- right Saxby River - elevation 816 m (2,677 ft) - elevation 0 m (0 ft) Basin area 109,000 km² Source Burra Range Country Australia | - location Reedy Springs - location west of Karumba Length 1,004 km Basin area 109,000 km² Mouth Gulf of Carpentaria | |
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- left Cloncurry River, Corella River, Bynoe River Settlements Shire of McKinlay, Hughenden, Richmond, Julia Creek, Cloncurry | ||
The Flinders River is the longest river in Queensland, Australia at approximately 1,004 kilometres (624 mi). It was named in honour of the explorer Matthew Flinders. The catchment is sparsely populated and mostly undeveloped. The Flinders rises on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in North West Queensland and flows generally northwest across a large, flat claypain through the Gulf Country before entering the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Contents
Map of Flinders River, Queensland, Australia
Course and features
The river rises in the Burra Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, 110 kilometres (68 mi) northeast of Hughenden and flows in a westerly direction past Hughenden, Richmond and Julia Creek then northwest to the Gulf of Carpentaria 25 km (16 mi) west of Karumba. The south of the catchment is bordered by the Selwyn Range. At 1,004 kilometres (624 mi) in length it is the eighth longest river in Australia. The catchment covers 109,000 square kilometres (42,000 sq mi). The primary land use in the catchment is grazing and other agriculture, the catchment covers 1.5% of the continent.
A total of 36 tributaries flow into the Flinders, the principal tributaries are the Cloncurry, Saxby and the Corella rivers. Another major tributary of the Flinders River is Porcupine Creek. The creek has carved out a dramatic gorge which is located in the Porcupine Gorge National Park. There are two dams on the river - the Flinders River Dam and Corella Dam. Other smaller tributaries include; Range Creek, Morepork Creek, Oxley Creek, Canterbury Creek, Dutton River, Back Valley Creek, L-Tree Creek, Gorman Creek, Hazlewood Creek, Nonda Creek, Eurimpy Creek, Yambore Creek, Bynoe River and Armstrong Creek. The river flows through one permanent waterhole; Flagstone waterhole.
Several towns are found within the catchment including; McKinlay, Burke and Wills Junction, Hughenden, Richmond, Julia Creek and Cloncurry.
The river produces a mean annual discharge of 3,857 gigalitres (8.48×1011 imp gal; 1.019×1012 US gal). The maximum flow recorded is 18,000 gigalitres (4.0×1012 imp gal; 4.8×1012 US gal).
The riverbed is composed of silt with clay and sand, sand and gravel and gravel with cobble. A large, flat claypain is located in the area where the Flinders, Gregory and Leichhardt Rivers enter the Gulf. The mouth of the river lies in the Gulf Plains Important Bird Area.
In 2015 the population living within the catchment was 6,600 people of which 12% are indigenous.
Flora
Vegetation along the river in the upper catchment include riparian woodlands composed of paperbarks including; Melaleuca argentea, Melaleuca bracteata and Melaleuca fluviatilis and sub-dominant eucalypts including River Red Gum, Coolabah, with minor Bauhinia. Other species found include the wattle. Infestations of Weeds such as Prickly acacia, Noogoora burr, Rubber vine and Chonky apple are also found. The understorey is dominated by a closed cover of riparian grasses including native couch on the sandy loams adjacent the stream channels.
History
The traditional owners of the area are the Kalkadoon, Mitakoodi, Kukatj, Guthaarn, Mayi-Yapi, Mayi-Kulan, Mayi-Thakurti, Ngawun, Wanamara, Mbara, Yirandali and Gugu-Badhun peoples who have inhabited the area for thousands of years.
The Flinders River was named in honour of the explorer Matthew Flinders by Captain Wickham and Lieutenant John Lort Stokes of the HMS Beagle in 1841. Stokes chartered and surveyed the estuary of the Flinders and albert rivers and named many other features in the area including Disaster Inlet, Morning Inlet and Van Deiman River.
Robert O'Hara Burke, William John Wills and Charles Gray reached the river delta in 1861 completing the goal of their expedition. Gray died on the journey back to Cooper Creek and both Burke and Wills died after reaching the creek to find their depot abandoned.
The first pastoralist to stock country along the Flinders was James Gibson who established Prairie Station in 1861. In 1864 more cattle stations were established by Gibson including Millungera and Taldora Stations.
Massive flooding occurred along the river in July 1870. One station lost over 4,000 sheep and roads were cut. In 1917 even larger floods were recorded with Hughenden inundated several people drowned. More heavy flooding occurred in 1955, 1960, 1974, 1991 and 2000.
In 2003, water licences to take water from the river were first released when a pastoralist, Corbett Tritton, applied for an irrigation licence. He successfully grew crops like sorghum and cotton on his cattle station and soon other graziers were interested. A moratorium on licence issuing followed but was later lifted in 2013.