The Endeavour River (
Guugu Yimithirr: ''Wabalumbaal''), inclusive of the Endeavour River Right Branch, the Endeavour River South Branch, and the Endeavour River North Branch, is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
system located on
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupació ...
in
Far North Queensland,
Australia.
Course and features
The river system comprises three branches that are sourced by runoff from the Henderson and Audaer Ranges. The river flows generally east from the
Great Dividing Range to the Coral Sea. The Right Branch of the river rises northwest of at an elevation of and flows generally south by east for before reaching its
confluence to join with the Endeavour River northwest of , and west of the
river mouth.
[ The South Branch of the river rises near Alderbury at an elevation of and flows generally east for before forming confluence with the North Branch to form the Endeavour River.][ The North Branch of the river rises below Honeysuckle Flat at an elevation of and flows generally west and then south for before forming confluence with the South Branch to form the Endeavour River.][ Having been formed by the South and North Branches, the Endeavour River rises below Flaggy at an elevation of and flows generally east towards its mouth with the Coral Sea at Cooktown, flowing through the Endeavour River National Park for the last few kilometres of its course.][ The Endeavour River has a ]catchment area
In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...
of .
In recent years, tilapia
Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...
fish, which are conside