Wenlock River
Wenlock | |
---|---|
Location of the Wenlock River mouth in Queensland | |
Etymology | In honour of Baron Wenlock[1] |
Location | |
Country | Australia |
State | Queensland |
Region | Far North Queensland |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Great Dividing Range |
• location | below Jacks Knob |
• elevation | 215 m (705 ft) |
Mouth | Port Musgrave, Gulf of Carpentaria |
• location | Mapoon |
• coordinates | 12°00′54″S 141°55′50″E / 12.01500°S 141.93056°E |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Length | 322 km (200 mi) |
Basin size | 7,526 km2 (2,906 sq mi) |
Basin features | |
Waterfall | Wenlock Falls |
[2] |
The Wenlock River is a river located on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Course and features
The river rises on the western slopes of the
The river has no water storage facilities built on it and there is little development within the drainage basin, resulting in a low population. In 2010, the Queensland Government declared the river a "wild river", one of thirteen Queensland rivers that are free of dams, weirs, irrigation schemes and industrial development, and remain largely intact.[4]
Much of the river is bordered by
freshwater fish of all Australian rivers,[5] 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.[4]
Originally named the Batavia River, the river was renamed in 1939, reportedly in honour of Baron Wenlock.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Wenlock River (entry 36991)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Map of Wenlock River, QLD". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ "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 6 December 2009.
- ^ a b "Queensland's Wild Rivers". The Wilderness Society. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ Williams, Brian (16 November 2008). "Australian Wildlife Conservancy in huge land buyout". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 18 July 2010.