Cockburn River
A rock-chute, on the Cockburn River, near Tamworth
Etymology	In honour of George Cockburn[1]
Location
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Region	IBRA: New England Tablelands
District	Northern Tablelands
Municipality	Tamworth
Physical characteristics
Source	Moonbi Range
• location	near Limbri
• elevation	493 m (1,617 ft)
Mouth	confluence with the Peel River
• location	west of Nemingha
• elevation	384 m (1,260 ft)
Length	33.6 km (20.9 mi)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Mulla Mulla Creek, Swamp Oak Creek
• right	Jamiesons Creek, Moonbi Creek
[2][3]

Cockburn River (/ˈkoʊbərn/ KOH-bərn) is a perennial river that is part of the Namoi catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, located in the Northern Tablelands district of New South Wales, Australia.

The river rises in the west slopes of Moonbi Range, near Limbri and then flows generally west south west, joined by four minor tributaries, towards its confluence with the Peel River at Nemingha; dropping 109 metres (358 ft) over its course of 33 kilometres (21 mi).^[3]

The river was first encountered by European explorers on 4 September 1818 during an expedition led by the Surveyor-General of New South Wales, John Oxley, who named the river in honour of Admiral Sir George Cockburn.^[1]

From upstream to downstream, the Cockburn River flows through or near the localities of Limbri, Moonbi, Kootingal, Tintinhull and Nemingha. A section of the Main North railway line runs along the valley of the Cockburn River.

The Cockburn River is also one of the fastest flowing rivers in the southern hemisphere.^{[citation needed]} It is home to fish species including catfish, yellow belly, and European carp; the last have decimated the native fish stocks to the point that they are getting harder to find.^{[citation needed]} There are small areas of irrigated cropping along the banks of the river and the surrounding hills are mostly used for grazing.