The Kolan River 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 ...

located in the

Bundaberg Region The Bundaberg Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is centred on the city of Bundaberg, and also contains a significant rural area surro ...

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. The river rises in the Bobby Range, below the Dawes Range in the north-east, and the Burnett Range in the south-west. The river flows generally south and then east towards the settlement of Toweran where the

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Nat ...

crosses the river. From this point the river flows south by east and enters Lake Monduran, formed in 1978 by the

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

ming of the river in order to mitigate severe flooding in the river's lower reaches. The river then flows east and then finally north by east and reaches its mouth north of . The Kolan River is joined by nineteen

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 ...

including the main tributary, Gin-Gin Creek, a watercourse that is long. The lower reaches of the river are surrounded by

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

fields. The Mouth of Kolan River Regional Park is a protected area at the river mouth. The river descends over its course. Other water storage facilities that are supplied with water from the river include the Bucca Weir and the Kolan Barrage. '' Macfadyena unguis-cati'', commonly known as Cats Claw Creeper, is a rapidly growing clinging vine that has been killing gumtrees on the banks of the Kolan River, leaving damaged tracts of riverbank. In 2007 a

water hyacinth ''Pontederia crassipes'' (formerly ''Eichhornia crassipes''), commonly known as common water hyacinth is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive outside its native range.outbreak In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...

occurred within the Kolan River system. The name of the river is derived from a

Kabi language Kabi Kabi, also spelt Gabi-Gabi/Gubbi Gubbi, is a language of Queensland in Australia, formerly spoken by the Kabi Kabi people of South-east Queensland. The main dialect, Kabi Kabi, is extinct, but there are still 24 people with knowledge of t ...

expression, ''kalang'', meaning good.

References

{{Rivers of Queensland Rivers of Queensland Wide Bay–Burnett

See also

References