| Flinders | |
| River | |
|
Flooding of the Flinders River at Hughenden, January 1917
|
|
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| State | Queensland |
| Region | Gulf Country |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Cloncurry River, Corella River |
| Source | |
| - location | Reedy Springs |
| Length | 1,004 km (624 mi) |
| Basin | 109,000 km2 (42,085 sq mi) |
The Flinders River is the longest river in Queensland, Australia at about 1,004 kilometres (624 mi). The river rises in the Burra Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, 110 km northeast of Hughenden and flows in a westerly direction past Hughenden, Richmond and Julia Creek then northwest to the Gulf of Carpentaria 25 km west of Karumba, Queensland. The south of the catchment is bordered by the Selwyn Range.
At 1,004 km in length it is the sixth longest river in Australia.[1] The catchment covers 109,000 km².[2] The primary land use in the catchment is grazing.[3]
The principal tributaries are the Cloncurry River and the Corella River.[2] 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.[4] There are two dams on the river - the Flinders River Dam and Corella Dam.[3]
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.[5]
The Flinders was named after the explorer Matthew Flinders by John Lort Stokes of the HMS Beagle in 1841.