The Macdonald River is a perennial river located in the Hunter and Outer Metropolitan Sydney regions of New South Wales, Australia. It is a part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment. Course and features The Macdonald River rises on the eastern slopes of the Mellong Range within the Great Dividing Range below Kindarun Mountain, northwest of Putty and flows generally east by south and then south, joined by sixteen minor tributaries, before reaching its confluence with the Hawkesbury River, at Butlers Crossing, near Wisemans Ferry. The river descends over its course. The upper reaches of the river flows through a remote canyon in the Yengo National Park. The lower valley of the river is also narrow but has small patches of relatively fertile land along its banks which were an important agricultural district in the early period of colonial settlement in New South Wales, due to its accessibility from Sydney by water. The historic village of St Albans is located in the lower Macdonald Valley. History Aboriginal Relations with the aboriginals (the Dharug and Barkinung people) were reasonably harmonious, The natives treated the newcomers as welcome guests, teaching bush skills and assisting in the planting of crops, little realizing that the whites intended to stay and claim ownership of the land. Property ownership was completely alien to the Aboriginals who cared for the land, but did not 'own' it. There are stories to suggest that on at least one occasion the local aboriginals approached the "new" land owners over concern for their own peoples survival since the granted farmland given to the new settlers substantially reduced the tribes ability to gather food. As a result of the new settlers cultivation of land close to the rivers edge, the local tribes had lost the ability to collect yam and others resources. They were promised a percentage of the bounty in exchange for their labour during the harvest, however, once the crops were harvested the aborigines were slaughtered. ??? Where is the source for the final claim? European settlement Most of the course of the river is very rugged, and away from the narrow floodplain the soil becomes barren and sandy. The clearing that was carried out in the early 19th century was all that is usable. Thirty kilometres north of St Albans the valley becomes so narrow that there is no room for cultivable land and as families were large, farmers were forced