| Fitzroy | |
| River | |
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Dawn breaks on the Fitzroy River as it passes through Rockhampton
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| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| State | Queensland |
| Region | Central Queensland |
| City | Rockhampton |
| Source confluence | Dawson and Mackenzie rivers |
| - coordinates | |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean near Port Alma |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| - coordinates | |
| Length | 480 km (298 mi) |
| Basin | 142,665 km2 (55,083 sq mi) |
| Wikimedia Commons: Fitzroy River, Queensland | |
The Fitzroy River lies in Queensland, Australia. Its catchment covers an area of 142,665 square kilometres, making it the largest river catchment flowing to the eastern coast of Australia.[1] The river is formed by the joining of the Mackenzie and Dawson rivers at Duaringa.[2] The catchment stretches from the Carnarvon Ranges in the west to the rivermouth in Keppel Bay, near Rockhampton. It is bounded to the north by the Burdekin River catchment area and to the south by the Burnett River catchment area.
The Fitzroy was named by Charles and William Archer on 4 May 1853 in honour of Sir Charles FitzRoy, Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, as Queensland did not become a separate colony until 1859.
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The city of Rockhampton is situated 40 kilometres from the coast on the river. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the city was a major port, however rocky bars in the river prevented the Fitzroy from being used for navigation any further inland. As ships became larger, the lower reaches became less viable for commercial traffic, and today only pleasure craft and small commercial fishing boats use the river. Wharves which once lined the town reach at Rockhampton have now almost all disintegrated or been removed. Predominant industries in the catchment are coal mining, grazing and cotton.
Nowadays, the river has a number of dams and weirs along its length. The Fitzroy Barrage at Rockhampton which can hold 61,000 ML when full,[2] provides fresh water to city and surrounds, while the Fairbairn Dam, on the Nogoa River (a tributary) and several weirs downstream on the Mackenzie River, provide water for irrigating a wide range of crops including cotton, peanuts, chickpea, corn and horticulture (citrus, table grapes, melons), supplying water for coal mines and domestic use for the town of Emerald.
Glenmore Homestead was built at a property on the northern bank of the river seven kilometres northwest of Rockhampton. It was originally settled in 1858, is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register and operates as a tourist attraction today.[3]
The lower reaches of the river are home to salt water crocodiles, a recently captured example (2003) being more than 4 metres long. The most diverse range of freshwater fish in the country are found within the Fitzroy basin.[2] The prized Australian fish, the barramundi, breeds in the river along with sooty grunter and a separate genetic strain of golden perch.[2]
Some 987 km2 of the river's floodplain and delta have been classified by BirdLife International as the Fitzroy Floodplain and Delta Important Bird Area (IBA). It regularly supports over 1% of the world population of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper as well as having a resident breeding population of the range-restricted Mangrove Honeyeater.[4]
At the mouth of the river researchers have discovered a genetically distinct snubfin dolphins species with a population of just 70 animals. The WWF believes planned coal port on Balaclava Island by Xstrata could wipe out the local snubfin population.[5]
The Fitzroy river basin is one of those that is part of the extensive flooding occurring during the 2010–2011 Queensland floods.
Tributaries of the Fitzroy include