The Jardine River is the largest river of the

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 ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia.

Course

The headwaters of the river rise southwest of Helby Hill in the Great Dividing Range and flow in a north westerly direction parallel to the McHenry River through the

Apudthama National Park The Apudthama National Park (formerly Jardine River National Park) is a national park in Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane and about northwest of Cairns, on the tip of Cape York Peninsula. The park and reserves encompass the traditi ...

. The McHenry eventually discharges into the Jardine which continues north west combining with multiple other

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...

as it flows into the flatlands of the Jardine Swamps. It eventually discharges into

Endeavour Strait The Endeavour Strait is a strait running between the Australian mainland Cape York Peninsula and Prince of Wales Island in the extreme south of the Torres Strait, in northern Queensland, Australia. It was named in 1770 by explorer James Co ...

near Van Spoult Head opposite Prince of Wales Island and into the northern waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria, part of the Coral Sea. Unlike other tropical rivers in

Northern Australia The unofficial geographic term Northern Australia includes those parts of Queensland and Western Australia north of latitude 26° and all of the Northern Territory. Those local government areas of Western Australia and Queensland that lie p ...

, the Jardine flows all year round as the catchment receives sufficient rainfall throughout the year for it to do so. The river

catchment A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

occupies an area of of mostly uninhabited country, some of the catchment is made up of mostly freshwater wetlands. The river has a mean annual discharge of .

Fauna

A total of 46 species of fish are found in the river including sailfin glassfish, Macleay's glassfish, barred grunter, marbled eel, hardyhead, pennyfish, mouth almighty, goby, empire gudgeon, barramundi, oxeye herring, northern trout gudgeon, seven-spot archerfish and banded rainbowfish. The Jardine River painted turtle, previously thought to have been extinct after not being sighted in the river for 20 years, was discovered in the Jardine again in 2014. A team of Apudthama Cape York rangers and scientists from

Origin Energy Origin Energy an ASX listed public company with headquarters in Sydney. It is a major integrated electricity generator, and electricity and natural gas retailer. It operates Australia’s largest coal-fired power station at Lake Macquarie, Ne ...

have trapped 24 of the turtles at two different locations using new trapping methods.

History

The

traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have right ...

of the area are the Unjadi and Ankamuti peoples who have lived in the area for thousands of years. The river is named after the explorers and pioneers; Frank Jardine and Alexander Jardine. The men came across the river as part of their 1864 expedition through Far North Queensland. In early 1865 the Jardines had just survived a pitched battle with the local

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

s and had some horses drown while crossing the Batavia River. The party was low on ammunition and food when they came across a stream they thought was an escape but wasn't; they named it Deception River. The name was later changed by the government of

George Bowen Sir George Ferguson Bowen (; 2 November 1821 – 21 February 1899), was an Irish author and colonial administrator whose appointments included postings to the Ionian Islands, Queensland, New Zealand, Victoria, Mauritius and Hong Kong.R. B. Joy ...

to the Jardine River.

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Far North Queensland Gulf of Carpentaria Bodies of water of the Coral Sea

Course

Fauna

History

See also

References