its 27 kilometres (17 mi) course.[4]
At the confluence of the Bunyip and Tarago Rivers, the rivers are traversed by the Princes Freeway, north of the locality of Bunyip.[4]
Etymology
In the Aboriginal Boonwurrung language, the name for the river is Banib, meaning "a fabulous, large, black amphibious monster".[3]
