Pioneer River (Queensland)
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| Pioneer River | |
|---|---|
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| Origin | Pinnacle Ranges near Epsom |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean at East Mackay |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Length | 120 km |
| Basin area | 1550 km² |
The Pioneer River is a river system in Queensland, Australia that flows through the city of Mackay. 120 km in length, the river rises in the Pinnacle Ranges near Epsom, 63 km south-west of Mackay. The river flows in a northerly direction into the Pioneer Valley, one of Australia's richest sugar cane areas. At Mirani, the river swings around to the east before flowing into the Pacific Ocean at Mackay.
The river is too shallow for navigation, drying sandbanks encountered only a few kilometres upstream of the river mouth. The river is prone to flooding, most recently in February 2008 when a height of just over 7.0 metres (classed as moderate flooding according to the Bureau of Meteorology) was recorded at a gauge in the centre of Mackay. This height was reached after extremely heavy rain fell over Mackay (600mm in 6 hours). After the devastating Mackay cyclone of January 21, 1918, the river was flooded for weeks. The Pioneer has reached major flood levels on 20 occassions since records first began in 1884, with the highest reaching 9.14 metres in 1958.
During "King" tides, The Pioneer River has up to 6.4 metres of tidal range.
The longest tributary of the Pioneer River is Cattle Creek.
