Wenlock River
| Wenlock | |
| River | |
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| State | Queensland |
| Region | Far North Queensland |
| Source | |
| - location | Great Dividing Range |
| - elevation | 500 m (1,640 ft) |
| Mouth | Gulf of Carpentaria |
| Basin | 7,526 km2 (2,906 sq mi) |
The Wenlock River is a major river of the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia. It rises in the Great Dividing Range, flows north-west through tropical savanna plains and wetlands, and enters the Gulf of Carpentaria on the western side of the peninsula at Port Musgrave just north of Mapoon.
The total catchment size is 7,526 km2 (2,906 sq mi).[1] The river has no water storage facilities built on it and there is little development within the drainage basin, resulting in a low population.
Much of the river is bordered by gallery rainforests which provide habitat for animals such as the White-tailed Rat, Spotted Cuscus and Palm Cockatoo. During the wet season the river floods, replenishing the wetlands. With some 48 species, the river contains the highest diversity of freshwater fish of all Australian rivers,[2] many of which are shared with the rivers of southern New Guinea. They include Buffon's River Garfish and Fimbriate Gudgeon, as well as the Freshwater Sawfish and more common species such as the Sooty Grunter, Saratoga and Barramundi. The river is also home to one of Queensland’s largest breeding populations of the Saltwater Crocodile.[3]
See also
- List of rivers in Australia
References
- ↑ "Water resources - Overview - Queensland - Basin & Surface Water Management Area: Wenlock River". Australian Natural Resources Atlas. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved 2009-12-06.
- ↑ Brian Williams (16 November 2008). "Australian Wildlife Conservancy in huge land buyout". The Courier-Mail (Queensland Newspapers). Retrieved 18 July 2010.
- ↑ Wild Rivers: Wenlock River
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