Kiewa River  Kiewa River, a perennial river that is part of the Murray catchment within the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the Alpine bioregion, in the Australian state of Victoria. The Kiewa River is also known by several variations on its name in its upper reaches, variously named as Kiewa River East branch and West Kiewa River (or similar). The name "Kiewa" is an Aboriginal word, derived from "cy-a-nun-a", meaning sweet, and "wher-ra", meaning water. The river rises near Clover Power Station, on the slopes of Mount Bogong, the highest mountain in Victoria at . The main river is formed by the confluence of the Kiewa River East branch and West Kiewa River. The Kiewa River flows generally north northwest, joined by eleven minor tributaries, towards its confluence with the Murray River, southeast of Albury and east of Wodonga. The main river descends over its course, sedately through cleared farming country downstream of Mount Beauty; while the West Kiewa River descends over its course, in near-pristine ash and peppermint forest country where the flow is swift, upstream of the town of Mount Beauty. Snowfall is common in the upper reaches of the river during winter, with up to precipitation, mainly as snow. The river is impounded by Lake Guy at above sea level and other dams associated with the Kiewa Hydroelectric Scheme, which traps waters flowing from the Bogong High Plains. The McKay Creek and West Kiewa power stations are the major generating elements of the Scheme, which provides peak load to the Victorian electricity grid. Within the Kiewa Valley are the towns of Mount Beauty, Tawonga, Tangambalanga/Kiewa Township, and Yackandandah. The river is crossed by the Murray Valley Highway at Killara, near its mouth. The Kiewa Valley Highway is located adjacent to much of the course of the river. Tawonga Huts, a series of huts and ruins, are located on the lower reaches of the West Kiewa River, within Alpine National Park and are accessible by experienced hikers. The Kiewa is a popular fly fishing stream for local anglers as it holds good populations of wild brown and rainbow trout. The East and West branches of the Kiewa provide excellent white water paddling opportunities. The most reliable time to paddle is in spring during the snow melt.