Margaret River (Fitzroy River)
| Margaret River | ||
 Flood in Margaret River at the entrance to the King Leopold Ranges |
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| Data | ||
| location | Western Australia , Australia | |
| River system | Fitzroy River | |
| Drain over | Fitzroy River → Indian Ocean | |
| source | north of Halls Creek (Mueller Ranges) 17 ° 53 ′ 18 ″ S , 127 ° 31 ′ 17 ″ E |
|
| Source height | 498 m | |
| muzzle |
Fitzroy River at Fitzroy Crossing Coordinates: 18 ° 10 '24 " S , 125 ° 37' 5" E 18 ° 10 '24 " S , 125 ° 37' 5" E |
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| Mouth height | 113 m | |
| Height difference | 385 m | |
| Bottom slope | 0.96 ‰ | |
| length | 399 km | |
| Left tributaries | Station Creek, Mary River , Wirara Creek, Spring Creek, Louisa River , Mount Pierre Creek | |
| Right tributaries | Rocky Hole Creek, Gidgia Creek, Grimpy Creek, Lally Creek, Gliddon River , O'Donnell River , Hilfordy Creek, Leopold River , Boab Creek | |
| Medium-sized cities | Fitzroy Crossing | |
| Small towns | Yiyill | |
| Communities | Margaret River, Louisa Downs | |
 Margaret River at Louisa Downs |
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The Margaret River is a river in the Kimberley region in the north of the Australian state of Western Australia .
geography
The river rises north of Halls Creek in the eastern part of the Mueller Ranges and flows from there to the west, mostly along the Great Northern Highway . At Fitzroy Crossing it flows into the Fitzroy River .
Tributaries with mouth heights
- Station Creek - 374 m
- Rocky Hole Creek - 363 m
- Gidgia Creek - 346 m
- Grimpy Creek - 286 m
- Lally Creek - 280 m
- Mary River - 253 m
- Wirara Creek - 213 m
- Gliddon River - 206 m
- Spring Creek - 201 m
- O'Donnell River - 188 m
- Hilfordy Creek - 164 m
- Leopold River -157 m
- Louisa River - 147 m
- Mount Pierre Creek - 127 m
- Boab Creek - 119 m
Origin of name
The river was named by the explorer Alexander Forrest during his expedition to the Kimberley in 1879 . He gave him the name of his sister-in-law Margaret Elvire Forrest , the wife of his brother John Forrest , then Prime Minister of Western Australia.
Fish stocks
One finds fish species such as barramundi ( Lates calcarifer ), freshwater sawfish (Pristidae), tiger fish (Terapontidae) and coral catfish (Plotosidae) in the river system.
Water use
The Public Works Department of Western Australia installed a gauge at the entrance to Margaret River Gorge in 1966 . There are repeated proposals to use the water in the catchment area of the Fitzroy River for the settlement areas in the southwest of the state, primarily around the capital Perth .