Herbert River
| Herbert | |
| River | |
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| State | Queensland |
| Region | Far North Queensland |
| Primary source | Millstream |
| - elevation | 1,070 m (3,510 ft) |
| Secondary source | Wild River (Queensland) |
| Mouth | |
| - location | Hinchinbrook Channel |
| Length | 340 km (211 mi) |
| Basin | 10,130 km2 (3,911 sq mi) |
The Herbert River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The southernmost of Queensland's wet tropics river systems, it was named in 1864 by George Elphinstone Dalrymple explorer, after Robert George Wyndham Herbert, the first Premier of Queensland.[1]
Geography
It rises at an elevation of 1070 metres on the Atherton Tableland, part of the Great Dividing Range, west of Herberton and north of Ravenshoe. Its two head streams are the Millstream and Wild River. Flowing for 340 kilometres in a generally southeastern direction, it passes the town of Ingham before entering the Coral Sea near Lucinda, at the southern end of the Hinchinbrook Channel, 130 km north of Townsville. Heavy rainfall causes the river level and speed of flow to rise very quickly, especially in the lower flood plain areas around Ingham.
Its tributaries include Blunder, Sunday and Cameron Creeks, which all rise in the Cardwell Range and drain the northern portion of the river's catchment area, upstream of the Herbert River Falls. Further south the catchment is drained by Nanyeta (Return) and Rudd Creeks, which flow out of the Great Dividing Range west of Mount Garnet and from the Forty Mile Scrub area. In total, the river has a catchment of 10130 km².[2]
Wallaman Falls on Stony Creek, another tributary of the Herbert, are Australia's highest permanent waterfall. Other waterfalls on the river include Herbert River Falls, Blencoe Falls and Millstream Falls.
People and land use
The catchment area holds a population of about 18,000, 75% of whom dwell in the lower flood plain area.
The river's upper region is used mainly for cattle grazing, while the lower Herbert River floodplain is given over to sugar cane production.[3] The middle reaches of the catchment include National Parks, State Forests and sections of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
Parts of the river, especially the Herbert River Gorge stretch, are used for kayaking and white water rafting.
Recent history
The second season of the U.S. reality television series, Survivor, was filmed on the "Goshen" cattle station in the upper Herbert River region, near the Blencoe Falls and Herbert River Gorge.
2010–2011 Queensland floods
The river was one of many in Queensland which experienced flooding during the 2010–2011 Queensland floods.
See also
- Bradfield Scheme
- List of rivers of Queensland
References
- ↑ "Herbert River Place name details". Queensland place names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ↑ "Water resources - Overview - Queensland - Basin & Surface Water Management Area: Herbert River". Australian Natural Resources Atlas. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
- ↑ Cane Trains in the Herbert River Valley Stocks, I.L. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, December, 1972 pp242-264
External links
- About the Herbert River Catchment
- Map of the Herbert River catchment from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology
- State of the rivers report for Herbert River by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water
- Flood warning system for the Herbert River
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Coordinates: 18°37′52.7″S 146°08′08.1″E / 18.631306°S 146.135583°E