Mitchell River (Gulf of Carpentaria)

Mitchell River
View upstream at the small waterfalls between Oriners and Kulata
Data
location	Queensland ( Australia )
River system	Mitchell River
Drain over	Mitchell River → Gulf of Carpentaria
source	north of Mareeba in the Atherton Tablelands ( Great Dividing Range ) 16 ° 46 ′ 43 ″  S , 145 ° 18 ′ 9 ″  E
Source height	376  m
muzzle	Gulf of Carpentaria north of Kowanyama Coordinates: 15 ° 12 ′ 8 "  S , 141 ° 35 ′ 32"  E 15 ° 12 ′ 8 "  S , 141 ° 35 ′ 32"  E
Mouth height	0  m
Height difference	376 m
Bottom slope	approx. 0.72 ‰
length	approx. 520 km
Catchment area	71,757 km²
Drain	MQ	358 m³ / s
Left tributaries	Dora Creek, Charcoal Creek, Pennyweight Creek, Wolstencroft Creek, Hodgkinson River , Little Watson Creek, Thirsty Creek, Big Watson Creek, Dry River , Blackfellow Creek, Emu Creek, Walsh River , Brown Creek, Sandy Creek, Bull Creek, Lynd River , Kilpatrick Creek
Right tributaries	Rifle Creek, Mary Creek, McLeod River , St. George River , Running Creek, Boomer Creek, Packhorse Creek, Camp Creek, Little Mitchell River , Rocky Creek, Reid Creek, Lagoon Creek, Rosser Creek, Palmer River , Mosquito Creek, Burrum Channel , Alice River , Mottle Creek
Reservoirs flowed through	Lake Mitchell
Small towns	Mount Molloy, Mount Carbine
Communities	Hurricane, Karma Waters, St. George Outstation, Mount Mulgrave, Gamboola, Highbury

The Mitchell River is a river in the north of the Australian state of Queensland , in the Far North Queensland region . The river name comes from the Prussian explorer Ludwig Leichhardt .

Surname

Ludwig Leichhardt named the Mitchell River on his first Australian expedition from 1844 to 1845 in June 1845 after the British Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell , the chief surveyor of New South Wales.

geography

River course

The river has its source in the Atherton Tablelands , about 50 km northwest of Cairns and crosses the Cape York Peninsula from Mareeba to the Gulf of Carpentaria .

The catchment area of ​​the Mitchell River is 71,757 km². It provides the largest amount of water of any river in Queensland, but it fluctuates so much that the river is even dry for part of the year. The Lake Mitchell is the main water reservoir on the river.

Tributaries with mouth heights

• Dora Creek - 362 m
• Rifle Creek - 360 m
• Charcoal Creek - 357 m
• Mary Creek - 351 m
• Pennyweight Creek - 340 m
• McLeod River - 327 m
• Wolstencroft Creek - 304 m
• Hodgkinson River - 248 m
• Little Watson Creek - 246 m
• Thirsty Creek - 227 m
• Big Watson Creek - 227 m
• St. George River - 190 m
• Dry River - 162 m
• Running Creek - 161 m
• Boomer Creek - 157 m
• Packhorse Creek - 153 m
• Blackfellow Creek - 153 m
• Emu Creek - 151 m
• Camp Creek - 149 m
• Little Mitchell River - 147 m
• Rocky Creek - 131 m
• Reid Creek - 122 m
• Walsh River - 116 m
• Brown Creek - 116 m
• Sandy Creek - 110 m
• Bull Creek - 98 m
• Lynd River - 98 m
• Lagoon Creek - 94 m
• Rosser Creek - 76 m
• Palmer River - 63 m
• Mosquito Creek - 58 m
• Kilpatrick Creek - 39 m
• Burrum Channel - 35 m
• Alice River - 15 m
• Mottle Creek - 15 m

Flowing lakes

• Lake Mitchell - 375 m

history

The river was named after Sir Thomas Mitchell by Ludwig Leichhardt on his expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington on June 16, 1845 . Apparently, the Mitchell River was discovered in 1623 by the Dutch merchant and navigator Jan Carstensz and named the Vereenighde River .

Hydrology

The Mitchell River and its tributaries have long dug their way west through the wild, weathered plateaus of the Great Dividing Range, washing away sediment that was deposited in the vast floodplains and wetlands of the Gulf Country .

The rivers “pulsate” every year with the monsoon rains and in the rainy season collect the water of the tropical rainforests of the highlands in the east, the moist hardwood forests of the central plateaus, several light forests and the savannas in the west. Annually they flood the mudflats , wetlands , estuaries and mangrove forests in the lower reaches of the Mitchell River and in the coastal plains with fresh water.

fauna and Flora

"Rich diversity of aquatic habitats" - the Magnificent Lagoon near the small town of Kowanyama

The Mitchell River is home to one of Australia's most ecologically diverse aquatic systems, consisting of both humid and dry monsoon-affected habitats.

The ecology of the catchment area is generally described as follows:

“The vegetation in the Mitchell River catchment area varies from the world heritage protected humid, tropical rainforests in the eastern highlands to the savannahs in the west and the plains of the lower reaches. The extensive mangrove forests and lagoon systems in the Mitchell River Delta are recognized as unique worldwide. On the upper course, springs and water holes ensure a year-round water flow .... "

The ecologically diversified river system is still largely unexplored, but at least 18 rare, endangered or sensitive animal species are known there, such as As the gold shoulder parakeet , the Gouldian and the Northern Bettong ( Bettongia tropica ). The estuary is in the Gulf Plains Important Bird Area .

Settlements

The main (small) cities in the Mitchell River catchment area are Kowanyama, Chillagoe, Duimbulah, Mount Carbine and Mount Molloy . Other settlements are Mutchilba and Almaden .

National parks

The following national parks are located in the catchment area of ​​the Mitchell River:

• Hann Tableland National Park
• Errk Oykangand National Park  (formerly Mitchell Alice Rivers National Park )
• Chillagoe Mungana Caves National Park
• part of Bulleringa National Park to the south
• most of Forty Mile Scrub National Park

Web links

Commons : Mitchell River (Queensland)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Map of Mitchell River Catchment Area . Mitchell River Watershed Management Group
• Map of Towns, Communities, Stations and Riverways in the Mitchell River Catchment . Mitchell River Watershed Management Group
• Biophysical Regions of the Mitchell River . Mitchell River Watershed Management Group
• Map of Mitchell River Catchment Waterways . Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water
• Mitchell River Watershed Management Group Inc
• Video & Brief on local Aboriginal Knowledge of SeaLevel Rise in Mitchell River catchment, including footage and the telling of some traditional knowledge for Mitchell River . Our World 2

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b c d} Map of Mitchell River, QLD . Bonzle.com
2. ^ Steve Parish: Australian Touring Atlas . Steve Parish Publishing, Archerfield QLD 2007. ISBN 978-1-74193-232-4 . P. 12 + 13
3. ^ ^{A b} Mitchell Basin: Wetland Summary Information . The State of Queensland (Environmental Protection Agency). Archived from the original on August 9, 2008. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 26, 2008. 
4. ^ Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water (2008) Mitchell Water Resource Plan Consultation Report . Queensland State Government. Brisbane ( Memento of the original from June 9, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ Alec Hugh Chisholm : Strange New World. The Adventure of John Gilbert and Ludwig Leichhardt . P. 193. Second revised and illustrated edition 1955. Sydney. London. Melbourne. Wellington. (English)
6. ↑ Water resources - Overview - Queensland - Basin & Surface Water Management Area: Mitchell River (QLD) . In: Australian Natural Resources Atlas . Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 6, 2009. 
7. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} About the Mitchell River Catchment . Mitchell Waterhed Management Groups ( Memento of the original from December 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
8. ↑ Important Bird Areas factsheet: Gulf Plains . BirdLife International (2011)
9. ↑ ^{a b} Map of Stations, Towns, Communities, Waterways & Roads . Mitchell River Watershed Management Group ( Memento of the original from September 13, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.