The dynamics of a river bend: a study of Billy Goat Point in the Mitchell River Gorge

The Mitchell River, on the western edge of East Gippsland, is one of Victoria's largest rivers, with a catchment area of 4425 km2 (S.R. & W.S.C.). Its tributaries drain a substantial section of the south-eastern slopes of the Eastern Highlands. Below the confluence of the Wonnangatta and Wentworth Rivers, the Mitchell flows through a gorge whose steep valley walls reach heights of up to 350 m above the stream channel. On the valley slopes grow open eucalypt forests. Riparian communities fringe the channel banks and in the sheltered valleys of some tributaries of the Mitchell are found small communities of rainforest. The site of this study is referred to as Billy Goat Point. It is a small accumulation landform which has formed at the base of the northern flank of Billy Goat Bend (Fig. 2.1), within the Mitchell River Gorge. The flow of the Mitchell River is deflected around the outer edge of Billy Goat Point so that an irregular bend has formed in the channel. Under mean flow conditions, the waters of the Mitchell are contained within this channel. During floods, Billy Goat Point may be partially or completely inundated. The physiography and vegetation of the site are therefore influenced to a great extent by the variable flow regimes of the Mitchell River